The Dwarves of Cimmeria are split into four races led by four kings. The four races are Hill Dwarves, Mountain Dwarves, Deep Dwarves, and Duergar. Hill Dwarves live in the lowlands of Cimmeria with a large concentration in Jord where the Hill Dwarf King is. The Mountain Dwarf Kingdom is in the Terror Mountains with their capital at Highhold. Deep Dwarves live in the tunnels of the Underdark under Northern Cimmeria. Similarly, Duergar live underneath Western Cimmeria.

Torngar, Dragonslayer, King of the Mountain Dwarves, and High King of All Dwarves

Torngar reigns over all dwarves from his seat at Highhold. He is a gruff old man, but skilled in the arts of statecraft and war. In his youth he spent his time with a group of dragonslaying adventurers, but he has long since settled down. When the Fierce Axe of Dwarvish Lords was reclaimed from the Xorians a Kingsmoot was called. Torngar invited the other Kings to Highhold and held the meeting there to decide which of them would wield the Fierce Axe and preside over a united dwarven people. Torngar won the Axe by promising aid for the Alliance to King Dainlin, the Generalship of the army to Deekgaon, and the reclamation of the Duergar homelands to Sandil.

Dainlin, Master of Hammers, King of the Hill Dwarves

Dainlin joined the Second Alliance just as his father had joined the First Alliance decades before. He fought alongside other Alliance soldiers in the battles leading up to the Siege of Phoenix. During the siege, Dainlin returned to Jord to placate his advisors who did not wish him to die in a battle defending foreign lands.

When the Fierce Axe of Dwarvish Lords was found by Dainlin’s great-nephew, Torin, the King toyed with the idea of taking the Axe for himself and proclaiming himself High King. Dainlin reasoned that he had to call a Kingsmoot instead. Taking the High Kingship for himself might not bring aid to the embattled Alliance and could even lead to a civil war amongst the dwarves.

At the Kingsmoot, King Dainlin threw his support behind any who would bring the entirety of the dwarven forces into the Second Alliance War on the Alliance’s side. Torngar agreed to this condition and Dainlin pledged his fealty to the new High King.

Deekgaon, Axe Seeker, General of the Dwarven Army, King of the Deep Dwarves

Deekgaon sought the Fierce Axe of Dwarvish Lords all his life. Often he neglected his kingly duties to practice with a magic axe he had made in imitation of the Fierce Axe or searching for its location in forgotten tomes and ancient books. Occasionally, Deekgaon left on forays to some supposed resting place of the Axe, but he always returned empty-handed.

When the Hill Dwarf Atreides unearthed the Fierce Axe during the First Alliance War, Deekgaon rushed to reclaim it, but he arrived too late. The Axe had been stolen by Amalgami and sold to the Xorians. Roaring with frustration, Deekgaon slew a few Xorians, but he could never hope to take the Axe back by force against a force such as the Xorian army or the Seven Rages. Deekgaon sunk into a depression that lasted many years.

When the Duergar were forced from their homes by the enslavement raids of Havoc the Rage, Deekgaon took his fellow dwarves in. Duergar and Deep Dwarves lived side by side, learning each others customs and culture. Dwarven brotherhood has not been this strong in an age. This brotherhood extended into the Second Alliance War, with Deekgaon and the Duergar King, Sandil, agreeing on nearly everything.

Deekgaon was ecstatic when the Fierce Axe was reclaimed by the Hill Dwarves. At the Kingsmoot he put forth his own name to wield the Axe and lead the dwarven people. Deekgaon cared little for the leadership, but the Axe… He had dreamed of holding it and swinging it into an enemy’s head his whole life. Sandil supported Deekgaon during the initial stages of the meeting, but the Duergar King betrayed Deekgaon later on and supported Torngar. Deekgaon insisted on receiving something during the negotiations, so the others granted him Generalship of the Dwarven Army. He grudgingly accepted this second place prize, never getting his hands on the Fierce Axe as he’d always wished.

Sandil, Trickster King, Homeless King, King of the Duergar

The Duergar King Sandil is a weaker warrior than the other Dwarven Kings, for he does not study the way of the axe, hammer, or sword, but that of magic and enchantment. When the Xorians invaded the Underdark, taking slaves and killing many others, Sandil fought back for a time. Eventually, the odds proved insurmountable. King Sandil brokered an agreement with King Deekgaon of the Deep Dwarves and fled the Western Cimmerian Underdark. Few know that this agreement was not achieved through negotiation but through magical domination. Sandil had enthralled his cousin, Deekgaon. Deekgaon’s weak will bent for Sandil, allowing a smooth transition of the Duergar into Deep Dwarf communities at the Deep Dwarf King’s insistence.

At the Kingsmoot, Sandil played Deekgaon by backing his claim to the Fierce Axe at first, before switching to his support to Torngar, whom he had always intended to back. Sandil now advises High King Torngar on most decisions he makes, slowly working himself deeper into the High King’s graces. Soon he will be close enough to Torngar to dominate him as well. Then Sandil will be the undisputed power behind the throne of one of the most powerful nations in the world.

-GoCorral