Dwarves 2

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2007-2009

And so it came to pass that the (now homeless) dwarves were forced to delve a new abode for themselves near to the Goodwine River - and this they named Steinnborg. These halls, though but a crude imitation of their former home, have stood for almost 14 centuries now, and the mines that they have opened there have proved profitable for the bearded folk.

Indeed, since that time the dwarves have also settled in the southernmost range of the Silverpeak Mountains (to the west), and also beneath mist crowned Mt. Thoka in the east. These settlements are named Hárván and Holl Stórrbál respectively - though they are small in comparison to Steinnborg, and are to it as it itself is to Keldaheim of old.

And though the tales of their former home are indeed numerous (both of its days of bliss and of its eventual fall), the longing in their hearts to return thither has never fully subsided. This was never more apparent than 350 years after the fall of Keldaheim (and before the founding of both Hárván and Holl Stórrbál) when Nár Deepforge, a descendant of the former king, led a company of dwarves on a northward march across the great river - back into the lands of their forefathers. Yet the tale of that ill-fated journey is long in the telling and recounted elsewhere in 'The March of Nár'.

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Yet those that gave their lives in the bitter struggle for their homeland long ago are not forgotten, and upon each of the flagstones of Steinnborg's great hall are engraved the names of all those who fell in that battle. In the centre of the floor of that hall is the name 'Gamall' (the dwarf king) etched upon a slab of solid gold, and about it are the names of his twelve companions with whom he made his final stand. These are: Kappi (the king's son); Háski (the king's brother); Fúinn; Stundi; Máni; Andask; Rakki; Reka; Stedhi; Dagan; Merki; and Blárgierr - and they are most renown and the subject of many songs.

The ruling Deepforge clan have long used the emblem of a hammer and anvil as the mark of their people, and deep reds and gold are common colours for such devices. However, when they founded their new halls at the base of the Örnberg ('eagle mountain' in their own tongue), a stylised image of an eagle's head was introduced - and is now a common sight on many of the banners and shields of the dwarves of Steinnborg.