Kharas
Kharas was a male Hylar Dwarf from the kingdom of Thorbardin. He was very tall for a dwarf.
Kharas was arguably the greatest hero in dwarven history. He was best known early in his life for his great deeds. He fought alongside the Knights of Solamnia who were so impressed by his courage and his nobility that they named him Kharas, which is Solamnic for “Knight”, and gave him the Hammer of Honor (later renamed as "Hammer of Kharas" by the dwarves).
Kharas bitterly argued against the barring of the gates of Thorbardin saying that the dwarves should live or die as one : “bother should not be killing brother”. When the army of Fistandantilus marched on Pax Tharkas, Kharas urged Derkin, High King of Thorbardin, to propose peace and his king agreed to make the attempt. It failed, however, and Derkin ordered Kharas to take the field. Kharas relented and, in a display of shame, he shaved off his beard.
Kharas fought well during the Gate War. In an effort to end the war quickly, he volunteered to lead a daring strike against Fistandantilus himself. Using the tunnels underneath the Plains of Dergoth, he and four other dwarves entered the dwelling of Fistandantilus and he wounded the Dark Mage before being forced to retreat.
Afterwards, Kharas realized that both armies fought only out of hatred and vengeance ; he became disgusted with the war and grew despondent as it raged on. Then came the magical explosion of Zhaman: Fistandantilus magic swept across the Plains of Dergoth, killing everyone. Kharas had then returned to Thorbardin, carrying two of the three sons of Derkin, and thus escaped the blast. After the war, many of the Thanes began plotting to overthrow King Derkin. Kharas refused to support each Thane that approached him. He soon left the underground kingdom as a self-imposed exile. He traveled the breadth of Ansalon for many years before he returned, only to find the kingdom at the brink of civil war.
Soon after returning, his friend Derkin passed away. Seeing the way the other Thanes were positioning themselves to become the next High King, he barred them from attending the funeral. He gave a prophecy that one day, the hammer would return and then a proper king would take the throne and reunite the clans. The prophecy states that, “When the power of the gods returns, then shall the hammer go forth to forge once again the freedom of Krynn”
When Kharas did not return, the Thanes raced to claim the hammer as their own and started to fight one another in the sacred valley. Then Derkin's Tomb was suddenly ripped from the ground to float high above the Valley of the Thanes. Kharas has not been seen since.
