Ondrathum

**Ondrathum** is a great hewnhold, and one of the two remaining dwarven kingdoms in Morgaea. An underground metropolis, the hewnhold is located deep beneath the White Spine, and was once the capital of the dwarven empire.

According to legend, the hewnhold's name derives from one of the seven brothers who founded the dwarven empire; his descendants formed the Mining caste.

## History

According to the dwarven history, the dwarven empire once spread across all of Morgaea, and that the underground city-fortresses called hewnholds were almost beyond counting. Nar-Lodahr was the capital then, home to all the noble houses, and Ondrathum was simply the home of the mining and smith castes.

Ondrathum, Nar-Lodahr, and nine other hewnholds, are considered "great hewnholds", as opposed to the numerous other hewnholds, as they were once the main centers of the dwarven empire.

In **-1170D** (25 AE), King Endark Stonehammer moved the capital of the dwarven empire to Ondrathum to preside more directly over the commercial aspects of dwarven life, mining and crafting, as Ondrathum was the ancestral seat of the Mining and Smith castes, and because of the turmoil in the Adamantium following the death of Archon Carinius. This sparked the development of several construction projects in the city. The most famous of which is Stonehammer Hall, and the expansion of the Proving Grounds. Some years later, however, the taxes drained by Ondrathum from Nar-Lodahr's trade profits began to grow burdensome.

Following the outbreak of the First Scourge, the dwarven empire was crumbling. Exemplar Grynar assumed leadership of Ondrathum, and managed to push back the fiendish horde. Despite his victory, it was not enough, as even after the end of the First Scourge, the fiendish horde kept pushing; by **-15D** (1180 AE), the kingdom of Ondrathum was assumed to be the last one still standing. Since then, the kingdom has been in a steady decline by losing most of its outlying hewnholds.

When the dwarves were fighting the war against the fiendish hordes during the Dark Ages, the Warrior caste was dwindling with each generation, as more able-bodied men perished in their prime without fathering true-born progeny to replenish their ranks. With each generation, more of the Underways had to be sealed, more hewnholds lost forever, and more of Ondrathum's fighting forces diminished over time.

In **-255D**, Exemplar Beladin made the world's first golem, a giant soldier of living stone and metal, and each one was a one-man army. With the Exemplar's golems, the dwarves began to retake their lost lands. In **-248D**, after six years of constant output, Beladin and his followers vanished, and with them, the process of golem manufacture.

Over time, the golems that the dwarves still retained became damaged beyond repair; and the war against the fiendish hordes reverted back to taking a toll on the people of Ondrathum. Although Ondrathum has endured, the dwarves of Ondrathum fear their perpetual war against the fiendish hordes will eventually lead to their extinction.

In the Third Age the Welserine Wilders, along with other "terrible things", were led by Maevith's daughters, the Witches of the Wild. This force invaded the region of what would be Nordain, and were all but unopposed until the hero Kodlak led an army of Drahanim fighters and Ondrathum dwarves. After a long series of dreadful battles, the Welserine were all but destroyed, and the witches burned.

## Places

### Gemstone Quarter

The Gemstone Quarter is the home to the very pinnacle of dwarven society, the noble caste and the royal family. It is also the highest point in Ondrathum, looking down upon the rest of the city. The many halls here contain the most important aspects of dwarven society, and is not often seen by those of other castes. On some occasions, however, a select few of the merchant caste are allowed to set up stalls here, and sell their wares directly to the nobles.

The Royal Palace sits here, and the Assembly resides next to it as the home of Ondrathum's bitter political battles. For those few outsiders engaging in diplomatic relations, a ceremonial "Key to the City" awaits, should they take it upon themselves to learn more about dwarven culture. The Repository lies next to the Assembly, which contains the literal Memories of dwarven society. If it is not recorded within the Repository, it is either completely unknown, misplaced in the Underways, or outright ignored.

### Commons

The Commons is the largest central portion of Ondrathum, and serves as the home to the bulk of Ondrathum’s population, particularly those of the Merchant caste. The Commons is where most merchants, and those permitted from the Surface dwarves, peddle their wares. It is a respectable and well maintained sector, a far cry from the destitution of Dustburgh, playing host to the Proving Grounds.

The Commons has many tiers. As a general rule, higher tiers are home to the more powerful or influential dwarves. Warriors generally live higher than smiths, who dwell higher than artisans, and so forth. As a rule, though, the dwellings of the Commons are far simpler than those of the Gemstone Quarter, and seldom extend as deep into the rock.

The lowest Commons tier rests just above a pool of lava spanned by a bridge that leads to the Proving Grounds, which is the home of the honorable dwarven gladiatorial contests known simply as the "Provings". Merchants of every stripe, including surfacers, do their business here. There is always a great deal of activity on the streets, and regular patrols of soldiers keep order. Many passages lead from the Commons to Ondrathum's mine works, and to the Underways, though many of the latter are sealed or heavily guarded.

### Dustburgh

Dustburgh is the poorest sector of Ondrathum. The old palace of the hewnhold used to be located here, but is now in an appalling state of disrepair and ruin, and is the veritable "seedy underbelly" of the city, as it is the home of the casteless, or "dusters" as they are informally known, dwarves who are believed to be rejected by the Stone-Mother, and thus shunned by the rest of society and left to rot. The inhabitants of Dustburgh have no rights, and are not allowed to do work that is performed by any of the other castes. As such, the majority of dusters turn to the Clasp, a criminal organisation. Beyond crime, the only other means of survival are begging, "Noble Hunting" or hunting Dugrats.

Dustburgh is a dangerous place, and should an unwary outsider ever find their way into Clasp territory, the local Dusters will feel no hesitation in relieving them of their possessions.