The Great Dwarfholds
Throughout The Old World, Great Dwarven cities, known as Dwarfholds, rose to prominence amongst every mountain range and hilled land in all of Kermoria. Though records from that era are sparse, several of these great holds have been excavated, with plans from The Wastelanders, the Royal Society for the Exploration of the Natural and Physical World, and several other groups to locate and explore them all.
Karak Angkor, which translates roughly as Everpeak, or the Pinnacle of Mountain, was the Dwarf capital city, and High King Thorgrim Grundhammer's seat of power. This was the mightiest and most populous of all Dwarf cities, the capital of the Dwarfen Empire, and the stronghold of the High King. Here, amongst its ancient temples to the Ancestor Gods, High King Thorgrim Grundhammer held court in a vaulted Great Hall large enough to engulf a Human town. The forest of pillars that formed the mile-long entrance to the hall towered high into darkness. Despite suffering attacks beyond number, Karak Angkor never fell to an invader. There were kept the Great Book of Grudges, the Book of Remembering and countless hoarded treasures, each an object of awe and veneration to any Dwarf. After a great deal of bluster and grumbling, even the most independent of Dwarfs from one of the far-off holds would ultimately admit to a fierce pride of Karak Angkor. Although their empire may have crumbled, there, at the stony heart of their realm, its power and splendor endure.
Karak Angkor was lost to history before the Draconic Age, however, in early 221, the ruins were discovered beneath The Fists.
Known as 'HornHold' in ancient Dwarven, Karak Bairn was the largest and most important hold within the Gemfire Mountains. Exceptionally rich deposits of ore and gemstones were found here, however, little to no precious star metals were found, ensuring that Karak Bairn never rivalled the strength of Karak Angkor. Karak Bairn is also called the Hornhold because of the huge mountaintop cavern that when wind blew through, created a natural effect that projected a terrifying blast of sound through the mountains. The Dwarves had exploited this natural phenomenon further by constructing additional sounding chambers and massive doors that they could open and close to change the pitch and duration of the sound. The mountain's horn was used to signal to both smaller kingdoms and outlying cities, summon warriors and frighten away simple creatures such as Trolls. The "Horn of Bairn" could be sounded even on windless days, lighting a huge fire in a particular chamber, which served to draw air through the hold.
Though many records exist mentioning Karak Bairn and it's existence, it's location has yet to be discovered.
The largest hold in the Land of Giants was Karak Loden, known as 'Barren Earth Hold' in ancient Dwarvish. Populated by displaced clans from other fallen holds, Karak Loden sat on the only sizeable deposits of metal and semiprecious stones in the hill-strewn Land of Giants. The Dwarfhold was strategically placed with its upper level visible on a plateau high above the nearby forest, now known as the Zaulfung Forest. This enabled the Dwarves to monitor the activities of the titans and beasts of the greenlands, albeit from a considerable distance.
Karak Loden was found in 139AV, but, due to the remoteness of it's location, excavation efforts are slow, at best.
The most mechanized of strongholds, Horgenhold was built into a deep chasm worn over time from a torrential waterfall that cascaded down through its center. The sound of thousands of grinding water wheels, wheezing bellows and pounding drop hammers echoed off nearby peaks - a never-ceasing tumult of industry. Spark-ridden smog wreathed the peak above, and at night, the chasm glowed from untold furnace fires. Rebuilt after its near-destruction, Horgenhold was the center of metalwork for the Dwarven Empire and also contained the principal shrine of the Dwarf Engineer's Guild. Although it was surrounded by greenskin tribes, and its lowermost levels were riddled with all manner of beasts from The Underdark, Horgenhold held firmly until it was destroyed by a marauding dragon during the Draconic Age.
The modern city of Edeli is built near the ruins of Horgenhold; however, due to the dangers, it has never been fully explored. The Underway beneath Horgenhold is considered especially dangerous, having a direct connection to The Underdark.
Karak Angkor
Karak Angkor, which translates roughly as Everpeak, or the Pinnacle of Mountain, was the Dwarf capital city, and High King Thorgrim Grundhammer's seat of power. This was the mightiest and most populous of all Dwarf cities, the capital of the Dwarfen Empire, and the stronghold of the High King. Here, amongst its ancient temples to the Ancestor Gods, High King Thorgrim Grundhammer held court in a vaulted Great Hall large enough to engulf a Human town. The forest of pillars that formed the mile-long entrance to the hall towered high into darkness. Despite suffering attacks beyond number, Karak Angkor never fell to an invader. There were kept the Great Book of Grudges, the Book of Remembering and countless hoarded treasures, each an object of awe and veneration to any Dwarf. After a great deal of bluster and grumbling, even the most independent of Dwarfs from one of the far-off holds would ultimately admit to a fierce pride of Karak Angkor. Although their empire may have crumbled, there, at the stony heart of their realm, its power and splendor endure.
Karak Angkor was lost to history before the Draconic Age, however, in early 221, the ruins were discovered beneath The Fists.
Karak Bairn
Known as 'HornHold' in ancient Dwarven, Karak Bairn was the largest and most important hold within the Gemfire Mountains. Exceptionally rich deposits of ore and gemstones were found here, however, little to no precious star metals were found, ensuring that Karak Bairn never rivalled the strength of Karak Angkor. Karak Bairn is also called the Hornhold because of the huge mountaintop cavern that when wind blew through, created a natural effect that projected a terrifying blast of sound through the mountains. The Dwarves had exploited this natural phenomenon further by constructing additional sounding chambers and massive doors that they could open and close to change the pitch and duration of the sound. The mountain's horn was used to signal to both smaller kingdoms and outlying cities, summon warriors and frighten away simple creatures such as Trolls. The "Horn of Bairn" could be sounded even on windless days, lighting a huge fire in a particular chamber, which served to draw air through the hold.
Though many records exist mentioning Karak Bairn and it's existence, it's location has yet to be discovered.
Karak Loden
The largest hold in the Land of Giants was Karak Loden, known as 'Barren Earth Hold' in ancient Dwarvish. Populated by displaced clans from other fallen holds, Karak Loden sat on the only sizeable deposits of metal and semiprecious stones in the hill-strewn Land of Giants. The Dwarfhold was strategically placed with its upper level visible on a plateau high above the nearby forest, now known as the Zaulfung Forest. This enabled the Dwarves to monitor the activities of the titans and beasts of the greenlands, albeit from a considerable distance.
Karak Loden was found in 139AV, but, due to the remoteness of it's location, excavation efforts are slow, at best.
Horgenhold
The most mechanized of strongholds, Horgenhold was built into a deep chasm worn over time from a torrential waterfall that cascaded down through its center. The sound of thousands of grinding water wheels, wheezing bellows and pounding drop hammers echoed off nearby peaks - a never-ceasing tumult of industry. Spark-ridden smog wreathed the peak above, and at night, the chasm glowed from untold furnace fires. Rebuilt after its near-destruction, Horgenhold was the center of metalwork for the Dwarven Empire and also contained the principal shrine of the Dwarf Engineer's Guild. Although it was surrounded by greenskin tribes, and its lowermost levels were riddled with all manner of beasts from The Underdark, Horgenhold held firmly until it was destroyed by a marauding dragon during the Draconic Age.
The modern city of Edeli is built near the ruins of Horgenhold; however, due to the dangers, it has never been fully explored. The Underway beneath Horgenhold is considered especially dangerous, having a direct connection to The Underdark.
Comments