The Crown of Zirak
"Til the Mountains fall, or the Crown be reclaimed."
~ Zirak saying
Few ancient items are as well preserved in memory as the Crown of Zirak. The Uhl Zirak, and especially the dwarves of that people, know every detail of the crown. It's hardened bronze band with gilded steel filigree and the rubies and sapphires that studded the shape are recreated in perfect detail in artistic motifs among that people and throughout the holdings of the dwarves.
~ Zirak saying
Few ancient items are as well preserved in memory as the Crown of Zirak. The Uhl Zirak, and especially the dwarves of that people, know every detail of the crown. It's hardened bronze band with gilded steel filigree and the rubies and sapphires that studded the shape are recreated in perfect detail in artistic motifs among that people and throughout the holdings of the dwarves.
History
The people of Uhl Zirak keep meticulous records, but most of their history is carved into the walls of their strongholds so it is seen by all who walk their halls. Unfortunately the oldest of their strongholds have been plundered and lost and so the earliest records are dark to us, and like so much we must rely on legend and song.
The crown was forged - so it is told - by Zirak the Great, founder of the great mountain realm of Uhl Zirak long before Istragos came from the West. When the Empire came to the mountains, the dwarves did not submit, but the Empire was not inclined to battle underground, where the dragons could not be a great advantage.A long stalemate ensued, in which the Istragan Empire burned and sacked the homes of the dwarves, and drove them into their mines, and there in the dark the dwarves delved and shaped until their mines became new stronholds far mightier than the older surface dwellings. The walls of their new citadels were the bones of the earth itself.
Finally a stalemate was reached. The Crown of Zirak would not be handed over, and the lord of Uhl Zirak would continue to be called King or Queen, but they would acknowledge Istragos as Overlord. The treaty was carved into the walls of every dwarf hold and so is preserved. The ruler of Uhl Zirak was from this day forward to be the King in the Mountain. According to the dwarves that preposition - in - was a very important point to the Istragans, who could thus claim that their Emperor was the King of the Mountains without a challenger for their title. From that time, the dwarves built only simple outposts on the surface, and the realm of Uhl Zirak moved forever underground.
When the Madness came, the ruler of Uhl Zirak - Turov the Foolhardy - saw it as a time to finally retake the old strongholds on the surface. With dwarvish weapons and engineering surely they could claw back what their ancestors had lost. In part, Turov was right, the skill of the dwarves proved mightier than the fire of the younger dragons. But the early successes drove Turov to recklessness, and he moved his seat to the surface, and then the Great Wyrm came.
The battle is recorded mostly in dirges that need not be repeated here, but the cities were once more sacked, the king killed and the crown lost. Worse, the Dragon who came -Tarkalyn the dwarves call him - was mightier and older than any the folk of Uhl Zirak had faced, and its fire was far greater. The mighty gates of Tar Zirak - the capitol were broken down and he tore his way in chamber by chamber, collapsing passages and burning the upper chambers before departing. Left thus exposed the city was plundered by raiders and brigands and eventually became the abode of younger dragons. The dwarves believe the crown rests in the hoard of a dragon somewhere in the old city, but it has not yet been found.
The crown was forged - so it is told - by Zirak the Great, founder of the great mountain realm of Uhl Zirak long before Istragos came from the West. When the Empire came to the mountains, the dwarves did not submit, but the Empire was not inclined to battle underground, where the dragons could not be a great advantage.A long stalemate ensued, in which the Istragan Empire burned and sacked the homes of the dwarves, and drove them into their mines, and there in the dark the dwarves delved and shaped until their mines became new stronholds far mightier than the older surface dwellings. The walls of their new citadels were the bones of the earth itself.
Finally a stalemate was reached. The Crown of Zirak would not be handed over, and the lord of Uhl Zirak would continue to be called King or Queen, but they would acknowledge Istragos as Overlord. The treaty was carved into the walls of every dwarf hold and so is preserved. The ruler of Uhl Zirak was from this day forward to be the King in the Mountain. According to the dwarves that preposition - in - was a very important point to the Istragans, who could thus claim that their Emperor was the King of the Mountains without a challenger for their title. From that time, the dwarves built only simple outposts on the surface, and the realm of Uhl Zirak moved forever underground.
When the Madness came, the ruler of Uhl Zirak - Turov the Foolhardy - saw it as a time to finally retake the old strongholds on the surface. With dwarvish weapons and engineering surely they could claw back what their ancestors had lost. In part, Turov was right, the skill of the dwarves proved mightier than the fire of the younger dragons. But the early successes drove Turov to recklessness, and he moved his seat to the surface, and then the Great Wyrm came.
The battle is recorded mostly in dirges that need not be repeated here, but the cities were once more sacked, the king killed and the crown lost. Worse, the Dragon who came -Tarkalyn the dwarves call him - was mightier and older than any the folk of Uhl Zirak had faced, and its fire was far greater. The mighty gates of Tar Zirak - the capitol were broken down and he tore his way in chamber by chamber, collapsing passages and burning the upper chambers before departing. Left thus exposed the city was plundered by raiders and brigands and eventually became the abode of younger dragons. The dwarves believe the crown rests in the hoard of a dragon somewhere in the old city, but it has not yet been found.
by MidJourney
Raw materials & Components
By their accounts the main band of the crown was bronze and the decorations merely gilded rather than of gold because the crown was to be strong enough to survive in battle if needed, and could be fitted to a helm when occasion called for it.
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