Amberu Khôltar

Amberu Khôltar was the first Shieldlord (governor) of the trading camp on the edge of the Great Rift in south Faerûn that eventually became Khôltar, the Iron City. He took office in the Year of the Black Wing, 341 DR, and ruled until his death in the Year of the Thoughtful Man, 374 DR.

Description
Amberu was a gold dwarf with a glossy black beard that, when untethered, reached the width of his shoulders and the tops of his ankles. This prompted the human population to nickname him "Lord Blackbeard".

Personality
In his youth, Amberu sought adventure with enthusiasm, and he was still considered somewhat young when he curiously proposed to take control of the trademoot that the dwarves were securing for the human and halfling traders on the surface, as long as the Deep Realm gave him some autonomy. He firmly believed in the rule of law and dealt fairly with all races that came to his settlement. He also believed in strong, well-defended walls to protect the people.

Abilities
Amberu was an adept manager, leader, and tactician, and his "Durthkhôltar" (literally, "Fort Khôltar") thrived for the first two decades of his tenure, soon to be called just "Khôltar".

Relationships
After the dwarves of the Rift granted him the charter to garrison the trading camp, he recruited other young and restless dwarves to be his "axemasters", believing that they could do a better job of governance than the old guard. He was well respected by most everyone under his care, but one human in particular, named Handrorn, was vehemently against the strictly defensive stance that Lord Blackbeard maintained&mdash;he felt that the people had the right to hunt down and eliminate the Shaaryan raiders that sacked and burned anything built outside the walls.

When he ran into financial trouble, Amberu was approached by representatives from the Great Rift and he made a deal for an endowment to finance his road and wall projects, but in return he had to agree that his successor would be appointed by the Deep Realm. Amberu was close friends with a dwarf named Dunsel who wanted to create a paved road for caravans. The deal allowed Amberu to fund what became the Dunsel Trail.

History
The first twenty-odd years of Amberu's tenure fostered tremendous growth in the population of Khôltar, but infrastructure and defense expenses outpaced income and he saw his coffers being depleted. The generous terms offered by the Deep Realm convinced him to give up some of his independence, but the settlement once again surged toward prosperity.

Sometime around the Year of the Sleeping Dangers, 370 DR, he placated Handrorn by allowing him to lead a volunteer army against the Shaaryans and even gave him some funds for equipment and support. For a time, Handrorn and his raiders were quite successful at driving off the town's primary threat.

Unfortunately, some Rift dwarves grumbled at the rise in fortunes of the non-dwarf population of Khôltar, feeling that those profits really belonged to the Stout Folk who provided security and governance. The most vocal of these critics was Inbrurr Harlenstar, but he was rebuffed by the leadership who refused to evict the human crafters and ruin a thriving economy. Undeterred, he formulated an elaborate plot to kill Amberu and cast the blame on the humans, get the dwarves to crack down on the city, and foment a revolt that would result in the dwarves being forced to take over. The first part of his scheme worked flawlessly, and Amberu Khôltar was assassinated by a poisoned weapon in the Year of the Thoughtful Man, 374 DR, but the plot soon unraveled and Inbrurr fled from justice.

The Deep Realm appointed Onskrar Hammershield as the new Shieldlord, but the city's name honored its founder for the next thousand years.