King Emerus by naming him the second king of
restored. Gauntlgrym (after King Connerad was granted
the honor of first kingship posthumously), but for
most Felbarran dwarves, this honor is an empty com-
fort, because their beloved hero-king has been taken
from them.
Now ruling Citadel Felbarr are King Emerus's dis-
tant kin, King Morinn and Queen Tithmel, who were
recently married in a union designed to join separate
claims to the throne into one family. Tithmel's claim to
the throne is the stronger by a small degree of kinship,
but Morinn is a quieter, more thoughtful ruler. Queen
Tithmel has ever been a warrior, and some Felbarran
are afraid she may run headlong into the wrong battle
before the couple can provide the realm with an heir,
and so they hope that King Morinn's softer influence
will help to temper her impetuous nature and keep the
city strong through the trying times following the recent
conflicts. Although the two monarchs share the rule of
the city, and speak with absolute authority, their citizens
are wise to listen to what both have to say before decid-
ing how to act on royal edicts.
Most humans know Citadel Felbarr from a distance.
They see only a great raised road winding through a
vale of broken rock, brooded over by two barbicans
known as the Hammer and the Anvil. Two other fortifi-
cations loom higher still over the road, embedded in the
nearby cliffs and built atop them. These are the North
Vigil and the South Vigil. Far beyond them, the massive
Rune Gate stands at the end of the road to give entrance
into Felbarr, but visitors rarely pass through it.
Like most dwarven cities, Felbarr exists almost
entirely underground. However, since it has been
invaded by ores more than once, no accurate maps of
the city's full interior are known to exist, preventing
would-be attackers from gaining their information.
Dwarves, even those visiting from other realms through
the connections with the Lowroad, have little trouble
finding their way around, but humans, especially those
who can't read Dwarvish or the shorthand runes carved
throughout the city, have a far more difficult time.
Following the war, most Felbarran applauded the
dissolution of the Silver Marches. In its time of great-
est need, no races other than dwarves moved even the
slightest to aid Citadel Felbarr, when more assistance
and better coordination might have prevented not only
that citadel's fall, but Sundabar's as well. Felbarran
merchants remain willing to trade with the cities of the
North, and will aid the other dwarven kingdoms when
necessary, but it is doubtful that Queen Tithmel will
ever consider an alliance with humans like the one that
created Luruar, even if King Morinn might.
GAUNTLGRYM
Gauntlgrym has a complex and contradictory history,
the gist of it depending on who's doing the telling.
Humans have one story, of what they know from recent
years, but for us dwarves, Gauntlgrym is an ancient
place, first delved as a mine in the earliest days of Old
Delzoun. All sorts of myths persist about the great
mithral doors of the city, but at its start, Gauntlgrym
was simply a mine. When they delved too deeply, the
dwarves there discovered the presence of a great being
of flame, sealed the mines, and left. Only later, when
the humans begged the Delzoun dwarves to build one,
was there ever a city in Gauntlgrym. It arose because,
this time, the dwarves succeeded in harnessing the
primal power of fire in the depths, thus creating
the Great Forge that made the city possible. Or so
the stories go.
Despite all the quests undertaken by adventurers
down the centuries, none ever truly found the ancient
city until the ghosts of Gauntlgrym's former denizens
began calling to living dwarves to seek out the city. And
some did-or tried to, anyway. Shortly thereafter, the
ore wars began anew, and nearly every dwarf's attention
turned back to the existing dwarfuolds and the dangers
those places now faced. Gradually, as the ores were
pushed back and the dwarven cities secured anew,
those delvers began to recall their promises to their
ancestors. Further, when the war ended, King Bruenor
Battlehammer of Mithra! Hall promised to lead the
dwarves to Gauntlgrym and reclaim it for the dwarves of
the North.
It took fierce fighting to drive out the creatures that
had claimed the city from below, and no one is quite
sure who or what-aside from the draw-had tried
to occupy Gauntlgrym, but in the end, the dwarven
armies prevailed, and Bruenor claimed the victory.
King Emerus Warcrown of Citadel Felbarr was gravely
wounded, and Bruenor proclaimed him the second king
of Gauntlgrym before his death. When dear Emerus
passed on, Bruenor assumed the rule of Gauntlgrym,
once again abdicating the leadership in Mithra! Hall.
There are some who think that King Bruenor has
designs on a great, restored empire of Delzoun, with the
dwarves of all the North-from Ironmaster to Adbar and
Sundabar-swearing him fealty. Others fear that he will
punish those settlements that didn't contribute warriors
to the cause to retake Gauntlgrym, but those folk don't
know the returned king very well. If he wants a reborn
Delzoun, may Moradin and his children grant him the
wisdom to do it right, and the fortitude to see it through.
It's a throne I wouldn't wish on anyone.The Canticle of Gauntlgrym
Passed down by dwarves throughout the North for cen-
turies, the Canticle of Gauntlgrym is now something of
an anthem for the reclaimed city. It is often sung on the
road by dwarven travelers on their way to make a life in
Bruenor's halls.
Silver halls and mithral doors
Stone walls to seal the cavern
Grander sights than e'er before
In smithy, mine, and tavern
Toil hard in endless night
In toast, oh, lift yer flagon!
Ye'll need the drink to keep ye right
At forge that bakes the dragon.
Come Delzoun, come one and all!
Rush to grab yer kin
And tell 'em that their home awaits
In grandest Gauntlgrym!CHAPTER 2 I THE SWORD COAST AND THE NORTH