The Hall of Kings

Located at the base of the Palace of the High King, the Hall of Kings is one of the most culturally and historically significant places to the Dwarves. Constructed near the end of High King Thurims reign, this large crypt has served as the final resting place for past kings for almost 6,000 years, making it one of the oldest structures in the Dwarven nation of Durfaehn, and possibly the world. With such a long and storied history contained within its walls, the Hall of Kings is considered by many to be a perfect symbol of the value the Dwarves place on legacy.

Purpose / Function

The Hall of Kings was constructed to serve as the final resting place of the Dwarven High King and Queen.

Alterations

The Hall of Kings has remained largely unchanged since its construction, with the few alterations made to it being limited to personalising each tomb entrance to match its occupants, as well as the addition of new statues. Additionally, whenever a new King and/or Queen is laid to rest within the Hall, their previously featureless tomb will be filled with reminders of what they'd accomplished during their lives, often in the form of engravings on the walls depicting key moments in their lives and artifacts tied to them.

Architecture

The Hall of Kings is carved into the side of mount Gerdohr and, like the rest of Dwarvish architecture, is constructed entirely out of stone and has an overall blocky aesthetic. The entrance to the Hall consists of a stone door, beyond which lies the Halls antechamber, where the funeral of the deceased king and/or queen is held before their interment within their tomb. Opposite the entrance is another, slightly larger stone door, which leads to a short hallway that opens up into the Hall proper. The Hall itself is a large rectangular room, with 20 stone doors along the left and right walls, each one opening up into a tomb, and statues of the king and queen interred within on either side of each door. Each door is also engraved with the names and titles of the entombed king and queen. At the far end of the Hall lies the tomb of High King Thurim and his wife, Neralah, which has a slightly larger and more ornate door and statues compared to the other tombs.

Behind each door within the Hall is a tomb consisting of a square room, with two stone caskets for the deceased king and their queen located opposite the tomb entrance. While the unoccupied tombs are completely featureless with the exception of their two caskets, the tombs that are occupied have engravings depicting key moments of their reign (usually their coronation, as well as any other significant events they may have been involved in, including battles, diplomacy, and the construction of significant structures), and are decorated with a number of atrifacts related to them, usually items that were either crafted by them personally, or were gifted to them during their reign. The tomb of High King Thurim is much larger, with a rectangular shape, and features a large engraving on the wall opposite the tomb entrance depicting the founding of the old Dwarven Empire under his rule.

Defenses

A small, specially selected group within Dhal Thurims city guard patrols around the Halls entrance to protect it from thieves and vandalism. Additionally, the door leading from the antechamber to the Hall itself is enchanted to only open for the priest acting as the Halls caretaker, as well as the currently reigning High King and Queen, with a similar enchantment being found on each individual tomb door within the Hall. Additionally, it's believed that the statues standing outside the tombs are actually constructs placed there to act as the tombs guardians, and that they would activate if a thief or other intruder were to break into the Hall, though since no one's been able to (or dared to) break into the Hall, this remains unproven.

Type

Crypt

Parent Location

Dhal Thurim

Owning Organization

Durfaehn

Characters in Location

• Thurim Aenarek