The Iron Hills

The series of highlands reaching eastward from the city of Irongate demark the fiefs of Ahlissa and the County of Idee in the west are known as the Iron Hills. Most of these hills are in the hands of the Iron League, though Ahlissa still lays claim to these hills. Very high-grade ore is taken from the mines there, as are several sorts of precious metals.

Hill dwarves and rock gnomes loyal to the City of Irongate do much of this mining and export it through the city. Because the South Province claims most of the hills as their own, the Herzog also maintains mining operations within the hills and has stationed orcish and goblinoid mercenary companies around his mining camps to serve as both protection from raids and to raid the dwarven and gnomish enclaves scattered throughout the hills. Although the members of the Iron League protest, there is little they can do.

Much iron ore and a little gold comes out of Chelor’s mines, but Ahlissa claims that the Iron League is stealing ore from these hills and not paying the proper duties and fees from their mining operation, even protesting that the City of Irongate is not paying for licenses or permits to use his land. These protests fall on deaf ears, as the Herzog's tax collectors are either turned away or outright killed whenever they appear, forcing Chelor to resort to more extreme measures and collect his taxes by force.

Chelor is stepping up the diplomatic pressure on the City of Irongate and threatening to blockade the port. His spies and information networks report the gnomes and dwarves move the ore, as well as other precious metals such as gold and platinum, through their underground realms into smelting companies located within the City of Irongate. Once the ore is smelted, it is loaded onto merchant ships and transported to nations such as the Kingdom of Nyrond, and kingdoms to the northwest, through the Free City of Greyhawk. Irongate, of course, denies any such impropriety.

Chelor’s spies also report that there are rich veins of mithril and adamantium deep underground, further fueling Chelor’s anger at Irongate and the demihumans of the Iron Hills..

In Times of war the dwarves and gnomes refuse to fight for the Herzog when he calls for troops.

Kharazh-Dûr (Ironhold Bastion)

Kharazh-Dûr, the Oathbound Hold

Seat of the Dwarven Kingdom of the Iron Hills

Kharazh-Dûr is the central seat of power within the dwarven Kingdom of the Iron Hills. Carved into a granite crag in the central-western range, the fortress overlooks a vital pass leading toward Irongate’s eastern border. Its elevated position commands wide views of the surrounding highlands, allowing its sentinels to track movements across Ahlissa’s frontier mining camps and the rugged trade roads threading through the Iron Hills. No merchant caravan, army column, or lone rider passes unnoticed beneath its gaze.

It is within the vaulted halls of Kharazh-Dûr that King Holgi Hirsute of the Ironbrow clan holds court—a ruler as steadfast and unyielding as the granite cliffs that cradle his fortress. Holgi’s iron-willed leadership has cemented his place as a trusted ally of the Iron League, yet he navigates a precarious balance of power with the Aerdi. Though the Aerdi represent an uneasy and often begrudging partnership, the king does not hesitate to engage with them when the prosperity and security of his kingdom hang in the balance. Such dealings, always conducted with measured caution and under a veil of suspicion, underscore the delicate diplomacy necessary to maintain Kharazh-Dûr’s sovereignty.

The fortress itself commands a vantage of unmatched strategic significance, perched beside one of the few reliable overland arteries that thread between Irongate and the vast interior hills. This crucial passage serves not merely as a trade route but as a lifeline—one that funnels the wealth of ore, gold, and goods essential to the kingdom’s survival and influence. From this commanding position, the sentinels of Kharazh-Dûr watch tirelessly, their keen eyes tracing the movement of merchant caravans, military patrols, and shadowy figures alike. Every coin that crosses these lands, every sword raised in battle, is known and weighed by the dwarves who govern this nexus of power.

Founded in 4576 Forge Reckoning (-1200 CY) by the Deep Delve and Emberstone clans, Kharazh-Dûr was not built as a refuge, but as an act of reclamation. The expedition was led by Thane Vorgar Ironbrow, a smith-lord of uncompromising principle, who responded to the rediscovery of rune-stones beneath Mount Dornhak—stone tablets inscribed with the sigils of the First Forgers, an elder caste of dwarves believed to have worked these hills in the Mythic Age.

Vorgar swore an oath before the forge of Moradin that his kin would reclaim the lost legacy of their ancestors. The founding of Kharazh-Dûr was not the birth of something new, but a return—a solemn rekindling of dwarven purpose. The first hall, Dûr-Mazûl, was hewn as both forge and shrine, and above its gate was etched the oath that still defines the hold: “By Flame and Stone, We Return.”

The fate of the First Forgers remains a mystery. Some speak of a cataclysmic quake that sealed their holds beneath molten rock; others of a war with forgotten foes from the Underdark, or of a living forge-flame that betrayed its creators. Whatever the truth, their legacy calls to the dwarves of Kharazh-Dûr like the echo of a hammer striking ancient steel.

Three major clans reside within the fortress. The Ironbrow Clan, descendants of Vorgar, serve as smiths, judges, and defenders of the deep mines. The Stonefist Clan are master tunnelers, managing both ore extraction and the covert networks linking Kharazh-Dûr to Irongate. The Brightaxe Clan are frontier warriors and prospectors, rumored to have found traces of mithril and eager for a more militant stance.

Approximately 25,000 dwarves live within the fortress, joined by 5,000 gnomes—mainly of the Tinkervale family—who dwell in adjacent burrows or forgehall enclaves. These gnomes oversee gemstone refining and maintain illusion wards and mechanical traps. Despite occasional rivalries, dwarves and gnomes share a pragmatic bond of mutual benefit and shared enemies.

At the heart of the fortress stands a great forge-temple to Moradin, the Soul Forger. Here, flame is sacred and oaths are sworn upon the anvil. Gnomes keep shrines to Garl Glittergold, and their twice-yearly Gem Fairs double as trade summits and festive gatherings.

The hold’s economy rests on iron, gold, and platinum. Mining teams work in rotating shifts, fueling not only Irongate’s foundries but the hidden forges of Iron League allies. Stonefist tunnels serve as arteries of smuggled wealth, bypassing Ahlissan tariffs. Brightaxe scouts whisper of deeper shafts containing veins of mithril—or even adamantium—but no proof has surfaced.

The surface fortifications blend into the mountainside, with iron-reinforced walls rising in tiered rings. Dwarven ballistae, slag cauldrons, and watchfires dot the battlements. But what lies above is only a fraction of the hold’s might. Beneath, a labyrinth of clan halls, forges, and sealed tunnels stretches for miles—some linking to gnome burrows used to smuggle ore and arms in defiance of Chelor’s decrees.

The stronghold’s defenses are a fusion of engineering and tradition:

• Three concentric outer walls, iron-spiked and ballista-guarded
• Underground wards: cave-ins, gas traps, mirrored deadfalls
• Mine gates sealed by enchanted doors carved with Moradin’s hammer
• Garrison: 2,500 dwarven warriors, plus Brightaxe elite and 100 gnome illusionists

Even Chelor’s orcish mercenaries, known for their brutality, have failed to breach Kharazh-Dûr’s defenses.

In recent decades, tensions have risen. Chelor’s mercenaries—chiefly orcish warbands and goblin scouts—have launched increasingly aggressive raids. In 564 CY, a goblin strike burned a mining station, but the Brightaxe warbands responded with fury, cutting them down before they reached the lower gates. Since then, Kharazh-Dûr has earned a reputation even among its enemies: unassailable, implacable, eternal.

Though Kharazh-Dûr falls within the lands claimed by Herzog Chelor and the South Province, the dwarves openly defy Ahlissa. Chelor considers it a rebel holdfast, thieving South Province’s wealth and mocking his decrees. His tax edicts are publicly burned at solstice rites. Yet the dwarves stop short of open war—hoarding weapons, training militias, and waiting. When the Iron League calls again, Kharazh-Dûr will answer—not as a vassal, but as a sovereign bastion: founded in memory, bound by oath, and forged in stone.

Tharaz-Khal: Stoneheart Fortress

Carved into the windswept heights of the northern Iron Hills, Tharaz-Khal, or Stoneheart Fortress, stands as a testament to dwarven resilience and stone-bound defiance. From its plateau perch, the stronghold commands sweeping views over the valleys and river-cut ravines bordering South Province. Its towers rise like jagged teeth from the earth, each chiseled from the living rock and ringed in black iron. Few roads lead to Tharaz-Khal, and fewer still are known to outsiders—its paths masked by fog, falling rock, and dwarven cunning.

Founded in 6023FR (256 CY), Tharaz-Khal was established during a time of crisis and migration. As Aerdy expansion swallowed the lowlands and ancient hillfasts fell to imperial edicts or outright conquest, the Stonehammer Clan led a bitter exodus northward. Under the command of Thane Barak Flintmantle, the clan chose not to vanish into deeper halls but to carve a new bastion in open defiance. Tharaz-Khal was not a refuge, but a fortress with teeth—its foundations etched with the words: “The Stone Remembers, and We Do Not Bend.”

Today, Thane Dhorgrin Stonehammer, seventh in the line of Barak, rules Tharaz-Khal with a stern hand and a shrewd mind. A veteran of over a dozen border skirmishes, Dhorgrin is known for his iron-gray beard, unblinking stare, and an unyielding policy of border vigilance. Though his holdfast answers to King Holgi Hirsute of Kharazh-Dûr, Dhorgrin governs with considerable autonomy and is often the first to respond to incursions from South Province. His loyalty to Kharazh-Dûr is absolute—but so too is his pride.

Tharaz-Khal is home to roughly 12,000 dwarves, and a growing enclave of 300 gnomes, mainly of the Gearwhistle family, whose mechanical expertise is vital to the stronghold's defense. The Stonehammer Clan, the founders and majority lineage, remain dominant. Known for their prowess in both stoneworking and axeplay, they oversee the fortress’s construction, defenses, and martial traditions. The Ironshield Clan, by contrast, control Tharaz-Khal’s richest mines and maintain the forges. Their work supplies both weapons for the fortress garrison and raw ingots smuggled south through Iron League trade lines.

In recent years, new clans have gained prominence within the fortress:

• Runevein Clan: A scholarly and arcane offshoot of old smithing bloodlines, they specialize in rune-inscribed weaponry and enchanted architecture. Their sealed hall, Khaldûn-Raz, hums with magical wards and forgotten secrets.
• Gravelfeet Clan: A rugged frontier clan of prospectors and beast-trackers who patrol the wilderness beyond the plateau. Known for their war goats and bear-mount scouts, they serve as the eyes of Tharaz-Khal in the hills.
• Redflint Clan: Flame-obsessed engineers and demolitionists, often seen testing new explosives deep in the western tunnels. They aid the Gearwhistles in maintaining trap lines and designing siege countermeasures.

The fortress's defenses are both ancient and advanced. Mechanically-triggered collapses, pivoting stone bridges, and rapid-deployment shield walls are paired with Gearwhistle-designed counterweight ballistae and incendiary cauldrons. Below the plateau, mining tunnels double as escape routes and ambush corridors, with rune-marked keystones ready to collapse entire shafts on invading forces.

Strategically, Tharaz-Khal functions as both a sentinel and a pressure valve for Kharazh-Dûr. Its proximity to South Province makes it a first target—and first shield—in times of war. It serves as a critical early warning post, its signal fires and rune-horns designed to alert the wider Iron Hills of advancing threats. During winter months, it stockpiles arms and ore in hidden vaults, preparing for siege or supply disruption.

Though smaller than its parent fortress, Tharaz-Khal is no less vital. Where Kharazh-Dûr is a bastion of heritage, Tharaz-Khal is the Iron Hills’ clenched fist. The dwarves of the Stoneheart do not boast, and they do not forgive. For every stone laid in its wall, a blade is sharpened—and for every insult hurled from Chelor’s border lords, another hammer falls in the forges of defiance.

Durak-Thul: Deepstone Citadel

Hidden beneath the southern reaches of the Iron Hills, Durak-Thul, or Deepstone Citadel, is the quiet heart of the dwarven underrealm—a fortress known more by rumor than by sight. Its entrances are few and shrouded, carved into cliff walls, riverbed hollows, and sinkholes that only the dwarves can reliably navigate. Unlike its sister fortresses, Durak-Thul does not dominate from above; it endures below, unseen and unbroken.

Founded around 4943FR (-833CY) by the Deepdelver Clan, Durak-Thul was established during the great dispersals that followed Aerdy expansion into the lowlands. While others fled to high plateaus or distant valleys, the Deepdelvers turned inward, deeper into the stone, carving out a redoubt of safety and silence beneath the mountains. The name “Deepstone Citadel” reflects both its physical depth and the unshakable resolve of its founders.

Today, Durak-Thul is ruled by Thane Vorgrimm Deepdelver, a stoic, reclusive leader whose face is known to few outside the stronghold. Vorgrimm is said to walk the deepest shafts alone, communing with the ancient stone and leaving rune-marks in places only the eldest miners can interpret. His leadership is marked by quiet strength, deliberate policy, and an unwavering commitment to protecting the hidden lifelines that run beneath the Iron Hills.

With a population of approximately 5,700 dwarves and 400 gnomes, Durak-Thul thrives on careful balance and deep knowledge. The Deepdelver Clan remains the spiritual and logistical core of the stronghold, mastering the ancient art of void-mining and collapsed-shaft recovery. They maintain tunnel networks that run beneath rivers, mountains, and even into Ahlissan territory—routes known only to a few trusted thanes and gnome engineers.

The Goldbeard Clan, though fewer in number, wield significant influence. Their prospectors have discovered rich veins of gold, pyrite, and quartz, and their gemcutters are said to produce some of the finest dwarven jewelry in all of the Iron Hills. The clan’s vaults gleam with masterwork rings, crown-circlets, and ceremonial weaponry offered to honored ancestors and trade partners alike.

The Stormforge Clan serves as both smiths and sentinels. Their warbands train in close-quarter combat suited for tunnel defense, and their armorers specialize in reinforced plate that can turn aside cave-ins as readily as blades. They are the loudest voices calling for a more aggressive stance against Chelor’s incursions and were instrumental in crushing a recent attempt by Aerdy scouts to infiltrate Durak-Thul’s western shafts.

Durak-Thul’s gnome population, led by the innovative Sparkgear family, are unrivaled in magical defense and subterranean sensor systems. They maintain illusion wards, alarm glyphs, and pressure-triggered spell matrices throughout the stronghold’s lower corridors. Sparkgear artificers have also begun developing mechanical golems powered by crystal batteries, capable of patrolling routes too unstable or remote for dwarves.

In cultural terms, Durak-Thul places a high value on secrecy, memory, and quiet craftsmanship. Its Halls of Echoes—a vast, sound-reflective chamber carved into volcanic stone—serve as a sacred space for ancestor invocation and meditative forging. No loud feasts or open trade summits mark its calendar. Instead, dwarves here honor Days of Stone Silence, where labor is paused and all gather to listen to the living rock.

Durak-Thul is also a key node in the Iron League’s underground courier network, a smuggler’s dream of hidden arteries that bypass every Ahlissan tollhouse and patrol. While Kharazh-Dûr commands open defiance, Durak-Thul offers silent resistance, funneling ore, weapons, intelligence, and agents across the mountains through untraceable routes.

Though small in comparison to other Iron Hill strongholds, Durak-Thul’s influence runs deep—both literally and politically. When its gates close, it becomes a fortress of silence. When its gates open, it means war is coming.

Other clans living in in Durak-Thul

• Coalmantle Clan – Stoic crafters of fire-resistant armor and tunnel braces.
• Dustbrow Clan – Scribes, archivists, and rune-recorders of subterranean lore.
• Glowpick Clan – Alchemists and lumensmiths, creators of glowstone lighting.
• Veinwatch Clan – Secretive scouts who monitor ore veins and detect collapse risks.

Prominent Gnome Warrens

Glitterhome: The Warren of Jewels and Light

Tucked within the heart of the central Iron Hills, where gem-rich caverns pulse with natural quartz veins and echo with the chime of pick and laughter, lies Glitterhome—the oldest and most radiant of the gnomish warrens. A labyrinth of polished tunnels, mirrored domes, and bioluminescent lantern gardens, Glitterhome reflects the brilliance and optimism of its founders: the Gemweaver family.

Founded in -1621 CY, Glitterhome was born from vision rather than necessity. The Gemweavers wandered the Flanaess seeking to create a sanctuary for gnomish artistry—particularly gem-cutting, jewelry-making, and light-based enchantment. Under the leadership of Mistress Pelba Gemweaver, the warren became a place where wealth was not merely mined but shaped into beauty.

Today, Glitterhome hosts around 800 gnomes and 200 dwarves, the latter mostly drawn from nearby Ironvein and Molten Fist clans. These dwarves oversee the heavier aspects of the mining effort while gnomish artisans handle refinement, trade negotiations, and magical augmentation. Relations are warm, if occasionally strained when dwarven pragmatism clashes with gnomish whimsy.

Three major gnomish families define Glitterhome’s character:

• Gemweaver Family – The founding lineage and spiritual leaders of the warren. Masters of gem-cutting, appraising, and enchantment. Their central vault, the Crystalline Archive, holds rare soulstones, memory crystals, and gems rumored to contain bound elemental spirits.
• Brightspark Family – Ever-curious inventors and defense engineers. They maintain Glitterhome’s light-web network—an intricate system of refracted mirrors, solar gems, and radiant traps that illuminate and protect the entire warren.
• Silvershine Family – Jewelers and artisans known for their delicate craftsmanship and illuminated etching. Their works are prized in Irongate and occasionally gifted to dwarven kings as symbols of enduring alliance.

Glitterhome serves as a key diplomatic and trade hub within the Iron Hills. Its Grand Hollow Market hosts seasonal trade conclaves where dwarves, gnomes, and even select human merchants barter for cut gems, enchanted trinkets, and clockwork devices. Despite its peaceful demeanor, Glitterhome is far from defenseless—its traps are dazzling, disorienting, and extremely effective.

When the cavern walls shimmer and the lantern-bugs dance, it is said that even the stone-hearted dwarves smile in Glitterhome.

Tinkervale: The Silent Forge

Far to the south, beneath the shadow of jagged basalt ridges and through a winding chain of mineral-rich tunnels, lies Tinkervale—a low, humming warren of gears, steam, and secrets. Built as both a haven and an engine of innovation, Tinkervale is the nerve center of gnomish underground trade and subterfuge.

Founded in -2743 CY by the ambitious and eccentric Tinkervale family, the warren was envisioned as a bastion of invention, artifice, and quiet resistance. While its sister Glitterhome shimmered with light, Tinkervale embraced shadow—using its strategic position to smuggle goods, ore, and weapons between the Iron League and Irongate, beneath Ahlissan eyes.

The warren is home to 700 gnomes and around 150 dwarves, primarily Stonefist and Redflint exiles or sympathizers. Together they form a tight-knit, highly coordinated operation—a blend of artisan cell and espionage hub.

Prominent families in Tinkervale include:

• Tinkervale Family – The original founders and core leadership. Brilliant and eccentric, their tinker halls are filled with prototype constructs, noise-cancelling mining gear, and spring-powered message cylinders.
• Cogwhistle Family – Mechanical geniuses who design and maintain Tinkervale’s famous trap corridors and vault doors. Their creations range from illusion-shielded pits to self-resetting crossbow arrays.
• Goldspark Family – Versatile artisans and metal prospectors who also handle smelting and gem-appraisal. Some have dabbled in magical smuggling—imbuing gems with hidden messages or map projections.

Tinkervale’s main export is subtlety. Its tunnels link into Stonefist-run shafts and gnomish bypasses that ferry materials past Aerdy customs agents and Chelor’s blockades. Traps and misdirection are everywhere; even allies must walk carefully unless escorted by a trusted gnome guide. Visitors are rare, but welcome—if they bring secrets, stories, or components.

Tinkervale has no central plaza or feast hall. Instead, its residents gather in the Chime Halls—resonant caverns tuned to different frequencies where announcements, song-rituals, and communal meditation are conducted using vibration and light rather than noise.

While it lacks the grandeur of Glitterhome or the martial edge of Tharaz-Khal, Tinkervale is indispensable. It is the whisper behind the hammer strike, the hinge that moves the gate unseen. When the Iron League speaks of unity, they speak partly in the tongue of Tinkervale’s gnomes—quiet, clever, and critical.

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