Barûk Hold

Awe strikes you, as you have finally climbed onto Ûrad Plateau. Still a mile away from the city, you already see the grand gates of the Hall of Kings, the golden adornments on it catching the light of the sun. As you get closer you see the Huthvírn, the two giant statues of the first dwarf kings, standing proudly beside the gate. The glistening Anadurna flows between their feet from its source deep within the mountain.

Barûk Hold is the great capital of the dwarf highlands, where King Durûk, son of Darûk, son of Daín, fifty-fourth Lord of the Hold sits upon his granite throne. Set within the mountain lie grand halls, kindly homes, blazing forges and deep mines. Here clinking hammers on anvils and roaring bellows load as the thunder sound, complemented by the deep voices of the dwarves, ringing though the mountain tunnels.

## History

The history of the Hold is lengthy, and how long ago this history starts no one remembers but the dwarves.

### The Golden Age

In ages past it was Barûk the First, King of all Dwarves, who found the Mountain and built his hall there. From his new hall the clan expanded, and settled in all of the surrounding land. Seven generations of the House of Barûk sat upon the Granite Throne, undisturbed and unchallenged. The First Age of the dwarves was one of wealth and prosperity, and is often called the Golden Age, for with each new ruler the wealth of the dwarves grew.

Most renowned of the First Kings was Bravd the Golden, son of Barad, son of Barûk, third Lord of the Hold, who started the first large scale mining operations. During his reign the dwarves thrived, their splendor unrivaled by any race.

### The First Dark Age

Barûk's line continued to rule the dwarf lands from the Hold, until the start of the Dark Age. The other clans grew restless and became dissatisfied with the house in power. Small incursions occurred more and more often, and ultimately a full-blown clan war erupted. Thirteen Kings sat upon the Granite Throne, none of them for very long. Each two decades or so the rule shifted to a different clan, some regaining the throne more often than others.

Many treasures were lost in those days. The wealth of the dwarves, so carefully accumulated by previous Kings, was decimated by the end of the clan feud. With each change of power the gold and gems waned, as more and more was spent on the cost of war, and less and less was gathered in the now sleeping mines.

It was Hadfala, daughter of King Haderk of then-ruling clan Falberk, that ultimately managed to calm down the clans. She declared the War over, and to prove it she married Farûk, outside of her clan. The dwarves were shocked by this, but they understood her well-meaning. Each clan chief attended their wedding, and Farûk was crowned King of the Dwarves and twenty-first Lord of the Hold by consent of all clans.

### The Steady Age

During the Steady Age the dwarves recovered from their huge losses. King Farûk, with his Queen Hadfala by his side, rebuilt most of what relationships were broken and re-started to use the mines beneath the Hold. Their marriage was happy and they grew old together, having raised seven children to the world.

Twenty-six Lords of the Hold practiced their laws while little changed. It was a long time of peace and prosperity, where the dwarves flourished once more. Gold and gems were recovered, and though their splendor was less than in the First Age, they still shone fair and bright. During this time it was Baín, son of Barûk the Fourth, son of Farûk, twenty-third Lord of the Hold, who ordered the construction of the Huthvírn, as a reminder of the greatness of the Kings past.

### The Second Dark Age

Peace and wealth continued until the reign of King Narûk, son of Naín, son of Narûk, when disaster struck. Raurag, Firelord of the Northern Plains, took interest in the hoard of the Hold, and set the task upon himself to claim the gold inside the Hall, not to spill a single coin while doing so. The dwarves fought mightily, but were ultimately powerless to defeat the beast. The forty-sixth Lord of the Hold fell in battle, and it was Tharûk, son of the King's sister, who led the displaced dwarves to safety. On the southern slopes of the mountain he stood, his shield the only thing between the fallen King and the flames of doom. There he fought valiantly, in a last effort, so that his people may escape the wrath and ruin.

The Hold of Gold was no more, conquered by the drake. The dwarves sought refuge with the few neighboring cities throughout the highlands of Ûrad-Dum. Over the three following centuries the dwarves of Barûk's clan were devoid of hearth and home. They spread themselves among their brethren, some even entering the lands of man, and living among the humans. They had to work hard to earn their living working as smiths for hire or travelling toymakers, while many simply took the job of mercenary.

When Tharûk was three-hundred-and-fifty, he saw his end nearing. One autumn evening, he called his son to him on his deathbed. Then he recalled how, in his youth, he battled with the Red Wyrm, and how he barely got away with his life. And he told the young dwarf about a flaw he had seen in the dragons armor, but had been unable to exploit. With his final words he told his son: "I may not be there to witness it, but the dwarves of Barûk's clan shall step once more into the halls of our ancestors. Go, my son, and be strength upon you."

It took a gigantic effort, and the help of many allies across Aenín, but in the end the dragon was defeated, and Barûk the Seventh, son of Tharûk, son of Thrífk, sat upon the Granite Throne as the forty-seventh Lord of the Hold.