The Mountain Siege

The Call of Wrath

In the year 2350 BGW, the lands west of the Dragon Spine Mountains were ruled by King Ramarvis Ashwood, an ambitious and tyrannical monarch who saw himself as destined to rule not only his kingdom of Nunca but also the surrounding lands. Ramarvis viewed himself as the pinnacle of civilization and saw the dwarves as little more than stubborn, backward creatures hoarding treasures they could never truly appreciate. To him, their refusal to acknowledge his authority was an affront.

For years, Ramarvis attempted to pressure the dwarves into submission through emissaries and decrees, demanding that they swear fealty to him as their rightful ruler. The dwarves, fiercely loyal to their own traditions and their Forgeking, outright refused. Each rejection stoked the embers of Ramarvis’s wrath, his obsession with controlling the dwarves growing until it consumed him.

Convinced that the dwarves needed to be "civilized" under his rule and enraged by their defiance, Ramarvis lashed out. He dispatched his most feared force, the Army of the Burning Banner, to lay claim to the riches of Steerbright and force the dwarves into submission.

The Army of the Burning Banner

The Army of the Burning Banner was a force renowned for its ruthless efficiency and unrelenting brutality. Named for the enchanted banners carried into battle, each aflame with an eternal fire, the army symbolized Ramarvis’s insatiable ambition. Its soldiers, clad in enchanted armor and wielding weapons imbued with powerful magic, were trained to fight without mercy. They took no prisoners, left no survivors, and razed all that stood in their way.

At the head of the Burning Banner rode General Dain Blackthorn, a commander as cunning as he was cruel. Blackthorn’s skill in strategy and his mastery of the enchanted blade, Sunderedge, had made him a legend on the battlefield. Under his leadership, the Burning Banner had crushed every opponent they faced, their reputation spreading fear long before their arrival.

The Campaign Begins

The Burning Banner swept into the mountains with terrifying speed, striking at the dwarves’ outer defenses with overwhelming force. Mining outposts, watchtowers, and supply lines fell one by one, their defenders slain or driven into retreat. The enchanted weapons wielded by the human soldiers tore through Drakthorite shields and armor, rendering the dwarves’ renowned craftsmanship almost useless.

The mountain paths, once pristine and untouched, were scorched black by the flames of the Burning Banner. The air filled with the acrid stench of ash and blood as the invaders left trails of devastation in their wake. The dwarves, taken aback by the ferocity of the assault, retreated deeper into their strongholds, rallying under the leadership of Forgeking Tharmek Stonegaze, a descendant of the legendary Brammek.

The Siege Tightens

The dwarves fought valiantly, their war cries echoing through the mountains as they launched ambushes and counterattacks from hidden tunnels. Pathwardens and elite warriors struck at the human supply lines, attempting to slow their advance. Despite their courage and ingenuity, the enchanted weapons and relentless discipline of the Burning Banner proved too much. The humans advanced steadily, their banners lighting the snowy peaks with an unyielding glow.

As the humans pressed closer to the heart of Steerbright, Tharmek sent out urgent calls for reinforcements, uniting forgeholds that had not stood together in centuries. The dwarves fortified the Silent Pass, a critical chokepoint leading to their capital of Dumatharun. Here, they prepared to make their final stand.

The Battle of the Silent Pass

The Silent Pass became the site of a brutal and unrelenting battle. For days, the Burning Banner pushed forward, their eternal flames casting eerie shadows on the blood-soaked snow. The dwarves, determined to protect their homeland, met them with axes, hammers, and sheer resolve. The mountains echoed with the sound of steel meeting steel, the clang of enchanted swords striking against Drakthorite shields.

Despite the dwarves’ tenacity, the humans’ enchanted weapons gave them the edge. Slowly but surely, the Burning Banner began to overwhelm the defenders, forcing them to retreat inch by inch. Tharmek himself stood at the front lines, his warhammer, Stonewrath, striking down soldier after soldier, but even his might could not hold back the tide forever.

The Turning Point

As the dwarves braced for what seemed to be their inevitable defeat, a shadow appeared on the ridge above the battlefield. Against the backdrop of the white snow and orange flames, a lone figure clad in jet-black armor descended the slope. Wielding a massive two-handed battle axe carved with glowing runes, the figure moved with an unrelenting purpose.

The mysterious warrior charged into the fray, cutting through the ranks of the Burning Banner with a ferocity that defied comprehension. His axe cleaved through enchanted steel as though it were brittle wood, and his presence alone seemed to sap the courage of the human soldiers. The dwarves, inspired by the arrival of this mysterious savior, rallied and launched a renewed assault.

The tide of the battle turned as the human forces broke, their morale shattered by the black-armored warrior’s onslaught. The Burning Banner retreated in disarray, leaving their dead and their extinguished banners behind. General Dain Blackthorn vanished amidst the chaos, his fate unknown.

Aftermath of the Siege

The Mountain Siege marked the end of the Burning Banner and the ambitions of King Ramarvis Koffre. Word of the army’s defeat reached the human king days later, and his wrath was said to be so great that he destroyed his own throne room in a fit of rage. Without his army, Ramarvis’s kingdom of Nunca fell into decline, and his dream of ruling Steerbright and its dwarves crumbled into dust.

For the dwarves, the Mountain Siege became a defining moment of resilience and unity. The Silent Pass, once a bloodied battlefield, became a sacred site, its snow eternally marked by the price of their survival. The mysterious black-armored warrior, known only as the Dark Paladin, became a figure of legend, a symbol of hope in the dwarves’ darkest hours.

Legacy

The Mountain Siege remains one of the most storied events in dwarven history, a testament to their unyielding spirit in the face of overwhelming odds. The Burning Banner, once a name spoken in fear, became a cautionary tale of hubris and greed. To this day, dwarves speak of the Dark Paladin with reverence, believing that in their greatest times of need, he will descend once more to defend his kin.