Steerbright

Steerbright is a land of deep echoes, where mountains whisper of lost kings, and the wind carries both the hymns of hammers and the roars of conquest. Once the ancestral homeland of the dwarves, Steerbright was carved into legend by their forges, their oaths, and the rare soul-metal Drakthorite, found only within its roots. Grand cities like Dumatharun rose beneath the peaks, aglow with the fire of creation and guarded by walls etched with ancient runes.

But Steerbright is no longer wholly dwarven.

In the centuries following The Burning March (2350 BGW) and the 40-Year War that followed, the region fractured. The orcs—driven north by the dark rot of the Hollowwood and spurred on by their own desperation—poured into Steerbright in great waves. Though initially repelled, they eventually breached dwarven lines and stormed sections of the mountains, including the once-glorious Forgehold Grudghald. Dwarven strongholds fell not only to siege but to despair, their halls silenced more by shadow than by sword.

Today, the land is a fractured realm of uneasy coexistence and constant vigilance.

The southern reaches are largely controlled by orc clans, most notably those descended from Ghartakk Bloodfang, the sixth Wraith Lord, who fell to the Crown of Dominion's vice of Envy. These orcs now rule their territories with brutal pragmatism, shaping crude fortresses from dwarven ruins and living amidst the skeletons of empires they did not build but now claim.

Deeper into the mountain range, however, a handful of dwarven forgeholds remain—resilient bastions like Dumatharun, Thrangrim, and Black Flame Gate still endure. Within these hidden halls, the Throngar clans—descendants of the Forgefathers—maintain their ancient crafts, guarding relics and secrets as fiercely as any blade. These remaining strongholds are fewer, more fortified, and increasingly isolated, but their fires still burn.

Steerbright is a land of tension and survival. The Drith, twisted remnants of shadow magic, creep through forgotten tunnels. The Writings of Yarlwind continue to haunt the dreams of Deepguard captains. Orc warbands patrol the high passes, and dwarven scouts monitor every rumble from the depths.

Yet, for all its danger, Steerbright is still holy ground to those who remember. To the dwarves, it is the place where the gods first whispered flame into stone. To the orcs, it is a land taken—not gifted. To scholars and treasure-seekers, it is a vault of forgotten power waiting to awaken.

Steerbright is not lost. But it is contested.