Dwarven Kingdom of Adamantia (book)

The Dwarven Kingdom of Adamantia
By Kraggur Kveldcharn

Authors Note: This history has been assembled from fragments
recovered from the Adamantian Kingdom.  While the tone itself
is more antagonistic than one I would take, I have attempted
to keep to the original recordings.  - KK

==The Age of Myths (? until 3200 BL)==
Between our ancient wars with the Elves were the first encoun-
ters with the people calling themselves "Luethra" from the
southern continent of Kermoria.  We were distrustful of them,
rightful so, given their similar appearance to our Elven ene-
mies.  At first there was trade between Kermoria and Albaria,
but when the Leuthra failed to halt trading with our enemies
when war broke out again, we sealed the passes.  For many cen-
turies this proved effective, until colonies were established
on M'Riss, again allowing the Luethra to conduct trade with
the Elves.

It is worth noting, that our sealing of the passes did not re-
sult in conflict, aside from an occasional skirmish, with the
Luethra.  They left us to defending our lands from Elven in-
cursion without interference, aside from their attempts to
maintain trade.

When the wars against the Elves returned to uneasy peace, we
reopened the southern passes, but to our surprise found little
trade waiting, and instead received impassioned pleas for as-
sistance against some sort of withering sickness known as the
"Rasman Plague".  Though both Dwarven and Elven healers went
south, our arts were unable to prevail, even though the healers
apparently did not catch this plague.  Soon almost all trade
died with the southlands, and the Luethra passed from our
knowledge save for occasional traders and warnings of civil
war, outbreaks of plague, and legends of shape shifters called
the "Ocular".

==Coming of the Gorbesh (3200 BL until 670BL)==
Over the course of the next centuries, Dwarven might grew in
the mountains to the north and west, with the establishment of
the Iron Kingdom in the Dragonspine Mountains, Kwarlog in the
Himineldar and Arncharn Shel, and in the Journelai Shel the
Kingdom of Rendstaan.  However, not all went well in our ex-
pansion, and the Iron Kingdom fell in a last great act of Elven
treachery where Dwarven friendship was turned against us. 
Garnedhren fell, and is to this day known as Elamiri, land of
the Mountain Elves.

Meanwhile to the south came words of a new race claiming the
unified legacy of the Luethra as their own.  Carrying steel
and unshakable in their astrological predictions, they called
themselves the "Gorbesh".  Our settlements on the southern
side of the Hiimarhand Shel were attacked with increasing
pressure starting in 1168 BL.  Though we repelled the attack-
ers, continuing pressure, along with declining trade caused
King Dougan Stonecleft to evacuate the settlements and seal
the land bridge once again between Kermoria and Albaria.  For
ten years the land bridge held firm, but eventually our cordon
was broken and High Hold itself besieged for the first time in
its history.

While Kermoria quivered in fear for rumors of Gorbesh boots,
army after army was summoned from the south to break our walls. 
For half a century High Hold was besieged, but King Stonecleft
would not ask our northern kinsmen for aid.  However, this
would change when he was slain, in 1111BL, and Calcine
Hammerfell assumed the throne.  Dispatches were sent to the
other Kingdoms, and in 1101 BL, King Hammerfell determined the
time was right to send the Gorbesh back to their wintery lands.
The gathered might of the Dwarven race charged from High Hold
to the sound of Dwarven drums.  The valleys filled with the
dead as the siege was broken and the Gorbesh armies removed
entirely from the Adamantian lands.  Our victory was so com-
plete, despite grave losses, that the Gorbesh would not come
within a day's journey of Adamantia's border for generations.

This would mark the greatest victory of the Dwarves and our
pinnacle of achievement.  Over the next centuries, we suffered
defeat and won victories, Berdna and Rendstaan fell, Hvaral was
established, and we would fight our last war against the Elves
and emerge victorious.  Then came the human betrayal.

==The Seven-Star Empire (670BL until 200BL)==
In 661BL, the so-called Empire of the Seven-Star invaded Ada-
mantia.  Though we resisted, our lands were slowly occupied,
until High Hold itself was besieged in 654BL.  However, this
posed little difficulty to us, since we simply locked the gates
and let the army enjoy the weather and foraging for food.  In
634BL, the siege was lifted and the occupying army disbanded
and went home.

Relations amongst the Kingdoms with the Empire remained rocky
as Dwarven rights were slowly eroded, attempts made to collect
"unpaid taxes" despite the original charter stating the
Dwarven Kingdoms were exempt, and other attempts to steal our
sovereignty.  Attacks and sieges would occur off and on until
the collapse of the Seven-Star Empire.  Not surprisingly, we
endured where the humans and Elves had failed.

==The Dragon Priests (200BL until 1AV)== The Dragon Priests
succeeded where the Elves, Gorbesh, and other empires failed. 
In 203BL, attacks from these fanatics began against Adamantia,
and as had become our policy, we retreated into unbreakable
High Hold.  We watched from the heights as word reached us of
the destruction of the Greystar Commune's fall, saw the fires
as Shard itself burned, and repelled the Dragon Priests as they
assaulted our walls.  Then, in 195BL was our doom created, when
the Dragon Priests created the Dark Hand, isolating us from the
north.  Slowly, the rest of Kermoria fell under their heel,
except for resistance from the Gemfire Dwarves, where we heard
Hvaral remained as the last outpost of freedom in Kermoria.

Though we fought against the encroaching swamp, even Dwarven
might failed where it had not before.  Gorbesh scouts were
spotted crossing the land bridge when a thousand years before
they had not dared set foot on Dwarven lands.  Strange crea-
tures arose from the swamp and killed Dwarves without remorse.
Finally, in 156BL, after resisting this assault for decades, 
King Rurrid Gemcrusher ordered the mines sealed and the King-
dom abandoned.

Although we attempted to retire in good order, an assault from
the Dark Hand forced some Dwarves over the land bridge into
Albaria.  The rest of us, eventually fighting our way clear
split to join the other Kingdoms still remaining.

The Dragon Priests celebrated for weeks with this victory,
while we awaited word if any returned from Adamantia.  None
did.

Authors Note:
At this point, the record of High Hold came to an end,
until I happened to make the acquaintance of several Kal-
daran and Gnomic refugees in the aftermath of the Second
Gorbesh War; this portion is recounted from their perspective. 
-KK

==Adamantian Dwarves in Albaria==
For over five hundred years, the "slovin azukula" (honored
servants) have been guests within the Alaudian Empire.  The
oldest records indicate strife between us and the Zodi in the
early days of the Empire.  They are fierce warriors but even
finer craftsmen with a dedication and ability beyond our wild-
est dreams.  When they first came south, along with scouts re-
porting some sort of necromantic blight coming from Kermoria,
their fierce pride was evident, and they even laughed and
called our marvelous aqueducts "engineering fit for Elves".

At first we attempted to enslave the Zodi, but they made
worthless slaves, being stubborn and inured to hardships both
mental and physical, and tended towards rowdiness and argument. 
In exasperation, we finally packed them off to the forested
west where we figured they could fight the Ocular, and if
nothing else let those disaffected souls in the west feed them
(the Kaldar).  There, in the west, we finally learned that
their skills could be tapped in the form of exceptional 
artisans working in stone, metal, and gem.  They were swift to
take up their weapons in defense, but no order we could give
them forced them into battle against the mists.

Uneasy peace settled between the Kaldar, whom the Zodi viewed
as little better than the Gorbesh, and the Zodi whom the Kaldar
had difficulty understanding.  The Dwarves we cannot say
thrived in this environment, but they did not suffer unduly. 
Later, when Akiran Dein came, they ignored his teachings even
though they seemed familiar with the gods he espoused.  When
the call came for war against the north, scouts having discov-
ered passage through the Dark Hand, the Zodi did not volunteer
themselves, but we believe listened closely and attempted to
find how they could return north.  The oldest amongst them we
believe had been alive when the Dark Hand spread south forcing
them to flee.

Authors Note: I am heartened to hear that some Adamantian
Dwarves may still live south of the Hiimarhand Shel, but the
refugees were unable to provide any more information about the
Dwarves.  It is possible that the Gorbesh suspected them when
the Kaldar and Gnomes fled, or that they eventually tried to
cross the Dark Hand in the wake of the refugees but failed.  -KK