Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 379 Mithril Hall

Balenda was not so easily fooled by the mage's words:

"If human words are even less reliable than the oaths of the Tanari, then why would you bother going through all that trouble to travel thousands of miles to obtain our sweet wine?"

That shorty is completely unyielding!
Mr. Zhang couldn't help but feel a headache coming on; these guys were as stubborn and unyielding as rocks in a latrine.

But if they turned back, not only would they have nowhere to find other dwarven groups to cooperate with, but the returns they could offer were also a problem. At least this one in front of them was someone they knew.

The two sides engaged in a heated debate for quite some time, and as darkness fell, the situation remained deadlocked with neither side willing to back down.

Just then, a familiar, loud voice suddenly rang out.

"Boss, let's go back."

"Ok?"

It was Kegan's voice. The mage turned his head in confusion and saw that Kegan's expression was more resolute than ever before.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve been wandering since I left the clan more than ten years ago, and I’ve come to terms with it. If the clan remains as stubborn and conservative as before, then our concessions are meaningless.”

"What exactly are you trying to say, Kegan!"

For the first time, Chief Balenda looked directly into the eyes of this descendant of the family, who was considered to have betrayed the clan.

“I said I wanted to give up my surname.”

Upon hearing this, not only the dwarf elders but even Bard, who was standing nearby, was taken aback.

"You're insane! Giving up your family name means betraying your family, and there's no going back!"

“I know what I’m doing. The decades I’ve spent in the family and the more than ten years I’ve spent wandering outside, all the achievements I’ve made in the first half of my life don’t even come close to what I’ve gained by following the boss.”

"Instead of forcing our boss to cooperate with the Sweet Wine Clan for the sake of our so-called old feelings, we should choose a more suitable partner."

"It's just a surname. Who knows if we'll gain our own name because of the reputation of the new wine?"

As he spoke, Kagan's hair and beard bristled, his nostrils flared like an angry bull, and he turned to Bard and launched into a passionate speech, gesturing wildly as if he were extremely excited.

Just as Bud was about to comfort and advise the other party, he saw Kegan wink at him.

Where was the righteous indignation in those small, black bean-like eyes? They were filled with cunning and shrewdness.

Bard's reaction was quick as well. The two rivals, seemingly of one mind, pretended to ponder for a moment before saying:

“This is not a bad idea. There are quite a few clans in the North of the Sword Coast that can be befriended and cooperated with, such as the Ironforge Clan of Ancient Night Owl Well, Ironhoof north of Waterdeep, and Danzo near Miraba.”

With each clan name he uttered, the dwarven elders opposite him grew increasingly grim, while Balenda remained expressionless and unmoved. "Mithril Hall, oh, right, there's also Mithril Hall!"

Bard seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and shouted to the mage:
“I have visited Mithril Hall and met several members of the Warhammer Clan; they should be very interested in this.”

The old clan chief could no longer remain calm, and spoke with a hint of admonition:
"The Mithril Hall is not a simple clan like other single clans. Even their lineages are different. With your size, what right do you have to talk about equal cooperation with them?"

Although she didn't show it on her face, Balenda was really anxious inside, not for any other reason than that it was the Mithril Hall!

Located in the Frosthills, the northernmost peak of the world, Mithril Hall has been one of the largest and most famous dwarven fortresses in Faerûn since its inception. It is named after the silver river flowing underground and the mithril mine, a gem among the minerals.

Her wealth and power attracted many dwarves and even clans to settle there. This situation reached its peak two hundred years ago, in DR 1183, when more than 10,000 dwarves of various races moved in, bringing together almost all dwarf lineages except for the Grey Dwarves.

But their good fortune didn't last long. Like many legendary tales, the dwarves, who were single-mindedly focused on digging deep underground, eventually brought disaster upon themselves.

It was neither Balrog nor Ragnaros, but Harin Urim, the ancient shadow dragon known as the Shadow Dragon. It was awakened from its slumber and, naturally, driven by a magnified malice fueled by its covetousness of the dwarves' astonishing wealth, launched its attack.

If the Ancient Shadow Dragon itself was indeed terrifying but still manageable, the combined forces of the vassal races following behind it—from kobolds and subterranean gnomes to grey dwarves—rushed forward, pushing the Mithril Hall dwarves to the brink of collapse.

But the worst was yet to come. While the dwarves were retreating, the barrier at the deepest part of the mine was opened, revealing a passageway leading to a village of deep-earth gnomes, whose living conditions were…

The Underdark!

Mithril Hall fell, defeated by the sinister and terrifying negative energy breath of the Shadow Dragon Harin Umri, by the tidal wave of attacks from the vassal races, and by the sharp axes raised by their evil brethren underground. It also fell victim to the wicked and vicious attacks of the drow.

What followed were sorrowful and gloomy years. Unable to continue resisting, the dwarves withdrew from their homeland. The survivors wandered to other city outposts, while many more perished in the sudden calamity and the subsequent desperate escape.

Life became difficult. The once prosperous and glorious homeland was now a thing of the past. Looking out over the frosty hills, only lingering shadows and evil spirits remained.

The survivors' appeals and pleas went unanswered. Before the Silvermoon Alliance was even established, the forces of justice in the far north were not so easily swayed by promises.

The situation changed in the year 1356 of the Valley Calendar!

Bruno Warhammer, the rightful heir of Mithril Hall and a direct descendant of the Warhammer clan, fled to Icewind Dale after the fall of the city. After years of hardship and humiliation, he finally made a bold and resolute attempt with the help of his companions:

Counterattack Mithril Hall!
The perils and crises involved need not be elaborated upon. After going through all sorts of hardships, Bruno, Wofgar, Katie Brier, Regis, and of course the infamous Cui San'er, the five of them finally accomplished this incredible feat.

Slay the dragons! Wipe out the grey dwarves! Repel the drow army!

After nearly three years of arduous struggle, with Yvonne Bell-Banri, the most powerful matriarch of Menzoberranzan, cleaved in two by Bruno's battle axe, her thousand-year reign came to an end. At the same time, news of the complete victory of the Mithril Hall reconquest, with the dwarves and their allies, thundered across the skies of the North.

After more than two hundred years of vicissitudes, Mithril Hall Fortress finally returned to the banner of the Warhammer Clan. The Mithril Five's heroic deeds not only earned them fame, but more importantly, after years of decline and loss, they restored people's trust in Mithril Hall and the reputation of the Warhammer Clan.

(End of this chapter)