Gerduhm

Gerduhm is an extremely secret dwarven fortress located high in the Tusk Mountains of the Hold of Belkzen, just north of the Gap of Valballus and approximately 50 miles south of the Cenotaph. It is operated by the Oathkeepers, a society of dwarven priests of Kols who help maintain an ancient bloodline.

History

When it was obvious that the Sky Citadel of Koldukar was going to fall, the last king of the citadel, Durlak II, entrusted the Oathkeepers with a sacred duty: protecting his daughter and the Prophecy of Ascendance. According to the prophecy a descendant of King Taargick will one day lead their nation on a new mass migration similar to the Quest for Sky and to a new golden age. Durlak's daughter was the last of Taargick's bloodline. The priests of Kols accepted the duty and retreated to Gerduhm. The orc warlord Belkzen besieged and took the Sky Citadel of Koldukar in -3708 AR.

Description

The fortress consists of dozens of interconnected fortified chambers buried within the mountain without any external structure revealing its location. No roads or game trails lead to it. The only hints of Gerduhm's existence are its small front gate and a number of ventilation shafts cleverly disguised to look like natural rock.

Inhabitants

The descendants of the dwarves who move to Gerduhm still dwell in the fortress guarding their secrets. They have maintained the most valuable treasures of dwarvenkind for over 8 millennia. Among the sacred relics the dwarves keep in Gerduhm are the relics of King Taargick, the records of the locations of the hidden caches of armaments scattered about Avistan, and the locations of all the ancient dwarven cities, fortresses, and mines in Nar-Voth and Sekamina the dwarves left behind.

The secret order of Oathkeepers are led by High Oathkeeper Daras Moradan. He stays in contact with the other Oathkeepers who are spread among the clerics of Kols across Avistan and Garund, particularly within Highhelm and among the Pahmet dwarves in Osirion. His subordinate Amli Faldar oversees the daily operation of Gerduhm. Amli is also one of the descendants of King Durlak's daughter and, because of this, has never left the hidden fortress. She is not the only descendant although the exact location of the others are known only to the other High Oathkeepers throughout Golarion.