Thasgrid Jadeheart I

Early Life

Not much is known about Thasgrid Jadeheart's history, as most of it took place before the advent of historians or widespread record keeping. What does exist suggests he was one of several grandchildren of the original dwarves, and likely spent his youth mining and contributing to the Jadeheart estate in Nûmdor's Old City.  

Above the Surface

He was one of the contingent of dwarves chosen to explore above the mountains when it was discovered in about 2680 1A that a whole new world existed in the open air. Some records indicate he was involved in the creation of Common, though few corroborating records exist, potentially indicating a rewriting of history after his conquest began.  

Conquest of Power

In the mid 2800s 1A, he began to amass a following, originally wanting to start his own city or possibly even society somewhere else below the Iron Mountains. Sometime afterwards, he took control of Nûmdor (it is unknown whether or not there was a single leader before then) and began planning to take land above the ground as well. He ordered the creation of many forges throughout the city to make the crafting of weapons and armor quicker.   By 2950 Jadeheart I controlled an army of more than one hundred thousand. The Dwarven Conquest began in small villages and towns around the Iron Mountains and flowed eastward. Over a 50 year period, various uprisings and small rebellions would be crushed. Unfortunately for Jadeheart I, he would die of old age, one of the oldest dwarves known, before his empire was fully established.  

Death and Legacy

Thasgrid Jadeheart I is estimated to have been close to one thousand years at the time of his death (most dwarves live for about 600 to 700 years). He became sick with an unknown illness in the late 2900s 1A. In the year after his death, the Jadeheart Empire would come into full power, with his daughter Empress Hezami crowning herself in 3001, beginning the Second Age.   A Jadeheart would rule the Empire for over 600 years, until the Lysikles of Pasos and his Revolution of the Oppressed overthrew it. During that time dwarvish knowledge grew exponentially; encompassing magic, artistry, combat, craftsmanship and engineering, and history. The Great Tunnel connecting Taldor and Nûmdor was built, along with the Delving Library, a repository of dwarvish history and a bastion of science and learning. The Emberhold games were inaugurated under his Empire, and he would have three grandchildren rulers named after him.   Though many dwarves today understand his place in modern history as a tyrant, he is also revered as the starting point of the Age of Dwarves.