Earthfast Earthfast was a shield dwarven city located in the Earthfast Mountains near Impiltur , from a high mountain valley to deep beneath in the Earthroot region of the Underdark . Though it was a war - torn city under constant siege from orcs and goblins , Earthfast was a capable ally of Cormyr and an able defender of Faerûn against the Tuigan Horde . History . Dwarves from Earthfast founded the underground town of Proeskampalar in the Year of the Starry Shroud , −153 DR . That same year , it was joined by human refugees from fallen Jhaamdath ( what was later Chondath ) who also settled there . Proeskampalar thrived and became the city later known as Procampur . Earthfast weapon - smiths were commissioned to forge the " Greatsword of Impiltur " to mark the coronation of King Sarshel the True of neighboring Impiltur in the Year of the Proud Father , 732 DR . However , it could not be completed until the Year of the Splendid Stag , 734 DR , in time for the coronation of his son Halanter I . Halanter was known as " Arausamman " , or " Great Friend " , to the dwarves of Earthfast for centuries to come . At that time , Earthfast was ruled by Ironlord Barundar mac Idrin . Barundar had come into possession of " Sarghathuld " , a legendary sword of the fallen dwarven realm of Roldilar , and presented it as a gift to Halanter on his coronation . " Sarghathuld " would lie in Impiltur ' s Royal Vaults , while the " Greatsword of Impiltur " became Halanter ' s ceremonial sword of state . King Halanter became the first Impilturan ruler to make a pact with the dwarves of Earthfast . Earthfast was once a flourishing city of 100 , 000 dwarves . But for centuries ( four dwarf generations before the mid – 14th century DR ) the dwarves warred against the local orc s , causing their numbers to dwindle and their city to decline . At some point , King Azoun IV Obarskyr of Cormyr aided the dwarves of Earthfast , becoming one of the few outsiders to earn their trust . The dwarves maintained a long - term treaty of alliance with Cormyr . However , an alliance of goblin s and orcs , including the Bloody Skull tribe , determined to annihilate the dwarves . Earthfast fell under constant siege , with continuous attacks by vast numbers , lasting at least a dwarven generation . Many women and children were slaughtered , with Ironlord Torg mac Cei ' s queen dying in battle around 1345 DR . The population plummeted to barely 10 , 000 and much of the city was abandoned and left decaying . Torg and the remaining dwarves stayed to defend , but Earthfast appeared doomed . They received some surprising aid in mid - autumn of the Year of the Serpent , 1359 DR , when Alusair Obarskyr , the renegade princess of Cormyr and daughter of Azoun IV , came to the Earthfast Mountains seeking a lost artifact but finding Earthfast . Alusair lent her aid to the struggle , fighting with the dwarves against the orcs and goblins . After many battles , with her knowledge of strategy , they routed the orcs and saved Earthfast . She also introduced Torg to the use of polearm s , who then began training his soldiers in their use . Alusair stayed with the Earthfast dwarves for some nine months , learning much of their ways . Alusair impressed them with her storytelling , and befriend the dwarven bard Morgalla the Mirthful . She was sighted by traders , and her identity became the subject of much speculation . The Horde Wars . In Tarsakh of the Year of the Turret , 1360 DR , Earthfast was the first to respond via letter to King Azoun IV ' s call for a crusade against the Tuigan Horde , with King Torg committing 2000 dwarven soldiers to the Army of the Alliance . This helped sway other allies to the cause . Azoun and his Court Wizard Vangerdahast met King Torg and the Earthfast dwarves south of Uthmerg in the Great Dale , and reunited with Alusair . After the dwarven escort sent to meet Azoun and Vangerdahast was found slain by orcs instead , Alusair feared the Bloody Skull orcs had followed them . In fact , they were later discovered to be the orcish army sent by Zhentil Keep to the Alliance . Torg prepared to withdraw from the crusade rather than fight alongside orcs , until Azoun reminded him of his honor and commitment to the crusade . Torg agreed to stay but demanded blood - payment , the deaths of the three orcs responsible for the slain escort . The dwarves then marched to Telflamm rather than travel by ship , or travel with the orcs . The Earthfast dwarves arrived at the First Battle of the Golden Way on Flamerule 3 in time to save the Alliance infantry from being wiped out by the Tuigan . The Tuigan sent 5000 horsemen to surround the 2000 dwarves , but their phalanxes remained strong and crushed the attacking force between them . The dwarves then supported the remaining Alliance army . For the Second Battle of the Golden Way on Flamerule 5 , Azoun had the dwarves dig hundreds of small holes in a defensive barrier , which would cripple the Tuigan horses and halt their charge . The Alliance was victorious but Ironlord Torg was slain by the Tuigan Khahan , Hoekun Yamun in the final battle . The dwarves interred their dead and Ironlord Torg in a stone cairn on the battlefield , and left the next day . They returned to Earthfast and their isolation and did not seek increased relations with the neighboring states . However , a few dwarves did take the opportunity get away . The bard Morgalla the Mirthful , who ' d accompanied the Tuigan campaign , journeyed to Cormyr to see Alusair ' s homeland . Sigurd became a noted explorer of Rashemen . Post - War . Following the Horde Wars , Clan Hammerhand of Ravens Bluff , who ' d fought in the war and had once been a part of Earthfast , decided to resettle in their entirety in Earthfast . This necessitated warring against the local goblinoid s , and they also served as mercenaries to gain money and experience . Resurgent orcs launched wave after wave of attacks on Earthfast , particularly against Alagh Rorncaurak , the cavern and temple of Clangeddin . The Hammerhands were much - needed reinforcements , and their assistance gave the dwarves time to fortify the temple ' s defenses . There were still frequent clashes between the dwarven defenders and orc patrols " circa " 1369 DR . Post - Spellplague . In 1491 DR , an elemental codex was stolen from Earthfast by Furgis Boltsmelter . A band of Hammers of Moradin led by Kalda Purefist were ordered to pursue and retrieve the codex . They caught up with Furgis and some adventurers near Mulmaster , but were nearly destroyed in an attack on both groups by the Cult of the Black Earth . Kalda was slain , but Borri mac Rogni and Sunni mac Grunna negotiated with the adventurers , ultimately gaining the book and returning to Earthfast . Demographics . Earthfast was inhabited by shield dwarves . Though once it bustled with 100 , 000 dwarves , the wars decimated it to only about 10 , 000 by 1359 DR , with few women or children . Government . The ironlord was the sole leader of Earthfast , and it was a hereditary position . The ironlord led the army and maintained law and order . In the early 8th century DR , the ironlord was Barundar mac Idrin . In the late 1350s DR , this was Torg mac Cei , but he died in battle against the Tuigan Khahan , Hoekun Yamun , in 1360 DR . Relations . In the 8th century , Earthfast made a pact with Impiltur , thanks to the dwarves ' friendship with King Halanter I . Earthfast had a long - term treaty of alliance with Cormyr under King Azoun IV Obarskyr . They also committed forces to the Army of the Alliance against the Tuigan Horde in 1360 DR . However , although some observers hoped that this would bring closer relations between Earthfast and the Heartlands , the dwarves kept apart and remained aloof . Religion . The dwarves of Earthfast followed Moradin , the Dwarffather and Clangeddin Silverbeard , the Father of Battle . Alagh Rorncaurak , the Battlecavern of Unquenched Valor , was a vast chasm and natural cathedral to Clangeddin . Description . Under constant siege and seemingly doomed to fall , Earthfast was grim and gloomy city , and quiet apart from the sounds of smithing and warfare . Much of it was abandoned and left to decay . Alagh Rorncaurak was a vast chasm and temple of Clangeddin lying in the heart of Earthfast , but with much of the city abandoned , it came to sit on the western edge of the dwarf - held territory . In the 1360s DR , orcs made frequent attacks on the chasm , particularly through the ruined western barracks of the temple . The dwarves fortified what was left , and kept the temple ' s central sanctuary and the entrance to the rest of the city free of orcish incursion . Culture . The Earthfast dwarves most valued order and honor . They would only fight for a good and just cause , and would accept death in battle for it . They would pull out of a cause if they doubted its quality or its allies , as they nearly withdrew from the Alliance after meeting the orcs sent by Zhentil Keep , until Azoun reminded them of their commitment . These dwarves were deeply mistrustful of outsiders from other races , and even of other dwarves , with only a few special exceptions . They especially despised orcs . They were described as typically quiet , grim , and moody . They also tended to be battle - hardened veterans , durable and stubborn . Each dwarf was expected to fight or work . They had little time for entertainment , yet on some nights they assembled in the great clan hall to hear songs and stories , and even to dance . Most of the women and children were slaughtered in the war with the orcs and goblins , so few Earthfast dwarves had families . But they ' d fought so long and hard that each dwarf believed their parents to be heroes , so each carried the name of their father , with names like Torg mac Cei and Pryderi mac Immath , where " mac " meant " son of " . The few children might be taught to fight with staves almost as soon as they could stand . Those dwarves who survived to the age of 50 were expected to choose a mate and establish a family , or " hearth " . War was a central part of Earthfast culture , with even their silver cups engraved with scenes of bloody battle against goblins and orcs , and of the dwarves ' own gruesome practices . The Earthfast dwarves were head - hunters , severing the heads of their slain enemies and taking their skulls as trophies . They took them to a great cavern where they stacked them in tidy pyramids . The greater the enemy , the better the skull . The dwarves were used to subterranean combat , in dark caves and tunnels where noise could echo , hiding enemy movements , and where any light could reveal a position . Therefore , they kept their city and their camps dark and quiet as possible , and the Earthfast dwarves were silent in battle and at work . Alusair said that silence was a virtue in Earthfast . The most noise they made was when victorious in battle , and even that was a low roar that rumbled and rolled as if emanating from deep inside the earth . Like many northern dwarven miners , the Earthfast miners used canaries that died in bad air , rather than the glowing fungi in the south that changed color but died in the cold . Ironlord Torg developed a liking for them , and often carried a cage about with him . Military . The Earthfast military was commanded by the ironlord . It was orderly , organized , and highly disciplined , and the soldiers trained in armor in harsh conditions to be ready to fight in them . Standards with clan symbols were used to mark and rally troops , while trumpeters and drummers sounded orders and kept beats . Military camps were laid out along straight lines and neatly arranged , unlike in camps of many other nations . Equipment was stored tidily and garbage dumps were kept in separate enclosures . The tents were brown and made of thick felt laced with metal to block sound escaping to the outside ; these were designed specifically for the Tuigan campaign . In battle , they wore full plate armor of the famously strong Earthfast plate . Some wore scale mail . They traditionally fought with axe s ( such as battleaxe s ) , sword s , and crossbow s ( such as light crossbow s ) . However , Ironlord Torg began training his soldiers with polearm s in 1357 DR , having been introduced to them by Alusair and reading a treatise on polearms by King Azoun IV . Their heavy pikemen fought in square and massed formations , and focused on fighting cavalry , which made then devastatingly effective against the Tuigan . Ironlord Torg ' s elite guard were uniformed in surcoats bearing his red - and - black phoenix - and - warhammer symbol . The hearth guard were one of the forces defending Earthfast . Economics . The main industries in Earthfast were mining , smithing , and warfare . The dwarves were talented weaponsmiths , and their axes were sought after . The most prized of all was the famous Earthfast plate armor , but this was quite rare , as the dwarves could not spare the time to make new sets for outsiders , only to repair their own . Though once busy with trade , the siege cut business to a trickle . Some brave peddlers snuck past goblin patrols and through the frontlines to reach Earthfast . They sold simple food supplies , such as fruit , cheese , and seeds , and textile s , in exchange for the valuable weapons and armor of Earthfast .