The Spreading of the Forgeholds

As the fires of Dumatharun burned ever brighter beneath Kharak-Dur, the dwarves entered an age of expansion and ambition. By 5200 BGW, the mastery of Drakthorite had reshaped their understanding of craft and stone. What began as a city united beneath the shadow of the Founding Stone grew restless, as ambition and innovation called the eldest of the dwarves deeper into the heart of Steerbright.

The forgeholds that once stood shoulder to shoulder in Dumatharun began to drift apart, like veins of molten ore seeking their own paths through the stone. This divergence was not born of division, but of creation and legacy. The greatest of dwarven leaders, driven by their crafts and visions, sought to carve out new dominions within the mountain, forging the foundations of the great dwarven clans.

This moment marked the birth of the Forgefathers—those whose names would echo for millennia as the founders of the forgeholds that shaped dwarvenkind.

The Forgefathers of Dumatharun

Brammek, The Watcher of the Founding Stone

• Brammek remained in Dumatharun, standing as the unwavering guardian of the Founding Stone and the great forge Thrangrim. While others sought new lands and halls, Brammek’s duty was to hold fast to the heart of dwarven civilization. His kin became known as the Lorekeepers of the Deep, entrusted with preserving the memory of Dumathar and safeguarding the core of all dwarven craft.

Forgehold Dumatharun: The heart of dwarven civilization, guided by Brammek, the Watcher of the Founding Stone, and the seat of the Forgeking.

“A flame spreads, but the hearth endures.”

Halgrak, The Grudgekeeper

• Halgrak’s kin marched westward, establishing the first Grudgeforge in the cavernous depths beneath the Ironwake Cliffs. There, his line forged weapons bound by oaths and debts, blades that whispered of ancient wrongs and gleamed with the weight of dwarven honor. Halgrak swore that no grudge would be forgotten, and that every strike of his hammer would carry the weight of remembrance.

Forgehold Grudghald: The home of Halgrak, the Grudgekeeper, where ancient debts and oaths are etched into every blade and shield.

“Some debts are paid in gold. Others, in steel.”

Nuraber, The Keeper of the Living Flame

• Nuraber’s forgehold rose near the Molten Splinters, where rivers of fire ran close to the surface. There, he crafted lanterns of Drakthorite and glass, shaping light to pierce the thickest shadows of the underdeep. His kin became the Lightwrights, bearers of flame that illuminated the darkest corridors of the mountain, ensuring that no hall would ever fall to forgotten shadow.

Forgehold Nurzammar: The Lightforge Citadel of Nuraber, the Keeper of the Living Flame, where lanterns and beacons pierce the darkest depths.

“Light is the hammer that shapes the dark.”

Banmar, The Frostwright

• Far to the north, Banmar’s line climbed into the Frozen Peaks of Karak-Thal, where few dared to tread. In the bitter cold, Banmar’s forge shaped ice-bound tools and weapons, melding frost and steel through arcane craftsmanship. His descendants, the Icewhispers, carved vaults of permafrost to preserve food, relics, treasures, and even Dwarves themselves, ensuring the lifeblood of the dwarves endured even through the harshest winters.

Forgehold Karak-Izdur: The Hall of Frosted Steel established by Banmar, the Frostwright, where ice and metal are fused into unmatched tools and weapons.

“The cold remembers. It preserves what the weak forget.”

Thalrik, The Mountainbinder

• Thalrik and his kin ventured eastward to the unstable lands beneath Stonebreak Ridge. There, his forge became known for binding the mountain itself— crafting supports, columns, and bridges that could withstand earthquakes and avalanches. His line became the Earthbinders, dwarves whose craft reinforced the bones of the mountain, ensuring that even as it shifted, their halls would not fall.

Forgehold Khazad-Torak: The Fortress of the Stone Veins crafted by Thalrik, the Mountainbinder, where stone is strengthened to withstand the mountain’s might.

“The mountain bends, but it does not break.”

Thonir and Ghonir, The Twin Pillars of Iron

• The twin brothers Thonir and Ghonir descended into the Echoing Caves, where the stone rang with strange harmonies. They established dual forges that resonated across the caverns, shaping mirrored weapons, tools, and mechanical constructs that hummed in unison. Their kin became the Dualforge, artisans of mechanisms and great machines whose gears turned in harmony with the songs of the stone.

Forgehold Dwin-Baraz: The Two Forges of Thonir and Ghonir, the Twin Pillars of Iron, where harmonious craftsmanship sings through the Echoing Caves.

“Two strikes, one sound.”

The Legacy of the Forgefathers

The founding of these forgeholds marked the first great expansion of dwarvenkind, as the kin of the Forgefathers spread across Steerbright to shape their own domains. Each forgehold bore the legacy of its founder, their crafts reflecting the values and ambitions of the Forgefathers who first struck iron into the stone.

Though separated by leagues of rock and iron, the forgeholds remained bound to Dumatharun and Thrangrim, returning every 12 years for the Festival of the Forge Song, where the Forgefathers reforge their bonds in fire.

The Forgefathers' legacy endures, for every dwarven clan can trace its roots to one of these mighty figures. Their names are carved into stone, sung in forges, and remembered in the weapons and halls they left behind.

Even now, when a great weapon is forged, dwarves whisper a simple blessing:

"May it bear the mark of my Forgefather."