Hammer Rock

Located in the Gravelands, the fortress of Hammer Rock was damaged—but remarkably not destroyed—by Tar-Baphon's super-weapon known as the Radiant Fire in 4719 AR.

History

The foundation was a dwarven fortress named Glerhadring, unfinished and abandoned for unknown reasons centuries before humanity moved into the region. The humans discovered the inscription "Hammer Rock" on the cornerstones and, after constructing a fort that took advantage of the dwarven foundation, named the fortification the same.

Despite its whitewashed exterior, the fort looks squat and gloomy. However, being placed on a hill, the soldiers here overlooked the Path River and enjoyed a clear view into Ustalav's Hungry Mountains. Abundant small game animals and a grove of fruit-bearing trees made the location even more ideal. Before its recent near-destruction, the ground occasionally made loud cracking sounds, and there was little doubt even then that undiscovered dwarven tunnels ran below the site.

A network of subterranean tunnels, named Fallowdeep, run underneath the dwarven fortress. This underground complex was used by the Whispering Tyrant as storage for hundreds of preserved corpses, allowing him to instantly raise an army whenever needed.

Recent history

As of 4712 AR, moroi vampires were rumored to have taken up residence in the caves south of Hammer Rock.

The Radiant Fire strike of 4719 AR destroyed the surrounding lands but could not destroy the castle, which had been reinforced by crusaders. As of 4722 AR, the dwarf Beroldim led a company of his kin to hold the site, as well as to count and catalogue the dead stored in Fallowdeep, particularly the hundreds of dwarves who lost their lives in the Shining Crusade without acknowledgement or proper burial.