Carved by the Hands of Those Carved from Stone

Carved by the Hands of Those Carved from Stone is a tome recovered from the hoard of Balzanok in his lair within Mount Durnach.

## Description

Signed by *Lorentz Tikivre,* Carved by the Hands of Those Carved from Stone is a hefty collection of notes and texts discussing the history of Mol Boramm, a dwarven Realm that once existed in Ahlus.

## Research

### Completed by Oswald von Helberg

*"With roots like the mountain, woe to those that would tear us down."*

Few can deny that the apophthegm of the Clan Grithammer have stood the test the time with as much stalwart strength and resolve as the Clan itself. And yet, few surely acknowledge the scale of the Mol Borammian successes, for their cities are not laid plain for travellers and explorers to see as is the case for the other Realms. Instead, they stay true to the histories of their origin, residing deep within the ground in halls wrought from the very same material that Aita first shaped them. While any merchant with a taste for precious and non-precious metals alike would know, the most famous location within their borders in no doubt the vast city that shares the name of their nation, Mol Boramm. Located in the southern Ironfangs on the road between Inverden in Gawylthlan and the Duchies of Achen and Gornach in Tynd, Mol Boramm finds coastal trade via the Astedian capital of Esterving. The Illustrous City of Mol Boramm is a home of the trading guilds of Dûnhark and Redtome, the breweries of Bitterhoard Porter, Hophammer Ale and Silverkil Dry Stout and the Broken Drum, a legendary tavern that serves all three. When one thinks of Mol Boramm, they surely think of one of these locales, filled to the brim with staunch dwarvenfolk, battleaxes and armour freshly doffed at their side. Such is a disservice to the Grithammer legacy.

While not numerous in population, with generous estimates quoting figures of twelve thousand - a paltry sum to the over two-hundred thousand Atrals reported in the most recent census ordered by Mathis II Goldlor - the power of Mol Boramm resides in their work ethic, both in times of peace and war. The halls of the Mol Boramm stretch far beneath the soil and stone of the surface, occupying approximately a third of the Ironfangs. The dwarves think of the halls as one great city, hence the lack of distinction between the name of the settlement and their Realm itself (which translates loosely from Dwarvish as "City of the Sprawling Reach"), but to outsiders definitive hubs of concentrated activity exist. The site in the southern Ironfangs is simple the greatest of these. Despite being fearsome upon the battlefield with extensive usage of Kuldjargh warriors, the decree of King Gorkral Grithammer kept the Realm and its mercenary bands out of the recent conflicts stemming from the collapse of the Empire of Raq, although the smiths of Guild Redtome did sell weapons to both sides at the Battle of White Mountain in 878AG, and King Melchor Tawnbert recovered his strength in the Eidolon Palace following his defeat. Scholars have speculated if this was in direct response to the Grithammer involvement in raids on the lands of recently formed Nidaynia many years prior in response to the razing of Estertan by the Fiend Lizard. With Nidaynia a growing power, instead King Gorkral surely sought the trade they could bring, particularly with the growing strength of Atralran, the Duchies of Tynd and Halholm on all sides.

As previously mentioned, trade has remained at the paramount of Mol Borammian influence and presence on the continent. Few can deny the purity of the precious metals forged in their ever-burning foundaries, nor the skill of the jewellers responsible for faceting and housing the gems pulled from the stone beneath. The crowns of no fewer than four monarchs currently ruling Realms of Ahlus were shaped by artisans in the halls of Mol Boramm, but it is the stoneworking for which they are most famous. Just as near every court in Ahlus maintains a wizard from one of the Ten Guilds, it is customary for a Master Mason of Mol Boramm to be present for sake of consultation in all lofty or bold construction plans. While all of the Principal Sixteen are worshipped by the Mol Borammian dwarves, four are held in highest esteem. Aita, for first shaping them from stone. Ilemer, for teaching them the flow of gold and silver beneath the earth. Tohmos, for showing how to light their forges and shape metal like sand. Highest though is that of Gaityas, God of Construction and Innovation, and each tunnel and mine has a shrine dedicated in his honour. Now that King Gorkral Grithammer has ordered the deepening of the Spirit Caverns once more, surely the crystal sphere will be increasingly present within the halls.