Gonth Forgegold

Gonth Forgegold was the Shieldlord (governor) of the city of Khôltar, south Faerûn, from the Year of the Ambitious Sycophant, 424 DR, until the Year of the Alabaster Mounds, 577 DR.

Personality
Gonth was a happy soul that liked good fellowship and fun, which earned him the nickname of "Merrybelt".

History
Forgegold was appointed by the dwarves of the Deep Realm to be Shieldlord of Khôltar after his predecessor, Onskrar Hammershield, was killed in an accidental building collapse. He interpreted his stewardship of the Iron City and its citizens to be like a friend or father to all, and spent nearly all of his time in office getting to know the people over drinks, giving them small gifts, doing favors, granting aid to those in need, and ensuring that as many folk as possible were happy. Gonth would have won any popularity contest by a landslide, but by giving everyone what they wanted, he allowed the advisory council (created by his predecessor and already being subverted) to be completely taken over by the wealthiest human members&mdash;the temporary memberships became permanent and hereditary, the seats reserved for non-humans were eliminated, and the seasonal positions were demoted to the status of scribes and diplomatic messengers.

In the Year of the Wyvernfall, 512 DR, Merrybelt mostly ignored the establishment of new laws, known as the Decrees of Onsruur (Onsruur was the councilor responsible for drafting the legislation), because they were merely a formalization of what was already in practice in the Iron City. The humans were in control of the council and the number of families with a seat at the table grew from twelve to sixteen, and eventually twenty. Over the years, the name Onsruur became synonymous with the Decrees, the families, and the council itself. With their powerful positions secured, the Onsruur families were practically royalty, and they began to feel they deserved the boons that Forgegold handed out. Fortunately, the ordinary citizens firmly embraced their work ethic, and Merrybelt's small gestures and jovial treatment did not give them a sense of entitlement&mdash;the city continued to prosper while the wealthy elite schemed to grasp even more power.

For unknown personal reasons, Gonth Forgegold resigned his position in the Year of the Alabaster Mounds, 577 DR, and joined some old friends from the Rift to form an adventuring party. None of the fellowship was ever seen again in the Deep Realm. The dwarven leadership soon appointed Angloam Dubrin as the next Shieldlord of Khôltar. He inherited a need for infrastructure changes to accommodate the city's relentless growth and a coolly hostile Onsruur that wanted to throw off dwarven rule.