A record of Ekrund

Excerpt of the report presented to the Phoenix King, as written by the Lothern Sea Guard captain Thelrion

... The dwarven outpost, or "hold" as they bearded ones name their dwellings, has been mercifully free of the footfalls of dwarves since the early days of Bel Shanaar's reign, although its current occupants- goblins and trolls- can hardly be called an improvement.

It was first founded by a group of ambitious dwarves, who craved more influence than their homes could offer them. Among these the Rinkeldraz clan was chief, and it was they who would one day spawn the line of kings which lasted until the fifth century of Bel Shanaar's rule.

The first king of the region which would later become known as Ekrund was king Ordorin, who was named the "Wild King" by his peers. They looked down upon him, this dwarf who spent most of his reign in the badlands between the Word's Edge Mountains and the Dragonback mountains. As if any notion of civilization exists among the dwarves.

Eventually Ordorin's eldest son, Grimbalki, succeeded his father and expanded their strongholds in the northern part of the mountains. At some point, after returning from a hunt for goblins, he found that his brother, Garudak, had seized the capitol Ankor-Drakk for himself, and had barred the gates. Which goes to show just how "honorable" these dwarves truly are.

Grimbalki, in a rare show of restrain for his people, decided not to wage war upon his brother. Instead he travelled to the south part of the mountains and founded a second colony, mount Bloodhorn. "Goat king" they named him, for his people relied greatly on farming these beasts. Truly, the pinnacle of dwarven wit.

At any rate, Garudak eventually went bankrupt when his mines went dry. Meanwhile, Grimbalki's newfound mines- mostly coal- and trade contracts with Karak Eight Peaks helped his holdings spread, much like an untreated infection. Eventually Garudak returned rule of the northern holdings to Grimbalki, unifying the Dragonback mountains as one dwarven hold. They named it Ekrund, after the great winding stairs they had constructed near a massive lode of coal south of mount Bloodhorn.

The kingdom prospered for some time, even though it never truly achieved the status of hold. I surmise that by "status" the dwarves mean "big enough", for even in Karaz-a-Karak I have seen little that indicates any sort of distinguishable craftsmanship.

Regardless, as we all know, at some point the greenskins came and killed most dwarves. Some fled, but enough time has passed that none can reliably trace their bloodline back to the Ekrundfolk. It has remained in the questionable care of goblins ever since, until now.

The Keigh-Mon of Marienburg intend to claim the region for themselves, or so my informant in the city reports. They have enlisted the aid of the Keigh-Mon who live in the ruins of our colonies- Tilea, they call the area. Also, the corsairs of Araby have hired their services out to the Marienburgers, which I suppose will at least keep them from pointlessly harassing our ships for a spell.

Naturally, the dwarves did not take the news well, and "noble" houses from three of their holds- Karak Izor, Karak Hirn and Barak Varr- have banded together in an attempt to repel the Keigh-Mon.

And in the south, the belligerent greenskin tribes have paused their constant infighting long enough to send an impressive- in numbers, at least- army to capture the hold as well.

In short, three lesser races attempt to remove the goblins from the Dragonback mountains and call themselves master of it. Tiresome business as usual among these primitive minds, I suppose. Nonetheless, the rise of a merchant colony in the Dragonback mountains could have far-reaching consequences, which of course no dwarf, keigh-mon or goblin can be bothered to think upon. I shall leave it to your wisdom to decide whether the lesser races of this world require the guiding hand of the Asur once more.

In your service...