Firehammer Hold

Since ancient times, Firehammer Hold has been a temple-fortress dedicated to Haela Brightaxe, a dwarf hero-goddess purported to grant luck in battle. Although reduced in number over the years, Haela’s faithful maintained control of the hold up until a few months ago, when the Thayans’ plan to capture the region began to unfold. Through Baazka, the Red Wizards made a pact with a fiendish duergar (or durzagon) named Nalifarn, asking him to lead his clan to invade Firehammer Hold, taking over its forges to manufacture armaments for Thayan forces. With the help of elemental creatures the Red Wizards summoned, the gray dwarves opened a passage to the hold from the Underdark and attacked. Haela’s followers, surprised and outnumbered, perished bravely but quickly. None escaped. Since then, humanoid allies of the duergar, especially hobgoblins, have supplied the gray dwarves with prisoners captured in the surrounding lands. Duergar ruthlessly force these slaves to work in the hold’s mines. A large part of Julkoun’s population has recently arrived in Firehammer Hold to this end.