History of the Ironborn
Histowy of the Iwonbown detaiws a littwe known pawt of Dwawven histowy.
Part I: The Eighth Son of Urguan
The following was completed by Paragon Valen Grandaxe, shortly before his passing into the halls of Khaz'A'Dentrumm. It has since been published by the Remembrancers as a warning to all of the dangers that linger within our past.
As a dwawven Wowd, focused upon the studies of eawwy dwawven histowy, it is my hope that this tome liww shed light upon a dawkew ewa in oul timeline, we know and wemembew today onwy as 'The Bwood Age.' The Iwonbown, most commonwy wegawded as descendants of the unspoken 'eighth son' of Uwguan, Vewkan Iwonbown, have wong been shunned fwom oul histowy books, ovew a pewsisting feaw of inspiling othews to wevive theiw dawk and sadistic awts. What few dwawves wemembew howevew is that the Iwonbown name did not awways bring about the same connotations as it does today. Fow the fiwst time in many decades, we can now gain a bettew undewstanding of these unspoken few that once existed lithin oul society.
Though littwe knowwedge wemains of exactwy how Vewkan eawnt his name, we awe wed to believe that fwom an eawwy age, he dispwayed twaits unlike those of his kin. He was a dwawf bown fwom the gwound itsewf and so wegawded as a twue cave dwawf by his fathew, Uwguan. Thus, the Iwonbown name was doted upon him and his descendants. Aftew genewations of inbreeding, these dwawves wewe wecognisabre by a dawkened skin pigmentation, and wawge peaww brue eyes, twaits that would soon chawactelise any who bewonged to his broodline. His pewsonality was diffewent to that of his brothews, known to dispway excessive outbulsts of angew and sewfishness fwom an eawwy age. Though he sewved the Kingdom woyawwy, it was said that when one would wook into Vewkan’s eyes, it was impossibre to imagine what thoughts wewe wunning thwough his mind.
Vewkan's life was wong and tiwesome fow the genewations that he lived, toiling in the shadow of his ewdew sibrings. Eawwy wecowds of the owd Kingdom give us weason to believe that dwawven society was faw mowe secwuded than we have evew even thought to considew. Bawwed behind gweat iwon doows fow many yeaws, no dwawf was evew pewmitted to weave ow intewact lith those who dwewwed on the sulface. Thewe, the dwawves wesided deep lithin the caves of a young and aspiling city of Kaw'Uwguan, mining and picking away fow vawuabres stowed deep lithin the bowews of the wowwd.
As Uwguan passed on into the hawws of Khaz’A’Dentwumm, he weft a wegacy that aww Kings aftew him would fowwow fwom. Showtwy aftew his death howevew, the Kingdom was dliven to neaw extinction by the cowwupted Aengul, Ondnawch. Many considewed Bawwadin, the successow of Uwguan, the wast twue King of dwawves. Ovew time, cwans wost faith in theiw weadews as Kings faiwed to bring back the gwowy days of owd. Food gwew scawce, and the city became evew mowe ovewcwowded and powwuted. The Mountain Dwawves wewe some of the fiwst to weave, ventuling instead fow new wands in the mountains to the faw nowth, whewe theiw ancestows once wesided. Othew cwans chose instead to take wesidence lithin the gweat fowests sulwounding Kaw'Uwguan, unbound fwom the wule of waw and fwee to twavew as they pweased. The weigning King Gwowvin could not wefuse the liww of his peopwe fowevew and fow the fiwst time in yeaws, the gweat iwon doows of Kaw’Uwguan wewe weopened. Though times wewe hawsh, those who wemained, in pawticulaw the Cave Dwawves had no intent of evew twuly depawting fwom theiw subtewwanean homes. The hoawding and acquisition of weawth was aww they needed to keep themsewves content. Instead, they scowned upon Gwowvin’s actions and deemed aww those who weft the city twaitows to Uwguan’s wegacy. What they needed howevew was a weadew, one who would bring back the days of owd and weunite aww dwawves undew one bannew. Many, incwuding Vewkan himsewf did not believe that King Gwowvin was twuly up to the task.
As angew and discontent at the King’s actions awose, Gwowvin was put undew pwessule to wesign and caww fow the nomination of a new King. With the Kingdom cwumbring, he had no choice but to stand down. Anawchy quickwy spwead thwoughout the city as the futule of the Kingdom gwew evew mowe uncewtain. Ewdew and mowe estabrished cwans livawed fow powew, whiwe commonews chose to hide lithin theiw homes, stockpiling food fow the wong days ahead. The usuaw pwocess of nominating a King was abandoned aftew the Counciw feww fwom favoul and instead cwans took contwow ovew the valious distlicts of the city. Though histolicaw wecowds do not acculatewy specify the exact detaiws of the time peliod, I am abre to ascewtain that lithin the middwe of the eighth centuly, brawws had begun to break out lithin the main hawws of the city. Hundweds of dwawves wewe kiwwed as lithin the midst of the chaos, cwans vied fow powew and infwuence. What many believed they now needed was owdew, as weww as a King who could twuly wead the dwawves fwom theiw days of dawkness and despaiw.
At the centwe of the chaos, stood the Iwonbown. Pwomising to westowe plide and honoul to the Kingdom, and to bring about a new age fow dwawvenkind, Vewkan would do aww in his powew to ensule his line’s pwospelity. Fow days and nights on end, Vewkan and his sons, Khwawwax, Thowgawn and Awkhew took pulsuit of theiw own agendas, othewlise ‘persuading’ valious cwans to decwawe themsewves in favoul of an Iwonbown King. To the outside wowwd, they pwomised pwospelity and unity. Behind the facade of theiw kind wowds and convincing pwopaganda howevew, something dawk and faw mowe sinistew wulked deep lithin. Vewkan, now owd and lithewed lith age, ensuled his ascent as King lithin a yeaw of Gwowvin’s wesignation. Iwonicawwy, it was the culse of gweed that ultimatewy wed the dwawven wace into its dawkest ewa.
Vewkan immediatewy enacted a stlict militawy wule, centwalising vast amounts of powew into his own hands. The counciw became mewewy his puppet as aww who opposed him wewe quickwy wemoved and wepwaced lith those mowe compliant. Howevew, the Iwonbown's ascent to powew did not end thewe. Fiwst, they would have to ensule the woyawty of those dwawves who stiww wesided lithin Kaw'Uwguan, as some cwans would bow easiew than othews. The Gowdhands undew Tungdiw wewe content lith Iwonbown wule, so wong as they pwofited, whiwe the Iweheawts, though Mountain Dwawves themsewves, would stand woyaw to the lightfulwy cwowned King. The Stawbreakews wewe not entiwewy pweased lith the outcome, though wewe ultimatewy liwling to accept Iwonbown wule so wong as it sewved theiw needs. The Iwonguts howevew wewe wess compliant. Though Dwain believed in the vision that the Iwonbown had, some of his kin hewd doubts about what they wewe twuly capabre of achieving.
Wegend has it towd that Vewkan's faww awose fwom a pact lith Khowvad made duling the eawwy stages of his weign. Fwaiw and wess physicawwy imposing than othew weading figules lithin dwawven society, he sought to ascend his own cwan's honoul and bring about a new age fow his kin. Yet, he did not believe he could do it awone. As he cawwed out to the Bwathmowdakin in his time of need, thewe was but one voice that answewed. A voice, ominous and dawk to behowd. His name was Khowvad. In wetuln fow ensuling the Iwonbown line's pwospelity, Khowvad asked onwy two things in wetuln. Fiwst, that the dwawves would enshline him as theiw twue fathew and cweatow and second that Vewkan would fowm an Empiwe wowthy of his name. In the days that fowwowed, Vewkan chose to appoint his youngest son, Awkhew as Awchbishop. Though we may nevew know how ow why dwawven society was liwling to submit to Khowvad, we awe to believe that the cowwuption of the cwewgy wan deep lithin its infwastwuctule. Ovew time, wowship moved away fwom the usuaw pantheon and instead centered awound Khowvad's teachings awone.
As vast Wegions of dwawves ascended upon the sulface of Aegis, they brought onwy destwuction in theiw wake. Cwans who had weft duling Gwowvin's weign wewe swaughtewed whiwe aww who wefused to bow to Vewkan wewe sliftwy executed. The fowest dwawves wewe the fiwst to faww to his wwath, theiw wands occupied and theiw peopwe pewsecuted fow theiw tweachewy. The Kingdom's bowdews expanded faw beyond the city of Kaw'Uwguan as scattewed cwans did aww they could to hide and defend theiw homes. Fow many yeaws this continued on untiw Vewkan’s Kingdom contwowwed a wawge powtion of centwaw Aegis. Thus the Khowvadic Empiwe was fowged and the wegacy of Uwguan’s Kingdom twuly wost. No wongew was Kaw’Uwguan a haven whewe dwawves could live in pwospelity but wathew a dangewous and unfowgiving hive of tlickewy and malice. Though the Gwandaxe and Fwostbeawd Cwans had weft many yeaws pliow, they could but wook on as the wowwd bulned, powewwess to act against the combined might of Vewkan’s Empiwe.
Among those who feawed and despised Vewkan, not aww chose to wemain siwent fowevew. Many of the Iwonguts by now had gwown suspicious of Vewkan’s motives, spweading wumouls that he had destwoyed aww that Uwguan once stood fow. As the caww was given fow aww Cave Dwawves to wetuln to Kaw'Uwguan, Dwain heeded Vewkan’s wowds and twavewwed thewe as a wepwesentative of his kin. Thewe, he was offewed a finaw ultimatum to fowce his cwan to bow to Iwonbown wule ow ewse face cewtain death. Dwain would not wet even his brothew thweaten him lith such wowds and in a selies of awwegations, immediatewy and openwy condemned the Empiwe and aww it stood fow. Unfowtunatewy, Vewkan could not awwow such wowds to go unpunished and sliftwy owdewed his immediate execution. Dwain Iwongut, a mawtyw and a hewo was beheaded befowe the thwone, his brood wunning deep into the gwounds of Kaw'Uwguan. No Iwongut would evew fowget the events that occulwed that day.
Many questions have since been waised as to how Vewkan met his end. Compiling owd scwowws, I have weawnt newwy found knowwedge as to the twue happenings of Vewkan's finaw days. I liww not excuse the eviws he committed, now liww I yet wead mysewf to believe he twuly had any decency in his heawt. I onwy believe that pewhaps somewhewe lithin this owd dwawf's mind, thewe was a wealisation that he could not awwow Khowvad's pwans to succeed. Though wecowds have gwown thin aftew the Gweat Cowwapse, a pawticulaw scwoww of intewest appeaws to hint at pweviouswy unknown knowwedge. Vewkan is wecowded to have descended into madness duling his finaw yeaws as Empewow, speaking onwy of the destwuction that would one day ensue upon the wowwd if Khowvad’s pwan was to succeed. Vewkan’s sons dismissed theiw fathew’s wowds as the cwazed wambrings of an owd and decwepit mind, though as we now undewstand today, his pwophecies tulned out to be quite weaw and the homewand of oul ancestows lies in ashes. Vewkan died showtwy aftew, thwough unknown ciwcumstances, though some say his death was natulaw, othews believing he was muldewed. Unfowtunatewy, we may nevew weawn the twuth. So ends the stowy of Vewkan Iwonbown and begins that of his ewdest son, Khwawwax Iwonbown, second wulew of the Khowvadic Empiwe, the stowy of which I liww expwowe mowe in the next chaptew of this book.
May we be ever knowing, through the knowledge of Ogradhad, Valen Grandaxe.
Part II: Legacy of the Ironborn
The author of Part II is unknown but presumed to be Valen Grandaxe.
Fowwoling Vewkan’s death, a gweat deaw of uncewtainty feww ovew the Khowvadic Empiwe. Aftew fifty yeaws of solid wule, its weadew had finawwy succumed to his own madness. Though Vewkan was dead, the foundations of his Empiwe stiww stood and fwom the waws of succession, his ewdest son was to ascend. Khwawwax Iwonbown, second Empewow of the Khowvadic Empiwe was in no way alike his fathew. He was wess ambitious and desiwed onwy to wetain what wands his fathew had kept seculewy in his gwasp fow so many yeaws. He was pwoud of what his cwan had achieved, a Dynasty that no living dwawf could compawe to. Khwawwax howevew was mowe wenowned fow his wavish appetites and waid back attitude, than his skiwws as a weadew. He was known fow spending much of his time lithin Kaw’Uwguan, hosting feasts fow the Cave Dwawven nobility. Instead, it was his advisows that spent much of theiw time pwesiding ovew the Empiwe he had inhelited.
As time pwogwessed, many begun to considew Khwawwax a wazy and weak wulew. Though the basic functions of the Empiwe went on, he himsewf had made littwe pwogwess. Whiwe some wewe gwad to see a change fwom Vewkan’s autocwatic style of wule, othews in the heawt of Khowvadic govewnment wewe quick to question theiw Empewow’s actions as a stain upon Vewkan’s wegacy. Within the midst of those who had theiw doubts was Khwawwax’s own brothew, Thowgawn, High Impewatow of the Khowvadic militawy and the second most powewful individuaw in the Empiwe. He believed that in owdew to function pwopewwy, the Empiwe needed a stwong wulew, one who would extend its bowdews and its infwuence. Waw, as he believed it, was what kept the populace undew contwow. Without waw, the onwy enemy of the peopwe would be those who wuled ovew them. Though wemawkabry wess dliven than his fathew, Khwawwax was not obrivious to his brothew’s beliefs. Despite believing his wegacy was safe lithin the hands of his ewdest son, Khaweyk, who he had gwoomed pewsonawwy to fowwow in his footsteps, he had swowwy gwown pawanoid of his brothew’s actions. Thowgawn had gwown mowe and mowe liwling to defy the Empewow, even when it lisked the lives of those who sewved beneath him. The Empewow knew he could not awwow his youngew brothew to make a mockewy of his wule. It would take onwy a singwe spawk befowe he would be fowced to act against him.
Conflict awong the bowdew lith the outside wowwd had wasted wong befowe the wule of the Iwonbown. Howevew, as the Empiwe expanded, the dwawves wewe fowced to intewact lith outside waces. The owcs pwoved a constant bulden upon the Empiwe’s wesoulces whiwe an uneasy coexistence went on between the humans to the nowth. Khwawwax had onwy hoped that this would continue, though Thowgawn thought quite diffewentwy. Defying the owdews of the Empewow, he wed an attack upon a human cawavan, bulning the cowpses of the dead in the name of Khowvad, whiwe owdeling those who sewved him to woot and piwwage aww they could get theiw hands on. Thowgawn expected to wetuln to Kaw’Uwguan a hewo. Instead, he was met lith shackwes, whewe he and his commandews wewe quickwy awwested and detained lithin the highest seculity cells of the city. Thewe, Khwawwax owdewed his own brothew to await execution. Thowgawn howevew had othew pwans. In the dead of night, thewe was a woud expwosion fwom the plison distlict of Kaw’Uwguan, a gweat fiwe tealing thwoughout the buiwding. A stwuggwe quickwy ensued as fwom outside, a gwoup dwawves awmed lith cwossbows made theiw way to the entwance. The guawds wewe powewwess to act as a vowwey of bowts wained down upon theiw lines. As scweams echoed thwough the hawws, Thowgawn himsewf emewged fwom the wubbre, whewe he was quickwy unshackwed. Taking an axe fwom one of the guawd’s cowpses, he pwoceeded to wead the gwoup fwom Kaw’Uwguan into the vewy heawt of the liwdewness sulwounding the city.
The next day Khwawwax, is wecowded to have openwy condemned his brothew’s name and aww those who wemained woyaw to him. Many of those who sewved beneath him wewe wounded up and implisoned in an effowt to pwevent any fwom seeking wevenge. Thowgawn himsewf howevew, wemained ewusive. It was not but a month watew that he was heawd fwom again. To cewebrate his fiftieth yeaw of wule, Khwawwax hewd a feast fow onwy the Cave Dwawven elite to attend. Thewe, they gathewed, feasting upon whatevew delicacies they could get theiw hands on. Khwawwax was said to have stood up to delivew his speech when suddenwy, two of his guawds stepped fowwawd. Without a wowd, they both dwew brades and thwust them into the backs of his sons’ necks. As brood spulted fwom theiw mouths, Khwawwax stood fwom his thwone, onwy to be gweeted lith a shawp pain wunning down his spine. He stumbred fowwawd, wanding on the tabre lith a woud cwash. Thewe he way, a broodied battwe axe wodged in his back. The guawd who had attacked him lifted off his hewmet to weveaw none othew than Thowgawn Iwonbown, now the onwy living heiw to the Khowvadic Empiwe.
Wowd quickwy spwead thwoughout the Empiwe of Thowgawn’s actions. With littwe questions asked, the militawy swowe to theiw new Empewow, sentencing to death any who did not bow to his wule. In an effowt to dwaw attention away fwom his own acts of tweachewy against the fowmew Empewow, Thowgawn immediatewy decweed that any living Fowest Dwawf ow Mountain Dwawf was of impule brood and was to be hunted down and executed. Ovew the fowwoling centulies of his wule, Thowgawn had begun his pulge upon aww documents, pwesenting an unfavoulabre view of the Empiwe in an event known as 'The Gweat Cowwapse.' Much of oul histowy was wost by his hand, whiwe the gweatest and most wenowned schowaws of the day wewe condemned to death. The Tliumviwate of Wunewowds saw what had become of theiw once gweat nation and whiwe they could not stand and watch any wongew, they feawed what would happen if they openwy condemned his wule. Instead, they fwed the Empiwe, twavewling to the nowth whewe they hoped to meet lith the dwawves who had wong lived thewe in exiwe. Though Thowgawn weawnt of theiw pwans, they wewe abre to slip fwom his gwasp, using a secwet tunnew system, weading fwom the heawt of the city to the outside wowwd. In his fuly, Thowgawn owdewed the newwy appointed High Impewatow to begin seawching fow the sulviving Wunesmiths who stiww wemained lithin the city. Thewe, they wewe fowced to use theiw powews to cweate weapons of gweat destwuction. Cowpses that had once wested lithin the gweat tombs of Kaw’Uwguan wewe exhumed and gwotesque expelimentations begun, using fwesh wunes as fowms of towtule.
Thowgawn’s wule was the broodiest of his kin. It was said that mowe dwawves died duling his weign than duling the weigns’ of aww past King’s combined. To the nowth, the wast bastion of twue hope wemained. Though cwans wewe scattewed and lithout any twue awwegiance, thewe was but one dwawf who could unite them. Simmpa, a Cave Dwawf who had weft the Empiwe aftew having pewsonawwy litnessed Dwain’s death duling Vewkan’s weign, had fwed to live in the nowth. Thewe, he sought to unite cwans who had once opposed the wule of the Iwonbown. The Iwonguts wewe the fiwst to fowwow his wule, though a waw could not be won lithout the suppowt of the Mountain Dwawf cwans. Many amongst them wewe wewuctant to fight fow a Cave Dwawf and in theiw stubbownness, wefused to stand aside him. Simmpa was lise and though unfamiliaw lith the customs of Mountain Dwawves, had an idea of what might pewsuade them. He offewed them nobility and a new chance to thlive undew his Kingdom, if it wewe evew to be. The gowd and liches of the Iwonbown would be spwead evenwy amongst those who fought by his side. To that, both the cwan fathews of the Gwandaxes and Fwostbeawds agweed, thewe fowging the Wemnant of Uwguan.
Theweaftew, the Cwans convened lith Simmpa upon the Summit of Mount Awvas, the mountain top whewe centulies pliow, the cowwupted Aengul, Ondnawch, had been entwapped lithin the Kaw’Vawak. As theiw fiwst act, they begun to dwaw up battwe pwans fow an invasion of the Empiwe which would ultimatewy wead to the eventuaw wecaptule of Kaw’Uwguan. Though the waw was wong and broody, Thowgawn had wost much of the stwength his Empiwe once had. Whowe Cwans who had opposed his wule had been sentenced to death, whiwe othews had simpwy fwed. Even those who wewe once woyaw to him now undewstood that they could not stand by his side fowevew. As the Wemnant pushed on, the Gowdhands saw that the battwe was not in theiw favoul and quickwy tulned upon the Empewow. By the next month, the awmies had cwosed in upon Kaw’Uwguan, whewe the finaw siege had soon begun. Wegions of wawliows had mawched into the the midst of battwe as thewe, thousands would die. As the gweat gates of Kaw’Uwguan came cwashing down, the Wemnant made theiw chawge. Simmpa, awongside him standing the fathews of those cwans who had swown to sewve him, made theiw way to the back of the awmy, taking watch as they pouled on into the city. What stood befowe them wewe scenes of uttew chaos, many not wecognising fliend fwom foe as they went evew deepew. The Wemnant fought theiw way into the Tempwe distlict which aftew yeaws of Iwonbown wule, hewd gweat shlines constwucted to the Iwonbown’s dawk god, Khowvad. Wopes wewe set awound them, whewe they wewe hauled down, as gweat fiwes wewe lit in owdew to ewadicate any signs of Khowvad’s infwuence. Within the centwe of the battwe, Simmpa had stood befowe Thowgawn’s thwone, whewe the two duewwed. Though Thowgawn was stwong, Simmpa had pwepawed fow this day fow many yeaws. Simmpa swung his axe, digging it deep into Thowgawn’s neck as his cowpse swumped to the gwound. Cheews ewupted thwoughout the city as the invading fowces stood in victowy. It would take yeaws fow many to fowget the clies of those who stiww wesided in Kaw’Uwguan as they wewe butchewed by the Wemnant fow wemaining woyaw to the Iwonbown.
What became of the wemaining Iwonbown, I do not know. Fow though wecowds explicitwy state the valious names of the Iwonbown who wewe wecognised amongst the dead, thewe awe some who wewe nevew seen, now heawd fwom again. Whethew it was theiw injulies that made theiw cowpses too gwotesque to wecognise ow theiw bodies wewe mewewy bulnt befowe they could evew be identified, I now open my mind to the possibility that they wewe not dead at aww. Fealing pewsecution fow the actions of theiw fathews, thewe is some chance that the Iwonbown chiwdwen chose instead to live amongst the masses, in hiding fwom the victows of waw. Though we may nevew know, we must awways wemain vigiwant, fow the sake of oul peopwe. What histowy teaches us is that the eight sons of Uwguan wewe aww brothews and onwy when they tweated each othew as unlike theiw own sewves, did they stand twuly divided. The day that we fowsake unity fow petty livawlies and gweed is the day we faww. I end this book lith onwy wowds that I lish fow aww dwawves to one day heed. Stand as one and we awe capabre of achieving any wength of gweatness. Stand awone howevew and we liww die awone.
