The Compact of Thum Dural

The Compact of Thum Dural was formed to bring an end to the horrific civil war, as well as to establish long-term unity among the Ironcano Summit's fragmented dwarven clans. The battle had ripped families apart and nearly destroyed the dwarven society from within. The discovery of the lost city of Thum Dural during the closing days of the battle, as well as the climatic duel between competing commanders Boubthul Orgroth and Regulus Stonelight, laid the metaphorical and material groundwork for the kingdom's reconstruction.

The Compact was intended to establish a clear, shared government structure that balances royal authority with the views of the great clans through the Council of Ministers. It attempted to maintain peace, prevent future civil wars, and establish essential dwarven ideals like honor, craftsmanship, and every citizen's right to be heard. The Compact was essentially a peace treaty, constitution, and cultural covenant rolled into one, with the goal of guiding Thur Malduhr's kingdom toward a cohesive and long-lasting future.

The Thum Dural Compact is a public document, however copies and access vary depending on region and status. The original Compact is carved onto four gigantic blackstone tablets and is kept in the Hall of Flame and Stone in Thum Dural, the capital city. This sacred hall is open to all citizens on holy days and during oath-taking ceremonies, when the Compact is read aloud in part.

Simplified versions of the Compact are stored in guild halls, town courts, and clan archives throughout the realm to ensure that the law is understood and enforced at all levels of dwarven society. However, only high ministers, royal scribes, and clan elders have access to the full ceremonial edition, which includes binding oaths, historical annotations, and the original battle treaty. While the Compact is treasured and well regarded, scholars, priests, and government officials are the most familiar with its deeper portions and older clauses.

This is legal under the Kingdom of Thur Malduhr's unified laws, and it applies to all dwarven-controlled regions, cities, tunnels, and surface villages. It serves as the realm's supreme legal and political charter, transcending all clan rules and ancient customs in situations of dispute. The Compact is acknowledged as binding by all major clans, guilds, and official entities, including the Council of Ministers, the royal family, and local judges.

Its execution is the joint responsibility of the High Monarch and the Council, with special legal oversight provided by the Minister of Lore and Flame and nominated Justicars from each major clan. Even towns beyond the mountain, as long as they pledge loyalty to Thur Malduhr, are required to follow the Compact's rules, making it the foundation of dwarven law and governance across the kingdom.

This Compact emerged from the ashes of the Sundering , the catastrophic civil war that fractured dwarven unity and almost destroyed their ancient culture. The struggle, spurred by a severe rift between traditionalists who preferred to remain deep under the mountain and reformers who sought to rise to the surface, culminated in the legendary duel between Boubthul Orgroth and Regulus Stonelight.

The Compact acted as both a peace treaty and a revolutionary charter, redefining the structure of dwarven governance by imposing legal restrictions on royal authority for the first time and granting the major clans equal participation in the newly formed Council of Ministers. It also established the right of ordinary citizens to speak the ruling body, a significant departure in dwarven political tradition that strengthened voices outside noble bloodlines. In doing so, the Compact changed Thur Malduhr from a loose alliance of opposing clans to a true monarchy that was structured, cooperative, and capable of standing together on the surface and beneath the stone.

It is revered as a national treasure and a pillar of dwarven identity. It established a strong precedent that even the most powerful clans and rulers must be constrained by common law, not merely personal force or divine right. Its establishment halted years of bloodshed and established a stable, long-lasting governmental system that has guided Thur Malduhr for ages. The Compact elevated the role of common dwarves in the tradition of the Voice of the Stone, enshrining the principle that wisdom and justice belong to everyone, not just the elite. It also upheld the hallowed balance of tradition and innovation, allowing for surface expansion while preserving basic dwarven norms. To this day, dwarves across the realm swear oaths to the Compact, which is repeated in part at clan gatherings, trials, and royal rituals. Its legacy is one of solidarity in the face of hardship, and it continues to be a symbol of resilience, reform, and national pride, demonstrating that even from the deepest fissures, strength can be reforged.