Dermir, First of Dwarves, King of Operath.

The First of Dwarves.

Dermir The Mountain Lord, was the very and finest of our kings before his heart turned cold. He founded Operath, when our race was but fledglings, shy of light and slow of action. He led us the the Ruins of Ur, and made Operath from its broken marble and vast empty halls. He encouraged our craftsmen personally, toiled in the fields as well as in the forges. A peoples king. A kind king. A wise king.
Then he found it. The secret of eternal life. He went under the mountain with his most loyal of servants, and was not seen ever again. It was only after the First Elves went down into those caverns to speak with him that we heard anything. And what we heard was sparse, and what we understood was not pleasant. The king had given the secret to the Elves, in turn for the heart of Elejandra, the first of all elves. So was it that first of Elves and First of Dwarves came to rest underneath the mountain, one as a cursed spectre, kept in place by the man who possesses her heart. ANd the other as undying, immortal reminder that some secrets have to steep a price.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

By all accounts, he was tall for a dwarf, and one of the strongest to ever live.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Only the Seven Sagas remains in terms of historical records about Dermir and the others of the First.
Dermir was he first of Dwarves, and founder of Operath. He had a younger brother, Tenmir, who later took the name Bor when he became the first non-etin rune mage in Efetra. Dermir was studious, if not as clever as his brother. He didnt understand the fine weaves of magic like the First of Elves; Alejandra. But he poured over texts and learned the hard way to do basic stoneshaping magic. A craft his people would later perfect.
Dermirs obsession was with that of the Ur. The Civilization that came before, who mysteriously vanished, but who both Elves and Dwarves see as their ancestors. In his pursuit, he found massive ruins, carved into the mountains itself. Caverns carved so big and so wide, you could hardly see the ceiling. Here he founded Operath, while his brother Bor, travelled north and later crossed the ocean to be one of the founder of Rindheim, the Thanian Capital.
Dermir spend much of his youth rallying various Dwarven families together, setting up a complex system for his own rule, that was meant to assure no King could ever rule without the families support, and them in turn could not wield such power without the peoples support. A flawed system, as history would later show. After he had been made king, he was known as one that toiled along his people, and he as never much for extravagance. He was a pioneer, wanting to build a safe and stable home for his people, and achieved this trough no small sacrifice.
During the latter years of his reign, Dermir would happen upon artifacts of Ur origin. These fascinating things would reignite his obsession, and ultimately lead him towards immortality. He became more and more reclusive, letting his daughter Midren take the reigns, positioning her as the heir apperent.
Then one day, he made a break trough. The records show that and a hundred of his most loyal warriors went on a expedition down into one of the deepest and least explored cavern systems at the time. A place were nobody returned from. And as it would appear, neither did he. There are no records as to what he did on the way there. But evidence and statement by Elven scholars speak of halls of great stone, seemingly shaped out of the cavern floor, of a underground bastion that shown great wear and tear, And a singular, powerful being upon a simple granite throne; Demir himself.
According to the same scholars, the Party of First Elves made the trip upon having received a message from Midren. She had not seen her father for near 150 years, and was reaching the end of her life. She wished for them to travel down and see if her father had achieved his dream, or if he had died like many others before him. The Elves, led by Alejandra, was after the Urs Secrets themselves. Something was tearing at their essence, shortening their lifespans and killing their infants. They needed the secret to immortality, or they as a species was doomed to be consumed by this unseen, etherial terror. Midren agreed to let them have it, should they find it. The dwarves had long lives as it was, and unlike their absent King, saw no need to prolong it.
So the Elves went down under the mountain, finding no end of horrors. But in the middle of a sprawling cave network, positioned withing former Ur Ruins, they found him. The records state that Dermir was alone, his companion having died during the journey and in defense of this last bastion. Dermir himself however, had vigor of which like Alejandra and her followers had never seen. For ten days, the First of the Elves and the First of the Dwarves spoke at length about life and death, and the secrets between. What followed has been struck from the records and all that is known is that Alejandra gave her heart, in order for her people to have the secret to eternal life.
Her Sacrifice saved all of elven kind. The elves with her that day, her two sisters Nadeja and Silrea and infant child Enjen, Nadejas husband Rivuel and Silreas wife Nidr were all infused with the same vigor, and given the means to spread it to a select few others. The secret came with more of a price, then 'just' Alejandra however. For Nadeja and her Husband, Dermir warned that their inquisitive minds would not carry all that knowledge forever, something that was proven true for the two would be the first elves to go into the Grey Sleep, thus cementing the traditions and future of the Grey Elves.
Dermir told Nidr nad Silreas, that for their price, they needed to find the other great city, and guard its secrets as he had guarded these. To delve down into its depths and become eternal guardians as he was. The two knew of course, of what city he spoke off. Hidden within the Jungles of the first elven lands. A place their descendants still protect and safeguard to this day after their disappearance. The Infant child of Enjen, was taken back to the City of the Sun, were Alejandras sacrifice was immortalized and made a saint of all Elvenkind. Enjen grew up to become a legend themselves, as they were the first Elven Sun Mage and founder of Magus Academy.
Demir was apparently content with the elves responses, and with their sacrifice. What is not known, is what he did with the heart. All that has been told is that if you listen in the dark caverns of lower operath, you can here the forlorn singing of Alejandra.

Morality & Philosophy

Dermir, Up until his obsessive state, valued personal sacrifice and perseverance. He believed a king his place was as a guide, not a shephard. He believed his subjects not sheep, but fellow travelers.

Species

Dwarf

Conditions

• Immortality (True)

Ethnicity

Operathian

Height

5'0''