Calinshold
 | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1115 FA |
| Size | Major Kingdom |
| Ruler | Calgrim, King of Calinshold |
The Dwarves of Calin settled in the Dragonbreath Mountains during the Migration of the Four Dwarven Houses around 1115 FA. While the mines beneath the mountains are rich in iron, gold, and, more importantly, mithril, the land above is arid and inhospitable. Calin built a single city - Hellsmouth - in one of the few fertile valleys in the mountain reaches. There, it is said, a deal was struck with the local red dragon population. In exchange for protection for his dwarven cattle and livestock, Calin provides the dragons with finely crafted metalworks of steel, mithril and gold. It is this alliance - which may still exist today - that fuel rumors of the furnaces of Calinshold being fired by ancient red dragons.
Only the Calinshold dwarves are allowed into Hellsmouth valley and the mines, tunnels, and forges under the Dragonsbreath Mountains. It is rumored that most of the dwarven population lives underground in fantastic complexes of wondrous beauty. What is definitely known is that the Calinshold dwarves make the finest iron, steel and mithril items in the shadowy passages of this dark kingdom. These items, often worth a king's ransom, are distributed throughout the world by closed-lipped dwarven traders dressed in their black robes and protected by deadly black great axes. While Calinshold dwarves outwardly look identical to their brethren, it is very rare to find one outside the kingdom who is not with the Trader's Guild.
In 901 TA, an expedition was made to the Forge of Hellsmouth to forge a gold ball for use in the Djinn's Labyrinth.
Places of Interest Nearby
Dragonsbreath Mountains
The Dragonsbreath Mountains form an impenetrable barrier between the civilized lands to the north and the forbidden lands of fire and smoke to the south. As such, they have always been a feared place, a land shrouded in darkness and shunned by men. Uninhabited for most of the First Age, the Dwarves of Calin settled here in the latter years of the First Age to build their great furnaces and forges in underground cities. In addition to the iron mines, of the Dragonsbreath Mountains are the sole known source of the mineral form of mithril - believed by some scholars to be meteoric in origin. While several high valley forests exist within the northern range of the Dragonsbreath Mountains, the southern rim of the range is the driest place in the Realm with rain rarely, if ever, falling.