Blackfist Hold

Once a prominent dwarven hold that spanned the Abjurer Mountains from east to west and ran long the ridge from the northern most point to the Wendersdat Volcano on the Bahir Ridge. The most prominent feature was the Great Crossroads, a pair of perpendicular hallways that ran under the mountain allowing for safe travel.

Rich veins of minerals run through these mountains and the dwarves dug deep to extract its wealth. The dwarves of Blackfist Hold became wealthy beyond other dwarves, so it was no surprise that the Brothers War brought many clans to Blackfist seeking a share of the spoils. So great were the legends that not even the war would keep dwarves from this hold; although the darkness to follow would ensure that no dwarf would ever set foot into its hallways again.

• Name: Blackheart, Hold of Shades,
• Location: Abjurer Mountains
• Periods:

  • Founding: Age of the Gods
  • Siege: Firstborn War
  • Haunts of the Ash: Firstborn War - Dark Ages
  • Sealed Tomb: Dark Ages - Present
• Etymology: none
• Land Area: x,xxx km² (xx acres)

  • Woods: xxx acres (xx km²)
  • Cleared: xxx acres (xx km²), xxx acres cultivated
• Population: 0

Dwarves do not identify themselves by the land they are from, rather they identify themselves by clan and deed. This nomenclature carries through even when talking among outcast dwarves or those of other cultures. A dwarf may refer to themselves as Jongar of Rockclash son of Warnash hero of Corra among clan dwarves, but would then shorten his name to simply Jongar, Jongar Rockclash, or Jongar Warnash when traveling among other cultures. Although he lived in Blackfist along with his clan he would never refer to himself as Jongar Blackfist or Jongar of Blackfist as is common among other cultures.

This hold was founded by dwarves who came to them themselves the Blackfist clan. During the Age of the Gods the clan structure of the dwarves was more flexible than at any other time, unless you were one of the Great Dwarven Clans. These dwarves found large veins of ore under the Wendersdat Volcano and soon their small mining camps grew into on of the largest dwarven holds in terms of land under their control.

The dwarves carved two hallways that became known as the Great Crossroads for they ran perpendicular to each other under the mountains. Wide enough for ten wagons to pass side-by-side these hallways allowed the dwarves of Blackfist Hold to quickly move trade goods through the mountain. Protecting these hallways were massive gates that could be sealed to stop and isolate any attacking army. It was believed that no army could breach all of the gates.

The hold was not spared during the Brothers War. It was well known that while Blackfist Hold was not the site of a Living Forge, there was great wealth under the mountain. That wealth brought several of the warring armies to their gates. The unique design and position of the hold allowed for four different armies to siege the hold without coming into conflict themselves. The dwarves of Blackfist Hold had to defend each of the gates - it was a near impossible task.

The siege continued for decades as the attacking armies brought up great engines of war powered by Soul Metal. Gates that were said to never fall to an invader were torn as paper and the defenders crushed under their wheels. As the armies began to reach the inner gates the defenders became desperate for salvation - that salvation came from deep under the mountain.

The dwarves knew that at the very roots of the mountain lived a creature of darkness who fed on the life of a person and feared the light. Their most powerful Rune Mages went into the darkness and chained the creature. They pulled it from the darkness and on a moonlight night they unleashed it upon the invading armies, as the first rays of the sun touched the mountains all of the attacking dwarves were killed - not even a single one escaped.

Fearful of the creature, the dwarves chained it to the peak of Mount Wendersdat and watched the creature writhe in the sun. The remains of its corpse collapsed the top of the mountain has it burned to a fiery slag.

The Earthmother looked with disdain upon her children of Blackfist Hold. They stood against the evil that corrupted her other children, but they used the gifts that she had given them to kill and enslave. The creature they enslaved was not dead, but instead trapped within the fiery magma of Mount Wendersdat. It was a Dark Vampire, a spirit of the air, and could not free itself from the heat of the fire and strength of the earth.

She sent her Firmaks to drive the lava through the tunnels destroying what the dwarves sought to preserve over the life of another. Those dwarves that survived the Firmaks and lava were driven to the peaks of the Abjurer Mountains. With their home sealed off by the cooling lava, Earthmother tore open the rock Mount Wendersdat and freed the creature in a cloud of ash and cinders.

The creature, known in the legends as Shadarri, choked the dwarves with ash and burned their eyes with cinders. It reached into them and tore their souls out of their bodies. It bound their spirits to itself using the very runic chains they used to enslave it. It then drug their spirits to the roots of the mountains where they will serve it until the end of time.

The Great Crossroads were sealed by tons of molten rock so that even if the entrances could be found an intrepid explorer would have to tunnel through kilometers of rock and volcanic glass. The city that surrounded where the hallways crossed is rumored to still be there for so great was the beauty that Earthmother could not destroy it.

Those dwarves who laid siege to this hold and died by the power of Shadarri while it was bound are believed to have risen as Dark Vampires and now wander the smaller tunnels and the mountains themselves during a moonless night. They feed off each other as well as those mortals unlucky enough to cross their path.

The Abjurer Mountains are not filled with deep and sheltered valleys like the Iron Mountains or Anor Mountains, instead they are colossal peaks, high vistas, and cloud-shrouded alpine forests. The higher mountains are permanent covered in ice and snow with peaks well into the Death Zone.

Before the Earthmother punished the dwarves for the destruction of the Brothers War they lived nearly their entire lives underground, so it is no surprise that nearly the entirety of the hold was carved out of the mountain rock. While most of the larger tunnels were sealed off by lava, there still exists thousands of kilometers of small tunnels criss-crossing through the entire mountain range. Some are filled with volcanic gasses or acidic water, but a few might still be traversable.

Two large hallways of dressed stone and decorative columns once crossed the mountains and where they met was the large concentric core of the hold. The Soonehalle runs from the central core to the east, Sunterhalle to the west, Eisenhalle to the north, and the Geldhalle to the south. Running along these halls were fifteen (15) massive gates that could be closed to stop an attacking army. Small hidden holes allowed the defenders to drop liquids and flammables behind the doors.

The hold was governed by five (5) dwarven lords chosen from the first clans that settled in this area. Each clan had its own territory within the hold and along the mountain that they then subdivided for the smaller clans that pledged fealty to them. Anything that affected the entire hold had to be by a unanimous vote of the dwarven lords.

This port town was built in a natural bay on the eastern shore of Aquanius. It was completely destroyed by the attacking armies during the Brothers War. Before it was sacked large dwarven ships would dock here and carry their goods to far away lands. The town was named for the obsiden black sand and small crystal rocks.

The time of Blackfist Hold was the time of the godly races. Instead of the fractured cultures that now exist each of the races was guided by avatars of their creators. This meant that dealing with one is akin to dealing with all. The end of the Firstborn War changed all of that, but by that time Blackfist Hold was isolated from others.

Before the start of the Firstborn War, the elves and dwarves were allies and a great deal of trade flowed between Blackfist Hold and the various elven cities. The mountains were rich in the gemstones and precious metals favored by the elves. The elves were thrilled with the beautiful and delicate work the dwarven Forgemasters were capable of and always traded in favor of the dwarves.

No small number of the weapons the orcs used against the elves were fashioned in dwarven forges and the clans of Blackfist Hold were no different. While the clans of the hold did declare a halt on all trade with the orcs after the Night of Blood individual families often found trade with the orcs very profitable as long as you did not show weakness.

A few jundari lived in the mountains above Blackfist Hold, but they preferred to keep to themselves and while they would assuredly accept gifts from the dwarves, they had nothing of value to trade. A dwarf of Blackfist Hold would no sooner give a gift, expecting nothing in return, than cut off their own arm.

Built very deep in the earth the inhabitants of Blackfist Hold have always been solely dwarven. Very few other sentient mortals could live their lives do deep within the earth. It was possible to see a hundred or so non-dwarves within the hold, but they would simply be staying long enough to trade what goods they brought.

The nature of the hold meant that the clans of the hold often built trading towns outside of the hold where they would trade with other cultures. This allowed the clans to trade more profitably and another culture did not have to risk any problems within the hold where crimes were dealt with harshly.

Trade is the lifeblood of any dwarven hold. The dwarves are superlative craftsmen and miners. They were blessed with natural gifts in the working of the world's treasures. Those that traded with them would also add that dwarves were miserly, would quibble over everything, and carried grudges for a lifetime. Dwarven ships and caravans would travel the world for decades trading their cargo with any willing people. In time they would return and these goods would be traded internally just as fiercely.

Blackfist Hold was a mono-cultural hold. All of the inhabitants were dwarves as few other races could survive so deep under the earth. The clan structure of the dwarves played out in everyday life and anyone not of the clan moved warily when dealing with multiple clans or families. It was very possible for different families within a clan to feud with each other and given the intertwined nature of dwarven bloodlines it would be nearly impossible for an outsider to comprehend the complexities.

The dwarves of Blackfist Hold worshiped their creator, the Earthmother, and none other. They were semi-tolerant of the religious beliefs of travelers passing through, but allowed no proselytizing or shrines.

Blackfist hold never possessed a Living Forge, but it counted many strong Rune Mages among its inhabitants. After the judgement of the Earthmother all magic was stripped from the dwarves, but those small things - the every day things - still functioned. She allowed the dwarves to keep them as a reminder of what they lost. In the ruins of the concentric hold at the center of the great hallways it is possible some of them still exist.