Stone Throne

"Those damn leaf-eaters drove our kin from their homes in the Tusk Mountains!" - common dwarf sentiment since 325E2

Stone Throne, or Ralis Val Noram in Dwarvish, was the capital and seat of power of the western dwarves of Edheltol, located near the middle parts of the The Tusk Mountains. It was built not too far underground, and a tunnel through the entire mountains ran through the city allowing for ease of trade with the local elf populations.

History

When Moradin first created the dwarven race, they mostly inhabited the caves and tunnels beneath The High-Vale Mountain Range in Northern Ansalon , slowly spreading from there to all around the continent. It wasn't until much later that the adventurous ones of their kind traveled the still narrow sea west, to Edheltol. They'd of course heard of this land of the 'long-ears' from conflicts of the past, but in the momentary era of peace they wanted to see it for themselves.
When they arrived, they soon found out that the elves had a very similar, albeit somewhat smaller, mountain range of their own, the Tusk Mountains. The locals weren't exactly below-surface dwellers, bar the still developing drow, and even they preferred their own tunnels elsewhere. Yet still, the mountains contained valuable resources they could use, so for the purposes of trade it was mutually beneficial for the dwarves to establish new settlements in the Tusk. And so, the settlers declared independence from the clans of the east and began anew.
These adventuring dwarves weren't all the leadership types, and establishing a lasting governing structure had its growing pains at the start. Many an unfortunate new ruler would perish in the most unfortunate yet convenient 'accidents', but eventually the power landed in a house Oakenbrand's hands. The family had been in power in the east a few generations ago, so they technically had royal roots, which offered some validation to the still traditionalist people. The first proper king of the Dwarves of the Tusk Mountains, Torgrom Oakenbrand, became a capable monarch who set forth to properly build the city later to be known as the Stone Throne.
Torgrom also established the Forgekeepers, an organization of royal blacksmiths and masons, who by in their skill in their craft had gained ranks in the social hierarchy. This was quite the new system, but yet one the people supported as a brilliant and fair idea. For this, a grand machinery called the Great Forge, was constructed. It was for the finest of craftsmen to use to create large scale projects of dwarven magnificence. At certain points in history they were even more advanced and developed than their cousins to the east. The Forge was located right in the upper levels of the Stone Throne, near the throne hall. The king would often amidst his governing duties visit the smiths and masons in their work and examine it.
The kingdom flourished under the Oakenbrand lineage for a while until what tends to happen to lineages happened, and a new clan rose into power, and a new one after that and so on. Some made for better rulers, some made for worse ones; all in all the community's growth and progress became somewhat stunted and narrowed down. It turned out that deep down the Tusk Mountains hadn't been as resourceful as predicted, and the dwarves were running out of material. They had to increase their prices, to which the elves responded with surprise and bewilderment, not understanding how the earth can run out of minerals. One thing led to another between the two proud races and their relationships coldened. As the resources the elves produced were more essential to the dwarves than vice versa, the dwarven community grew poorer and shrunk over time from its golden age. There were no direct military hostilities as the matter mostly manifested as prejudice from both sides.
This intolerance came to a sudden culmination in 325E2 after a short period during which the relationships had seemed to take a turn for the better as the two sides fought together in the Great Voraci War united under the same cause of survival. Some time after the victory celebrations, the wife of a dwarven individual of nobility and formidable military rank was seen stealing a sacred elven relic from their capital in Yemildir (Haram's Oak). Unfortunately, the thief succesfully escaped with the relic and seemingly vanished, turning the eyes of the furious elves to the general dwarven public as a scapegoat, who in their pride refused to take the matter seriously. Blinded by anger, the elves massacred most of those staying in Yemildir for the celebrations with extreme violence and begun amassing an army to march toward the Tusk Mountains and drive out the rest from their lands.
The few that survived the massacre delivered the grim message to the now already crumbling halls of Stone Throne. The dwarves, much fewer in numbers, had but one choice. Due to the circumstances with the natural resources they weren't too unhappy to leave, but it was still a bitter decision. And so, with the help of some magic, they were able to again cross the sea and escape back to Ansalon, from where they'd once come. Some merged with the High-Vale dwarves, some started new lives in human cities and settlements. In any case, the tale of the Dwarves of the Tusk Mountains was over.

Modern day

Ever since the Purge as the elves call it, their kind avoid Stone Throne like a plague. It is said that the city is haunted by the spirits of those that were slain during the incident. The elves will not under any circumstance use the formerly utilized trade tunnel through the mountain, but will instead travel via paths over, or entirely around, the mountain range. Another perspective on the matter is that the haunting is a made up rumor and that the elves simply avoid the city due to either remorse for what happened, or genuine disgust for the dwarven architecture, depending on the person in question.
The lands in and around Yemildir have met extensive famine after the incident with the relic being stolen. It was a sacred carafe used to bless the harvest, given directly by Iphine, the goddess of all elves. It is a matter of speculation whether this is really due to the carafe going missing or from Iphine passing judgement on them for the massacre and the hasty prejudice.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
325E2

Type

City

Population

25000+ in its golden age

Location under

The Tusk Mountains