CLAN BATTLEHAMMERCLAN FOEHAMMERCLAN lioRNCLAN STONESHIELOmassive granite doors proved to be heavily guarded,
and nearly impossible to open from the outside. Mithra!
Hall's defenders call themselves the Host of the Hall, a
disciplined, well-armored cohort that is willing to defend
the city to the last dwarf. The famed Gutbuster Brigade
is part of the Host, battleragers who strike fear into any
enemy intelligent e nough to realize whom it is they face.
Travelers allowed in side the city are housed in upper-
level guest chambers just inside the labyrinth of caverns
known as the Maze. From there, paths lead down into
the middle levels of the city, past its various furnaces,
and onward to either the lower levels and deeper mines
(where guests aren't permitted) or the unde rcity (where
non-dwarf visitors are prohibited).
Despite its recent reputation and the growing legend
surrounding its most famous king, Mithra! Hall is
much more a mine than it is a city. Like most dwarven
realms, it lost significant numbers to the ores, and saw
its population further depleted by Bruenor's quest for
Gauntlgrym and the resulting permanent relocation of
some of his people. As a result, Mithra! Hall's numbers
are sorely diminished at present, and it remains to be
seen whether its fortunes will follow suit.
CHAPTER 2 I THE SWORD COAST AND THE NORTHSUNDABAR
Like Mirabar, Sundabar was a dwarven settlement
atop which a human city was built. Sundabar's recent
fall should serve as an example to my fellow dwarves
of what can happen when the balance of power shifts
toward the s urface and into human hands.
The city is descended from th e citadel of Sundbarr, a
stronghold of Delzoun constructed two thousand years
ago around a strange volcanic rift that would come to
be known as the Everfire- a mystical source of endless
heat for th e city's smithies and foundries that allowed
Sundabar to produce works of great wonder. Sundbarr
was led by a Forgemaster, th e smith most skilled at
working with the Everfire. When one Forgemeaster died
or another surpassed his or her ability, leadership of
Sundbarr changed hands.
So it was until the flee ing remnants of Ascalhorn
were pursued to the citadel's doorste p some time later.
Then the Forgemaster of Sundbarr aided th e humans
in fighting off the demons and other monsters that
chased them. In recognition of a human savin g his life
during th e fight, the Forgemaster permitted the refugees
to settle on the surface, rather than forcing them to
depart once the battle was done. The partnership that
grew between dwarves and humans became renowned
throughout the North, and the s urface city of Sundabar
was built up into a mighty fortress of commerce.
However, as the humans flourished above, the dwarf
population dwindled, and eventually the Forgemaster
was overtake n in prestige and influence by th e Ruling
Master of Sundabar, who came to speak for the human
guilds and merchants of th e surface city. One such
ruling master, Helm Dwarf-Friend, was so beloved
and respected that his descendants were able to crown
themselves kings, something no dwarf before or since
has dared to do in Sundabar.
King Firehelm, Helm's grandson, was the king in Sund-
abar when the city fell to the ore horde. He did not survive.
Beyond that tragedy, the recent war did horrific damage
to Sundabar and the humans on the surface. A dragon
dropped great stones on many of the buildings above, and
a good portion of the city's outer wall was destroyed. Most
of Sundabar's military leadership was wiped out when
the building they were meeting in was crushed. Despite
the best efforts of Aleina Brightlance of Silverymoon's
Knights in Silver to organize a defense, and the valiant
efforts of the Sundabar garrison, ores streamed into the
city, slaughtering the human population on the surface
and driving what few defenders remained into the caverns
below, and from them many fled through the Underdark.
The dwarves of the undercity barricaded themselves in
the Everfire caverns, and waited. When th e ore warlord
Hartusk left only a token garrison behind in the city to
slow pursuers, the dwarves emerged from below and set
about slaughterin g every ore and goblin in Sundabar.
Sundabar is now a dwarven city in its entirety; the
human population is gone. Efforts to clear away rubble
and debris from the attacks are slow, as most dwarves
remain in the sheltered undercity, and those few who
have duties on the s urface have taken over the buildings