Barak-Alorak

The kingdom of the dwarves, specifically the Ædar,
Barak-Alorak (BAHR ahk AHL or ahk) was once nicknamed the Seven Jewels beneath
the Mountains for its seven great, duchal cities. Over time, however, the glory
of the ancient empire has waned, and only three of the once-powerful duchies
remain: Carak, Merak, and the city of Anarak, the "Diamond of Alorak"
and seat of the Forgeking.

The
Great Misfortune of the Eternal Mountains, the first of the disasters to be
wrought against Barak-Alorak occurred during the First Incursion of Kaos, over
three thousand years before the founding of Kærn Kronus. The two great duchies
of the Eternal Mountains, Belak and Khalorak, sank beneath the sea when their
mountains were sundered by the energies released when Cymber claimed godhood
using the energies released from opening the Cask of Sear.

The
stout folk of the Eternal Mountains were forced to the surface, where they
persevered for millennia as the Firbolg offshoot of the Ædar race. After the
Once-Sundered Mountains arose from the sea floor during the Worldquake, the
Firbolg sent expeditions to their ancestral homes, but found the paths to Berak
lost and, far worse, Khalorak, the city from which all dwarves were born, had
become the den of terrible abominations called aboleths, the greatest of them,
their repugnant Underlord, living in the once-throne room of the dwarven kings.

The
sinking of Khalorak and death of the king and his sons resulted in the capital
moving to Devorak and the crown to the head of the king's nephew. There is remained
for over a thousand years, until the Dragon War. Among the many battles of that
war included the siege of the dwarven capital by a combined force of red and
blue dragons. The city was lost, and the king slain.

After
what has become known as the Great Misfortune of Devorak, the late king's son
and only heir carried the crown to the city of Anarak, where it remains. When
the dragons were removed from the world, their humanoid servants remained in
the dwarven city and rumors spread of the dragons that remained sleeping
beneath the halls of the second capital. With the resurgence of dragons, the
great city has long been considered forever lost.

Again,
over a millennium passed before another, great tragedy would befall the
dwindling kingdom of the stout folk. The Great Misfortune of Jherak was perhaps
the saddest of them all as it arose not from external forces or invasion, but
from within dwarven society itself. The Duergar clan of the Ædar reigned in
Jherak's halls, deep beneath the mountains where magma flowed, and ambition
drove them to seek the crown for themselves.

The
Duergar were unsuccessful in their coup and driven back into the depths of
Jherak. In order to protect themselves from potential reprisal at the hands of
the Ædar, the Duergar collapsed the tunnels connecting themselves to the rest
of Barak-Alorak. Six centuries later, the Duergar returned through unknown
tunnels, only to be hunted to extinction by the Ædar after another failed

attempt at conquering the dwarves of Anarak.

   Today,

Barak-Alorak is a nation of survivors, its major cities connected by thousands
of miles of tunnels beneath hills and mountains. The cities are almost entirely
populated by Ædar with a smattering of Firbolgs and Gnomes. The kingdom,
however, is filled with all manner of creatures haunting the tunnels between,
though the dwarves do their best to control the more dangerous creatures of the
depths.

The
dwarves of Barak-Alorak had long been close allies of the humans of Seawn and
Kæryn, and more recently those of Wilder, before the coming of Az and the Third
Incursion of Kaos. With the war and destruction on the surface, and the death
of Fergus, once the primary god of the stout folk, the Ædar have withdrawn from
the surface and closed their iron gates. They blame humanity for the rise of
Az's cult and near-destruction of the surface world, and they blame the Sidh,
more than anyone, for the death of their god at the archangel's hands.

The Alliance
of Stone, which has long stood in recognition of the shared origins of the
Ædar, Firbolg, and Gnome races, remains strong, however, and those races are
allowed to freely come and go through Ædar territories along the great
subterranean roads that run like veins through the mountains.

They
have many enemies, having stood with the humans and Sidh against Korvis and
Ancellyon, but their greatest and longest-lasting animosity remains that held
against the orcs, who allied with the dragons and conquered Devorak during the
great Dragon Wars. Though thousands of years have passed, their ancient capital
remains infested by the descendants of those invaders, and the stout folk are
well known, now more than ever, for their ability to hold a grudge.