Hallbera - Rune Mother

The dwarfs of the Cinder Mountains have a rich, magical, history.  They may not be practitioners of the arcane like the wizards of The Fellowship, or their predecessors.  The dwarfs are craftspeople, with a passion for creative expression through forging, to the point where they have an annual festival, The Cinder Silvering, to honor their roots of artistic artisans.  Dwarfs forge with runes, magical symbols that carry the arcane within their intention and language.  It is a beautiful craft and requires dedication, education, and willpower.  

If one goes back in history far enough, which is quite far for the dwarfs, one would find Hallberra, Rune Mother.  She is simple in appearance, but illustrious in her accomplishments.  This hammer created the first runes which allowed the dwarfs to transform their mundane weapons and armor into ones of magnificence and wonder.  The entire fundamental runic alphabet was created using Hallberra, implanting each symbol with its arcane identity.  From there, these runes were weaved together over time to create the variety of magical effects showcased in modern dwarven craft.
Hallberra became more than just the mother of runes, but a religion in her own right.  She brought about the golden age of the dwarfs and solidified their relevance in a world of escalation.  Her archival and protection was paramount as she was viewed as a goddess in her own right.
She rested in a great vault, deep in the dwarven capital within the Cinder Mountains until one day when an elaborate heist had her removed for some time.  This sent the dwarfs into upheaval and frothing for retribution.
Hallberra fell into the hands of men with the ability to study it quickly and see how it was able to imprint arcane energies into mundane items to imbue them with magical effects.  
Before war would break out, the hammer was found and returned to the dwarfs by humans who served up men and dwarf alike as the perpetrators of the offense, who confessed, and were left to bear witness to dwarven justice.  
Ironically, shortly thereafter, the humans had discovered a means of creating magical weapons themselves with specially engineered forges that were able to imbue an item of choice with enchantments without the necessity of a highly skilled wizard or artificer. 
The dwarfs had their holy relic returned, mankind took a leap forward. Everybody wins.

Item type

Tool