Banishment of Ondnarch
The following story is taken from hidden tomes, formerly accessible by only the High Remembrancer. With the emerging threat of Ondnarch, they have been publicized for all to see...
Barradin remained resolute, unwavering, knowing only that he needed to act. The King met with his Archbishop in hopes that his gods, the Brathmordakin, might help him in his time of need. The noble King knelt before the great altar of the Brathmordakin and before him flashed a vision. Deep beneath the ground, beyond what prying eyes could see, there stood a strange glowing shard. As the vision slowly faded, a voice begun to echo through the dwarf’s mind.
“I have heard your calls, Dwedus. The days of woes have been long for your kin, held in the icy grip of Ondnarch. I will aid you but it is up to you Barradin, son of Brundir, to protect your kin. The shard you look upon is the Kal’Varak... The City of Dreams. Find it and you will have what you require to defeat the dragon."
He awakened with a slight headache, looking around him to see that many dwarves had gathered to discover what visions he had seen. Gazing up at the Archbishop as he stood leaning over him, Barradin whispered into his ear. “Gather th’ moiners. T’ere beh much work tuh beh dun’.” For forty days and forty nights, the stout miners toiled away, following Barradin’s directions as to where he believed he had seen the glowing shard. Such was the vastness of the excavation, that they had to tear apart the sacred places of the Brathmordakin in order to reach their destination.
It was on the last night, that they struck a large stone. From here, it took only a few hours before the giant crystal could be completely unearthed. The size of it rivalled many of the great iron wrought statues made by the dwarves of Kal’Urguan. As the dwarven King approached the slumped over crystal, the shard began to glow brighter and brighter. As it rose suddenly, suspended in mid air, no dwarf dared approach, even before Barradin ordered them not to. Whether it was the vision’s words or the wit of the king, Barradin knew who to speak to. He held a meeting with the Triumvirate of Runelords, the wisest and most knowledge of the dwarven runesmiths. There, they created a plot to ensnare Ondnarch and bind him forever.
Far to the north, beyond the great nations of Aegis, there stood the northern mountain ranges, ancestral homelands of the Mountain Dwarves. Here, the Triumvirate of Runelords gathered atop Mount Arvas, alongside them standing a Legion of the finest warriors in Kal’Urguan. The battle came swiftly, but Ondnarch was no fool and suspected that something was amiss. He swept down with a fearsome roar and with a single sweep, broke the line of dwarves, freezing the life from many, while the Runelords attempted to counter the dragon’s attacks with their own fire runes. In the centre of the destruction stood the Kal’Varak, the mysterious artefact granted to the dwarves by their gods.
As many of the dwarves lay dead, King Barradin himself stood amongst the bodies of his fallen kin, his mighty war hammer gripped tightly in his hands. The dragon made another sweep, attempting to make the final kill with ease. However the three Runelords, channelling all of their power upon the Kal’Varak, caused a great light to erupt from the shard as it rose, suspended between Ondnarch and King Barradin. The flash of light whipped through the skies, creating a blinding sight to all who looked up it. At the peak of the mountain, a great vortex begun to form, catching the dragon by surprise and drawing him towards it until his entire body was consumed. With that, Ondnarch, Bringer of the Silent Cold was bound, his spirit trapped within the vast emptiness of the Kal’Varak for all eternity.
