Durlag Trollkiller

Durlag Trollkiller was the son of Bolhur the Clanless and one of the most powerful dwarves of his time, and undoubtedly one of the richest. As his name suggests, he earned his fame slaying trolls and other ferocious beasts, alongside a small band of adventurers. After retiring from adventuring, Durlag set about building a great tower in which to begin his own clan, to prevent him from dying alone as his father did.

"There is always evil to be fought...within and without."

- Durlag Trollkiller.

Description
Like all dwarves, Durlag was short and stocky, but also immensely strong. He had bright orange hair and a long bushy beard.

Personality
Durlag shared the personality traits of many great heroes: bravery, courage and brilliant resourcefulness. He was also extremely stubborn. During the last few years of his life, after his tragedy, Durlag became extremely paranoid, depressed and vengeful.

Possessions
His preferred weapon was an axe.

Relationships
Durlag traveled with a number of adventurers, people he could call close companions. Included among these brave souls were Arlo Stoneblade, Grael, Hengriffe, Chalmon, Tuorna Brightarm, and even the dragon Mechezarin.

Durlag was the son of Bolhur "Thunderaxe" the Clanless, the great dwarven hero who was never able to start his own clan.

Durlag's family were quite powerful and daring in their own right. His wife Islanne was a powerful magic-wielder who was tragically killed by a doppelganger who took Durlag's form. He had two known sons, Kiel "The Legion Killer", and Fuernebol, the young dwarf who was more skilled with a bow than a sword or axe.

Early life
Durlag completed many quests in his younger years, including slaying a vast horde of drow, ridding the Troll Mountains of their fearsome beasts and slaying numerous dragons single-handedly. Rumor states that Durlag also slew the black dragon Vissilithysmee whose flames were 'a gentle breeze' to Durlag. Nearing his peak, Durlag and his companion Arlo Stoneblade were able to slay the tanar'ri Aec'Letec, and trapped the demon's soul in the Soultaker dagger.

Building His Tower
At a certain point, Durlag decided to put his adventuring days behind him and began his own dwarven clan with his fellow dwarven adventurer, Islanne. The couple married and Durlag began building a huge fortress in the mountains, to start raising his own family. Durlag wanted to be able to live out the rest of his life in peace, surrounded by his family, secure in the knowledge that they would be safe from the dangers of the world.

After slaying so many foul beasts and traveling so far, Durlag accumulated a vast amount of wealth. The fortune occupied entire rooms in the tower once it was built, with stacks of gold and gems rumored to be waist deep on a man. The entire building was carved from volcanic rock so as to make it impregnable. Although Durlag's tower was huge, there was more space carved out underground than above.

Many of the inner-most rooms were protected by powerful dwarven magic and could only be penetrated with the correct wards stones. The tower was filled with all manner of rare and magical objects that Durlag had secured from his travels. Many of these artifacts and the rooms they were placed in were protected by complex traps and charms.

Fall of Durlag
However not long into Durlag's new life great tragedy fell upon him. He had created the fortress to assure his family would always be safe, but in doing so had attracted evil forces who wanted the tower and wealth for themselves. The tower could withstand any siege so Durlag's enemies had to find more sinister ways to penetrate it. In secret, Durlag's family was assassinated one by one and replaced by doppelgangers, until eventually Durlag discovered one of the frauds. The rest then began attacking him and one by one Durlag's family seemingly turned on him in his own home. He was forced to slay his own wife and two sons, to stay alive.

Durlag's outstanding courage and strength allowed him to kill all but two of the invaders, who managed to flee his home, but it was at a great price. Not only had he lost his family but also his mind.

After this the dwarf became dangerously paranoid of everyone and everything. Durlag vowed that no other force would ever disturb his tower again and after laying each fallen member of his family to rest in ornate burial chambers deep in the tower, he set about installing more traps and enchantments. The tower was laden with complex contraptions to punish intruders in the most horrific ways. It has been speculated that the building was the most dangerous and secure building in all of Faerûn.

He then retreated to the inner most sanctums and waited. Many brave and greedy explorers tried to disarm the defenses and steal Durlag's wealth, every time they would fail. Durlag would watch through magic portals as troop after troop attempted to breach his home. It's said that he would sometimes crawl up secret tunnels and slay the opportunists himself.

He carried on in this paranoid manner for a few hundred years, never leaving the tower. During this time he began to have grand notions of conquering the Celestial planes. For that purpose he designed and constructed an incredible steel warship with steam-driven machinery, known as the Ark of the Mountain, using a combination of long-lost Halruaan sorcery and wishes from genies that he had imprisoned. He eventually passed away on his own, as he had always feared. The great Durlag Trollkiller spent his final years alone, paranoid and tormented by the events of his past. He left a number of azer, skeletal minotaurs, undead dwarves, and traps to protect his prized warship.

Quotes

 * Islanne my wife, I love you still; 'Twas just your form they made me kill.
 * Oh Kiel, Clan-prince of this dark tower, You made your death your finest hour.
 * Too young to fight, except to fall; Here died my son, young Fuernebol.
 * Foul Mimic of the mortal man, 'Twas in my shape they killed Islanne.
 * Soft walks the trait'rous doppelganger, Into my dear son's practice chamber.
 * Moved ne'er by rage and ne'er by anger, Cold is the trait'rous doppelganger.
 * There is always evil to be fought...within and without.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast