Vurnfalduhr

The dwarves of the mountains are an iconic folk. They are well known, well respected (by some) and are known as masters in their own craft. Vurnfalduhr is the kingdom of dwarves, a place where all of their kind is welcome.
=History=
==Early History==
The Kingdom of Dwarves is an ancient one. Long before humans settled the base of their mountains, they dwelled within their great stone cities. There were once many clans, each with their own towns and settlements. Vying for control, the many different clans would often clash, often over something as simple as a family feud, or perceived slights.
==The Third Era==
The many, many different clans that populated the mountains often fought amongst each other for supremacy. They wanted all the precious stones, ores, and rocks for themselves. The result of this was constant war, smaller clans, and a disrupted people easy prey for enemies. Strorbren saw this for what it was, during his father’s rule of his clan. 
During these turbulent times, Clan Hammerbane lost their leader, and his son, young Strorbren, had to step up. And step up he did. The new ruler of the clan Hammerbane decided to not fight to settle grudges and debts, but to expand. He began by sending emissaries to clans locked in battles with greater opponents, looking to appeal to a sense of, ‘You'll lose without me’. He was smart to do so, as dwarves are prideful and they rather side with another clan to save themselves, than lose to one. 
In a short amount of time, Strorbren found many allies at his back, and took this newfound strength and began campaigning across the mountains. In less than a decade, he was met with victory. And seeing his ability and strength, the allied clans agreed in conjoining. The newly appointed High King Strorbren found himself ruling a united dwarvish people. The dwarves, no longer in-fighting, began to prosper, trading with many, and now free to expand through the whole mountain range. 
For the rest of the Third Era, the dwarves gathered riches, numbers, and incredible amounts of ore. They lived well, ate well, and praise was never sung louder to Gurdar, God of Prosperity and Might. The cities erected within the mountains were grand, and never seen before. It was a beautiful sight, and the halls echoed with life, and laughter. But it was not to last.
==The Fourth Era==
During the beginning of the Fourth Era, strange happenings began to plague Vurnfalduhr. Entire fringes of the mountain range closest to Agmurdrod began to...go silent. Caravans stopped appearing, travelers stopped appearing, and entire clans disappeared. 
High King Strorbren mobilized the throngs, and sent them to investigate. Upon arrival, it was immediately figured out that the fringe-cities had fallen. The great orcs of Agmurdrod had done the unthinkable - they had rallied under a brute of an orc, WarChief Brazok. 
The High King had heard of this foe before - thought a myth. No one knows how an orc has lived for so long, but as it stands, this great looming threat has united an ancient enemy of the dwarven people, and its ramifications are unsettling. With no time to lose, High King Strorbren launched a full war effort, learning that the outer mountains of Vurnfalduhr had already fallen prey to the orc hordes. 
Now, unseen and unheard by the surrounding world, a war wages in the depths of the underground cities of the dwarves. Orcs, intent on killing off and enslaving as many of them as possible, and feeding on what's left, pour into the mountains, in a frenzy. Too proud to call for aid from the elves, and unwilling to let man-folk into their homeland’s strongholds, the dwarves of Vurnfalduhr conduct this battle for survival alone. 
The High King is truly to be tested in the years to come, and many members of his clans spread out amongst the surrounding kingdoms to summon back dwarves to defend their homeland against this hateful onslaught. Only time will tell if their kin will return in time to answer the call...or if the halls will be empty and filled with bones.
===High King Strorbren Hammerbane===
After the 3rd Era, with the rise of High King Strorbren Hammerbane, the clans were united with either diplomacy, or violence. The High King has seven sons within his clan, and no daughters.
=The Clans of Vurnfalduhr=
There are several powerful clans that still stand by their king today. Those clans are:
*Clan Hammerbane
*Clan Cinderbearer
*Clan Emberwalker
*Clan Grudgefoot
*Clan Firestone
*Clan Flintsworn
*Clan Graniteseeker
=Geography=
The dwarven kingdom shares a massive border with Agmurdrod and the Dark Lands of Moro-Gorath. While no threats have come from the old fallen kingdom, many have come from the Orc badlands. They teem from their cities and caverns, and places of dark, and seep into the mountains of the dwarves. For the past decade, Vurnfalduhr has been in open war against these creatures, as their numbers are unimaginable. Though they are loath to admit it, the dwarf-folk have lost large swaths of territory in their own mountain ranges, and the outcome of the war begins to look bleak. Too proud to ask mankind for help, and too disdainful to send word to the elves, the Kingdom of Vurnfalduhr wages a silent war against those who wish to wipe them from existence.
=Economy=
TThe dwarves, whilst they do not allow many within their great halls of granite, still traded with all around them, minus the elves. Their many precious jewels and minerals made them rich, and their rare materials coveted by the surrounding nobility. Trade within Vurnfalduhr is incredibly profitable, and even the lowliest dwarves live relatively comfortably. 
Category:Fractured Thrones Locations
Category:Fractured Thrones Lore