Granite Hearth

Overview

The dwarves of Granite Hearth do not bury or cremate their dead... Founded by Clan Vadderung nearly 900 years ago, Granite Hearth is a relatively young (by dwarven standards) Dwarfhold nestled in the Cloud Peaks, at the edge of Snakewood, guarded by the impregnable Gorm's Gate. The entrance is known only to those familiar with the labyrinthian system of interconnected mountain trails, crevices, and caves that eventually lead to the isolated Grove of Marthammor Duin. Following these tunnels far enough underground below Granite Hearth reveals the Deep, an unexplored region of the Underdark, untouched by Drow and Dwarf both. Life in the mountains is hard. Every day is a trial, and Clan Vadderung suffers no fools. Mistakes cost lives and life in such an isolated community demands a powerful bond of trust forged through hardship. Trust is the most valuable commodity in Granite Hearth, and Oath's are trust made manifest. It is the mortar that holds her rock-steady. As such, it is a terrible sin to ever break an Oath. As the Dawi of Clan Vadderung say, "United through Oath, undone by Truth slain. From Oath, Honour. From Honour, Valor. Through Valor, we gain Strength. And through Strength, we prove our worth to the Gods." Centuries ago, whilst exploring the Deep, a seemingly endless network of tunnels beneath Granite Hearth, King Haakon 'Bloodhowl' came across the ruins of an ancient dwarven city long lost to time. The Stone Singers claimed that the structures were cut and shaped over 2000 years prior to the founding of Granite Hearth. King Haakon bid the Singers to investigate, whilst the Sisters of Dumathoin prayed and searched what remained of the Shaperate Librarium for guidance and foresight into the ancient city's past. She was called Khazra Dolm, and the corpse of her crumbling and cracked ruins told of a prosperous society of Dawi cut far too short by some horrible cataclysm. When the Sisters and Stone Singers returned with their findings on this event, so terrible was the truth that King Haakon ordered the summary execution of the entire circle of Stone Singers. He claimed that the Stone Singers had been corrupted by their expedition into the Deep. The Sisters of Dumathoin were sworn to secrecy, and cut out their own tongues as proof of their loyalty and commitment to the Clan, and perhaps as an offering to the Gods for protection against any future evils. Thus the Order of the Silent Sisters was created, in what history now records as the Night of Silence. Ever since the Night of Silence, the dwarves of Granite Hearth do not bury or cremate their dead. Instead, their bodies are carried upon carts drawn by the Silent Sisters into the darkness of the Deep. Centuries later, some have come to question those events, however such rumours are always fleeting. Dissidents harboring these doubts have been known to go missing without explanation, never to be seen again. Whether by happenstance or a desire for truth, the brothers Alric and Heimdal are about to stumble upon a terrible Oath that threatens to crack the foundations of Clan and Hold, and alter the fate of Granite Hearth forever. The dwarves of Granite Hearth do not bury or cremate their dead...

Home is where the Hearth is.