Page 63 - D&D - Player's Handbook

King Emerus by naming him the second king of dwarves there discovered the presence of a great being
restored. Gauntlgrym (after King Connerad was granted of flame, sealed the mines, and left. Only later, when
the honor of first kingship posthumously), but for the humans begged the Delzoun dwarves to build one,
most Felbarran dwarves, this honor is an empty com- was there ever a city in Gauntlgrym. It arose because,
fort, because their beloved hero-king has been taken this time, the dwarves succeeded in harnessing the
from them. primal power of fire in the depths, thus creating
Now ruling Citadel Felbarr are King Emerus's dis- the Great Forge that made the city possible. Or so
tant kin, King Morinn and Queen Tithmel, who were the stories go.
recently married in a union designed to join separate Despite all the quests undertaken by adventurers
claims to the throne into one family. Tithmel's claim to down the centuries, none ever truly found the ancient
the throne is the stronger by a small degree of kinship, city until the ghosts of Gauntlgrym's former denizens
but Morinn is a quieter, more thoughtful ruler. Queen began calling to living dwarves to seek out the city. And
Tithmel has ever been a warrior, and some Felbarran some did-or tried to, anyway. Shortly thereafter, the
are afraid she may run headlong into the wrong battle ore wars began anew, and nearly every dwarf's attention
before the couple can provide the realm with an heir, turned back to the existing dwarfuolds and the dangers
and so they hope that King Morinn's softer influence those places now faced. Gradually, as the ores were
will help to temper her impetuous nature and keep the pushed back and the dwarven cities secured anew,
city strong through the trying times following the recent those delvers began to recall their promises to their
conflicts. Although the two monarchs share the rule of ancestors. Further, when the war ended, King Bruenor
the city, and speak with absolute authority, their citizens Battlehammer of Mithra! Hall promised to lead the
are wise to listen to what both have to say before decid- dwarves to Gauntlgrym and reclaim it for the dwarves of
ing how to act on royal edicts. the North.
Most humans know Citadel Felbarr from a distance. It took fierce fighting to drive out the creatures that
They see only a great raised road winding through a had claimed the city from below, and no one is quite
vale of broken rock, brooded over by two barbicans sure who or what- aside from the draw-had tried
known as the Hammer and the Anvil. Two other fortifi- to occupy Gauntlgrym, but in the end, the dwarven
cations loom higher still over the road, embedded in the armies prevailed, and Bruenor claimed the victory.
nearby cliffs and built atop them. These are the North King Emerus Warcrown of Citadel Felbarr was gravely
Vigil and the South Vigil. Far beyond them, the massive wounded, and Bruenor proclaimed him the second king
Rune Gate stands at the end of the road to give entrance of Gauntlgrym before his death. When dear Emerus
into Felbarr, but visitors rarely pass through it. passed on, Bruenor assumed the rule of Gauntlgrym,
Like most dwarven cities, Felbarr exists almost once again abdicating the leadership in Mithra! Hall.
entirely underground. However, since it has been There are some who think that King Bruenor has
invaded by ores more than once, no accurate maps of designs on a great, restored empire of Delzoun, with the
the city's full interior are known to exist, preventing dwarves of all the North- from Ironmaster to Adbar and
would-be attackers from gaining their information. Sundabar- swearing him fealty. Others fear that he will
Dwarves, even those visiting from other realms through punish those settlements that didn't contribute warriors
the connections with the Lowroad, have little trouble to the cause to retake Gauntlgrym, but those folk don't
finding their way around, but humans, especially those know the returned king very well. If he wants a reborn
who can't read Dwarvish or the shorthand runes carved Delzoun, may Moradin and his children grant him the
throughout the city, have a far more difficult time. wisdom to do it right, and the fortitude to see it through.
Following the war, most Felbarran applauded the It's a throne I wouldn't wish on anyone.
dissolution of the Silver Marches. In its time of great-
est need, no races other than dwarves moved even the
THE CANTICLE OF GAUNTLGRYM
slightest to aid Citadel Felbarr, when more assistance
Passed down by dwarves throughout the North for cen-
and better coordination might have prevented not only turies, the Canticle of Gauntlgrym is now something of
that citadel's fall, but Sundabar's as well. Felbarran an anthem for the reclaimed city. It is often sung on the
merchants remain willing to trade with the cities of the road by dwarven travelers on their way to make a life in
North, and will aid the other dwarven kingdoms when Bruenor's halls.
necessary, but it is doubtful that Queen Tithmel will Silver halls and mithral doors
ever consider an alliance with humans like the one that Stone walls to seal the cavern
created Luruar, even if King Morinn might. Grander sights than e'er before
In smithy, mine, and tavern
GAUNTLGRYM Toil hard in endless night
In toast, oh, lift yer flagon!
Gauntlgrym has a complex and contradictory history,
Ye'll need the drink to keep ye right
the gist of it depending on who's doing the telling. At forge that bakes the dragon.
Humans have one story, of what they know from recent Come Delzoun, come one and all!
years, but for us dwarves, Gauntlgrym is an ancient Rush to grab yer kin
place, first delved as a mine in the earliest days of Old And tell 'em that their home awaits
Delzoun. All sorts of myths persist about the great In grandest Gauntlgrym!
mithral doors of the city, but at its start, Gauntlgrym
was simply a mine. When they delved too deeply, the

CHAPTER 2 I THE SWORD COAST AND THE NORTH