Mithral Hall Mithral Hall ( sometimes spelled " Mithril Hall " ) was a dwarven stronghold beneath Fourthpeak Mountain in the Frost Hills , part of the Spine of the World . It was one of the best known dwarven strongholds in Faerûn . Originally a mithral mine belonging to Clan Battlehammer , this underground town became a safe haven for various dwarf families and even some persons of other races . Mithral Hall had a long history of tragedy and triumph , and was the making and breaking of countless individuals . Geography . Set amongst the longest mountain range in Faerûn , Mithral Hall was one of the northernmost settlements on the continent . Settlestone . An ancient village south of Mithral Hall , Settlestone was one of the few dwarven settlements built entirely above ground . Originally known as " Dwarvendarrow " , the settlement was built with huge slabs of rock laid against one another . These sturdy structures withstood the elements for years and even survived several centuries after the village was abandoned . Used by the occupants of Mithral Hall as a public front and forward base , Settlestone was first resettled in 1357 DR by barbarians from Icewind Dale led by Berkthgar , although the barbarians only stayed for a few years . Settlestone was also populated with around 200 dwarf guards that regulated traffic around Mithral Hall and kept the surrounding area free from monsters . Keeper ' s Dale . Keeper ' s Dale was the name given to the rocky valley that surrounded the northwestern entrance to Mithral Hall . To navigate it was treacherous and arduous , due to the craggy outcrops and unstable edges . The steps on Keeper ' s Dale that led to the entrance of the hall were carefully carved where two different types of rock met . This provided camouflage and meant the steps could only be seen from the correct angle , or by those in the know . Structure . Once inside the town , one was faced with a web of tunnels and numerous caves and rooms . To navigate the tunnels required an experienced guide or several years of experience spelunking within them . Mithral Hall was an ever - expanding settlement as the residents were constantly mining for more mithral . The tunnels and chambers of Mithral Hall were a self - contained city complete with taverns , forges , workshops , homes , and shrines to Moradin , Clangeddin , and Dumathoin . Entrances . There were two primary ways into Mithral Hall , along with a number of hidden , thin chimneys used for ventilation . Additionally , the lowest levels of the mine opened up into the Underdark . History . After being built by Gandalug Battlehammer and his kin , Mithral Hall accumulated a long and fascinating history filled with all manner of heroes , villains , victory and defeat . Origin . Although the exact date when Mithral Hall was founded is unknown , it was before 0 DR . The Hall was founded by Gandalug Battlehammer . ( It is however reported in " Hall of Heroes " that Bunko Battlehammer was the founder of Mithral Hall , however this has been contradicted in several other works so is considered an error . ) The settlement was originally set up as a mine , due to the rich seams of mithral ore in the mountain . The business quickly grew into a thriving community . The location of Mithral Hall was kept extremely secret , so that other organisations wouldn ' t try invading . The dwarves used to sell their ore and weapons in Settlestone , using it as a public front for the mine . This way outsiders were not exposed to the secret location of the mine . Shimmergloom ' s Reign . Towards the end of the 1100s DR , the deepest mines carved out by the dwarves of Mithral Hall broke into a shadowcavern . The cavern was said to be linked to the Plane of Shadows . An immensely powerful shadow dragon named Haerinvureem ( known as " Shimmergloom " ) was subsequently released into the mines . The dragon , who later became known as Shimmergloom , was aided by hordes of shadow creatures and a whole clan of duergar . The loyal dwarves stood and fought allowing the few not strong enough the opportunity to flee . Among those that escaped was a young Bruenor Battlehammer . The dragon ravaged Mithral Hall slaying thousands of dwarves . Thibbledorf Pwent was one of the few dwarves that fought in the battle and survived , although he was presumed dead for quite some time . Bangor Battlehammer and his father Garumn Battlehammer died in the battle slaying hordes of Duergar . As they died their surrounding area was probably cursed as their bodies and possessions remained untouched centuries later . The 300 or so dwarves that escaped fled to the nearby Settlestone where they waited for news , expecting their kin to emerge victorious and invite them back . The good news never came , and the few dwarves that ventured back into Mithral Hall looking for survivors did not return . What was a settlement of 10 , 000 was cut down to 300 . Reclaiming Mithral Hall . Searching for Mithral Hall . Ever since leaving his home when he was a young dwarf , Bruenor Battlehammer had wanted to reclaim Mithral Hall and avenge his kin . After spending many years living at the clan ' s new home in Icewind Dale , the aged and respected Bruenor decided it was time to return to Mithral Hall . Although he had always intended to return the sudden decision to begin the quest in 1356 DR came after he completed the forging of Aegis - fang . Bruenor set off along with Drizzt Do ' Urden , Regis , and Wulfgar , who later became known as the Companions of the Hall . The journey to find Mithral Hall was a long one , as even Bruenor had forgotten many of the details of its whereabouts . They eventually tracked it down with the help of rumours , clues and , most significantly , a memory inducing potion . The combination of these aids led them to Settlestone ( known at the time as " the Ruins " ) where they stayed the night . In the morning they set off along a narrow path towards Fourthpeak Mountain . Along they way they ran into some trouble with another group who had been following them . That group consisted of a golem created by Dendybar , his apprentice , Sydney , and Artemis Entreri , an assassin on a mission to track down Regis and the magical ruby he used to charm others . Entreri also had with him Catti - brie , Bruenor ' s adopted human daughter . After almost a day ' s hiking they reached Keeper ' s Dale but didn ' t know the ancient command code to open the hidden door . They waited until the next day , and used Aegis - Fang ' s magic to reveal the door . Clearing out the hall . Once inside they set about navigating the complicated tunnels . Along the way they encountered the dusty bodies of Bangor and Garumn Battlehammer , Bruenor ' s father and grand - father . After laying them to rest in a nearby room , and donning Bangor ' s Armor , Bruenor proclaimed himself the Eighth King of Mithral Hall . A series of minor events occurred in the tunnels before reaching Shimmergloom , who after being disturbed appeared in Garumn ' s Gorge . Faced with no alternative Bruenor doused himself in oil from a nearby store room , leapt onto Shimmergloom ( pouring oil on his scales ) and set light to both of them . The brave dwarf and fearsome dragon roared down the natural abyss in a spectacular fireball . In the aftermath Regis was kidnapped and the bridge across the gorge destroyed . Drizzt , Wulfgar and Catti - brie were forced to edge their way around the chasm to reach the eastern exit , where they left assuming Bruenor had been killed in the fireball . In fact Bruenor had miraculously survived the scorching fall thanks to Drizzt ' s magical sword , Icingdeath . After clambering from the dead dragon ' s body , he made his way through Mithral Hall . With Shimmergloom dead , all that was left to do was clear out the shadow dragon ' s vermin . Bruenor slayed vast numbers of duergar as he made his way through the tunnels and rooms . He eventually escaped the complex by climbing up one of the furnace chimney ' s where he encountered ( and was bitten by ) a giant spider . Although he managed to kill the spider , its venom quickly made its way through his body , and as he reached the surface and the daylight struck his face , he lost consciousness . He woke up in the care of Alustriel Silverhand who had foreseen his predicament and rushed to his aid . Battle of Keeper ' s Dale . In the year 1358 DR an army of drow , goblin s and kobold s led by House Baenre attacked Mithral Hall , from Menzoberranzan . The defending dwarves soon received aid from svirfneblin from Blingdenstone , local barbarians from Settlestone led by Berkthgar the Bold , reinforcements from Nesme , led by Galen Firth and the Knights of Silver and the mysterious Harpells of Longsaddle . At one point the wizard Alustriel even appeared to deter the attackers . After a few days of intense fighting , the evil drow and other races were eventually defeated and driven back to their shadowy homes . King Gandalug ' s return . During the Battle of Keeper ' s Dale , Bruenor and the other Companions of the Hall freed Gandalug Battlehammer from an powerful spell leaving the ancient dwarf a servant of Baenre . In 1362 DR , Bruenor abdicated his throne to Gandalug , the founder of Mithral Hall , making him the 1st and 9th King of Mithral Hall . The old dwarf died only a few years later , no doubt from old age , as the spell that had held him captive and postponed his aging had worn off . Bruenor , who had taken a few hundred of his dwarves back to Icewind Dale , returned to rule as Tenth King of Mithral Hall in 1370 DR . Obould ' s orc hordes . King Obould Many - arrows launched an attack on Mithral Hall in 1370 DR with a huge army of orcs . The staggering army came from the Spine of the World . Over the next few years the fighting continued and various battles and skirmishes between the dwarves and orcs caused huge amounts of destruction and bloodshed on both sides . In 1372 DR the wizard Alustriel stepped in again to defend Mithral Hall . Treaty of Garumn ' s Gorge . In 1372 DR , Bruenor Battlehammer and Obould signed a peace treaty which ended the bloody war between the two Kingdoms . As the name suggests the treaty was signed at Garumn ' s Gorge . The treaty still held true as of 1479 DR . Mines . The primary function of Mithral Hall was was a mine and a business . Mithral ran in abundance through the mountain , with some veins as thick as a man ' s arm . Iron was also mined . Relationships . Mithral Hall had a close relationship with the other dwarven realms in the Silver Marches , including Citadel Adbar and Citadel Felbarr . When Mithral Hall was reclaimed by King Bruenor , 2 , 000 dwarves emigrated from Citadel Adbar with the blessing of King Harbromm . Citadel Fellbarr exchanged caravans with Mithral Hall . King Emerus Warcrown signed the Treaty of Garumn ' s Gorge alongside with King Bruenor . Mirabar and Mithral Hall had an antagonistic relationship , with Mirabar even sending emissaries to attempt to sabotage Mithral Hall ' s ore in 1372 DR . In that same year , a number of dwarves from Mirabar , disgusted at their city ' s contempt for and hostility towards their fellow Delzoun dwarves defected to Mithral Hall . Inhabitants . Kings . As of 1486 DR there had been twelve kings ( and one queen ) of Mithral Hall . Due to the abdication and return of some kings , they were not all different individuals . Allies . Over the years many individuals and groups of many races have stood alongside clan Battlehammer . Some of the most well known include : Song . Mithral Hall had its own song , capturing the hard - working spirit of the settlement ' s first occupants . Appendix . Appearances . Mithral Hall appeared in numerous R . A . Salvatore books and was a key setting within many of the plots . Icewind Dale trilogy Legacy of the Drow series Hunter ' s Blades trilogy Transitions trilogy Neverwinter Saga The Sundering series