Hold of Grônstunad

**Grônstunad** was a dwarf hold in the Jade Mines known as the *Green Mine*, the eastern capital of Aul-Dwarov, home of surface pioneers and rich nobility with the most vibrant of lifestyles. The Jade Dwarves were known for their history of rising to power with their deep mining operations in the Jade Mines which brought many immigrants to the hold to work, enriching the clans of Grônstunad greatly. The hold had consolidated control over the Eastern Serpentspine after the fall of Amldihr and proclaimed the Jade Empire, calling themselves the rightful High Kings who succeeded Aul-Dwarov. They managed to unite the eastern holds, founded the hold of Verkal Ozovar far on the surface and held back the goblin, hobgoblin and ogre menaces for centuries, yet their tragic fall in 2438 BA was due to both the goblins and hobgoblins uniting to divide the Jade Empire together and undoing the great efforts of the Jade Dwarves.

## Culture and Customs

The vast cave networks surrounding the Dwarovrod in the Jade mines led the Jade Dwarves to prosper greatly without having to build grand strip mines. Dwarves from all corners joined the expeditions into the gem rich mines, not only bringing miners but also many soldiers and mercenaries to protect the mining operations. Even as Grônstunad lay far east from the rest of the empire, it became a trade hub for dwarves travelling from every corner, selling their specialty wares and enriching the Jade Dwarves. The influence gained from the resources of the Jade Mines allowed the Jade Dwarven clans to rise to prominence, rivalling even the richest clans in the Dwarovar. Grônstunad later served as the prestigious eastern capital of the Empire, rivalling Amldihr in prestige and prosperity. Aeons ago, the Jade Dwarves assisted Verkal Dromak in safeguarding against the Oni on the surface, brought Tuwad-Dhûmankon under their wing, helping them expand into a rich hold and ensured all of the East Dwarovar shared in prosperity, securing resources and opportunities.

The greatest pride of Grônstunad was a magnificent Jade Jewel, intricately crafted and immaculately polished, the focus of centuries of work by master Jade-smiths and artisans. While the gem was forfeit to adorn the Dwarovkron, they did not forget what it represented. That of the noble prestige of the Jade Dwarves, of a far flung culture that flourished and surpassed all others. Once attracting artisans and experts of every kind, to work with their gems and riches in a fabulous and luxurious domain, their influence left behind much art found all across the Dwarovar, prized by the clans and families whose ancestors once worked in the grand halls of Grônstunad.

While surrounded by many enemies inside and outside of the Dwarovar, the Jade Dwarves never abandoned their life of high fashion. Jade was associated with vibrant greenery that could be found on the surface, inspiring tailors to form motifs of life and vitality into their clothing. Designs of robes and dresses took leaf and flower designs, while imaginatively made jewellery would mimic various green fruits such as grapes and pears, with occasional appearances of gems from other holds. The high fashion was however not limited to the upper classes, as warriors would adorn their beards or weaponry with decorative jade beads and decorate their skin with warpaint and tattoos with natural dyes. Even as the cinders of Aul-Dwarov faded away, the Jade Dwarves never lost sight of the vibrance that life provided.

Whilst most of the dwarves were quick to largely seal themselves off from the outside world, the Jade Dwarves instead saw it as an opportunity to grow and become more successful, and as such, the Grônrod, or Jade Road, was born. However, the new expansion led to a swathe of hobgoblin infested territory that the Jade Dwarves had to carve a path through before opening the exploration of Shamakhad and beyond. Eventually these explorers discovered the mountains in the Phokhao Range to the southeast, rich with potential tin deposits, and settlers were sent to both mine and construct a new hold in these unknown lands far from the Dwarovar. This was the birth of the Hold of Verkal Ozovar, which ran itself autonomously while aiding the East Serpentspine with resources. It began small, later spreading its influence among the humans who lived beyond their gates, sharing knowledge and institutions with them and in exchange, asking the humans to be their vassals. Their influence spread further from the hold as their vassals expanded, leaving lasting dwarven influence in the region.

## Notable Locations

### Vûrdriz-Ândriz

Vûrdriz-Ândriz is the extension of the main hold of Grônstunad similar to the extensions of the main hold of Amldihr. It is connected by the Dwarovrod Railway and was notably used to shelter the miners who ventured to the Range of the Damned to where they mined Tin from.

### Proclaiming the Jade Empire

#### First Arrival

With the East cut off from Amldihr and Er-Natvir in 6000 BA, Grônstunad became the de facto capital of eastern Aul-Dwarov, and King Orrin IX of Grônstunad took charge of the push to reclaim Hul-Jorkad. Due to proximity to front lines, the hold of Gor Vazumbrog was placed under martial law and attempts were made to break through to Hul-Jorkad.

In 5989 BA, Orrin IX raised a large army consisting mainly of troops from the Jade Mines holds and started sending them into the Middle Dwarovar, starting to try and dig through the blockades of the Tunad. Meanwhile, he sent messenger convoys towards Amldihr to get an idea of how the west was faring.

#### Centralisation of Power

The push towards Hul-Jorkad had progressed very slowly, partially hampered by lack of railroad maintenance slowing down supplies from the east. In 5963 BA, in order to unify the war effort, Grônstunad took steps to institute a proper chain of command over the holds of the east, which was met with some resistance by powerful dwarven clans of the Middle Dwarovar, who had been pulling power towards themselves with the central authority from Amldihr gone.

#### Proclamation of the Jade Empire

Soon after the fall of Amldihr in 5895 BA, Grônstunad declared itself overlord of Aul-Dwarov and declared the West lost, establishing the Jade Empire in 5887 BA. Outraged at being passed over, many of the holds of the Middle Dwarovar refused to acknowledge the proclamation, and severed ties with Grônstunad. The holds of the Tree of Stone however, tired of the constant warfare, accepted the proclamation and joined the Jade Empire. Gor Ozumbrog and Ovdal Kanzad, the holds of the Segbandal and Jade Empire that were closest to the border, still maintained close ties despite the hostile relations of their overlords.

### The Golden Age of Grônstunad

#### Prosperity in the Capital

With a long period of peace and stability behind it, the Jade Empire prospered, and Grônstunad entered a golden age in 4100 BA. With the best and brightest dwarves of the eastern holds moving to the capital, Grônstunad was expanded and improved greatly, and the outlying Vûrdriz-Ândriz expanded along with it.

#### The Forays past Vûrdriz-Ândriz

A number of attempts were made to crack open passages to the north of Vûrdriz-Ândriz in 3784 BA, to explore the caverns below the mountains there. The hope was to find a suitable location for the creation of a new hold, from where the plentiful tin in the region could be mined. Tin had been relatively rare in the east, and with the Western Dwarovar lost, initial mapping efforts were quite optimistic, noting the near absence of goblins there. Soon, however, they found out the reason for this. The caverns were frequently home to seismic activity, which made building there extremely difficult. What was more, caverns regularly collapsed, formed, and shifted, making mapping them virtually impossible. The mountains were then named the Range of the Damned, and these plans were abandoned.

#### The Construction of Verkal Ozovar

After several fruitless attempts to find a suitable location within the Range of the Damned, scouts were sent out towards other mountain regions in the vicinity of Grônstunad. Eventually, a location within the Phokao Range was found, and construction of the hold of Verkal Ozovar commenced in 3500 BA. Because of the distance between it and Grônstunad, most of the necessary materials were obtained locally, and the colony was run mostly autonomously.

### Fall of the Jade Empire

#### The Goblintide

Under the command of Grimka the Despoiler, a powerful goblin wizard, the goblins of the Tree of Stone united in 2497 BA, and began large-scale assaults on all transport between the holds. While none of the holds were attacked head-on, they were all de facto under siege, as they could barely reach any of the other holds. As it became apparent that the Tree of Stone holds were unable to regain control over the Dwarovrod by themselves, a massive army led by general Dourban Brightbrow was rallied in Grônstunad to regain control over the Tree of Stone in 2474 BA.

As the jade army entered the Tree of Stone, Grimka sent emissaries to the hobgoblin clans in the Jade Mines and on the surface, proposing a united front against the dwarves in 2472 BA. In return, they promised the Hobgoblins would receive Grônstunad, the grandest hold of the east, as their prize.

#### Chaos in the Jade Mines

As the jade army reached Ovdal-az-Ân and started to dismantle the fortifications of the besieging goblins, the hobgoblin armies from Rahen launched an assault on Grônstunad from the south in 2470 BA. The alarm was raised, and messages were sent to the other holds in the Jade mines and to the expeditionary force in the Tree of Stone.

With the attack from the south commencing, the goblins and hobgoblins of the Jade Mines also initiated their attacks, and shut off the access routes from the east and west towards Grônstunad in 2469 BA. The Jade Mines were in virtually the same situation as the Tree of Stone now, with all access between holds nearly impossible.

#### Failed Relief of the Jade Mines

A messenger returned from Tuwad-Dhûmankon over the surface, informing the jade army of the dire situation in the Jade Mines. Dourban Brightbrow ordered his forces to prepare for a surface journey towards Grônstunad, however, when king Grongnir of Hul-az Krakazol heard this, he laughed in his face and called it the cowardly route. Wounded in his pride, Dourban ordered his troops to instead move through the Dwarovrod in 2466 BA. As they attempted to move through the tunnel towards the Jade Mines, they were ambushed by a large force of goblins and hobgoblins, in what eventually turned into a long siege as the jade army dug itself into a defensive position in the tunnel.

The jade army made one final attempt to push through the tunnel towards the Jade Mines in 2463 BA, but were slain to the last. Hearing of this, Grimka believed this to be the moment to strike, and ordered all the clans to go on the offensive again, launching direct attacks on the holds of the Tree of Stone yet again.

#### The Goblintide Shattered

While leading a direct assault on Grôzumdihr, Grimka the Despoiler was killed as he attempted to break a powerful runic warding spell defending an outer gate in 2460 BA. The energy released as the spell was broken disintegrated Grimka as well as any goblin within his vicinity. Almost immediately, the clans taking part in the siege started to fight amongst themselves over leadership of the goblintide. As news spread, the goblintide disintegrated as the many clans fell back into their old rivalries. The hobgoblins, however, remained united in their attacks against the Jade Empire.

#### The Nephrite Expedition

Being informed by Peridot messengers of the situation in the Jade Mines, Verkal Ozovar also organised an expeditionary force to aid in the relief of Grônstunad in 2425 BA. The three holds together managed to soundly beat the hobgoblins on the surface in open battle, and attempt to move towards Grônstunad. However, the cave entrance has since been fortified by the hobgoblins, and their advance was halted once again.

#### The Fall of Grônstunad

Having recovered from the battle of Hul-az-Krakazol, a second Amethyst-Peridot expedition was organised in 2438 BA and sent overland to attack the hobgoblins. As the hobgoblins were prepared this time, they were less successful, and while they made progress, it was slow. With Grônstunad besieged by the Hobgoblins, the defenders launched an attack to their south which was successful, finally meeting up with the army of the Amethyst-Peridot expedition and the Nephrite Expedition led by queen Ogdis I of Hul-az-Krakazol.

At the same time, however, the western and eastern gates were breached, and the hobgoblins and goblins entered Grônstunad from both sides. The defenders and the expeditionary forces quickly entered the hold to try and repel them, resulting in a chaotic battle that stretched over every level and section of the hold. The battle took several months, as the dwarves desperately attempted to hold on to their capital. High King Moilin IV of the Jade Empire and most of his direct family were killed in this battle, as was queen Ogdis I of Hul-az-Krakazol. In the end, Grônstunad was lost, and the Dwarven survivors escaped to either Vûrdriz-Ândriz or the surface. The survivors that escaped to the surface mostly settled in the holds where the expeditions came from.