Taargick

Taargick

(Person)

Titles

First High King of the Dwarves
King of Sky

Alignment

Lawful good

Ancestry/Species

Dwarf

Gender

Male

Homeland

Koldukar, Tar Taargadth

Born

-5293 AR

Died

c.-4693 AR

Images of Taargick

Source: Lost Omens Legends, pg(s). 102

Taargick is the most famous dwarf king in the Inner Sea region, the founder of Tar Taargadth; he oversaw the Quest for Sky, and built many Sky Citadels.

A favored battle song of the dwarves of the Ninth Battalion is "Taargick and the Quest for Sky". One of Taargick's field commanders was Commander Helmrunner of the Ever-Advancing Legion, one of Taargick's first armies to breach the surface.

Relatives

Taargick was born on the night of Earthfall to Hilgart, a military commander and oracle of Felgunn, a subterranean dwarven nation. She was one of the few citizens of Felgunn who saw Earthfall as a sign from Torag to start the Quest for Sky and did not refuse the call, taking infant Taargick with her. Though Felgunn's location is lost to time, according to a clay tablet, the major hryngar city Hagegraf was originally named New Felgunn, suggesting that many of Taargick's relatives might have been among the first hryngars.

Background

Early years

Taargick grew up constantly on the move. As he came of age, he wished to become a warrior, but his mother insisted that he learnt many other skills as well: diplomacy, logistics, engineering, religion, among others. When major issues arose, Taargick was often assigned to work groups, in doing so building his reputation as a hard-working, brave, determined dwarf.

Tar Taargadth and the completion of the Quest for Sky

In -5153 AR, scores of orc clans, united by their hatred of the dwarves, banded together and ambushed the dwarven front at the Battle of Basalt Grimm. Orc raiders struck behind the front lines, killing thousands of dwarven non-combatants, including Hilgart. Like many other dwarves, Taargick abandoned the Quest for Sky to pursue vengeance, but as dwarven factions began to suggest settling at their current places or even returning to their original homes, he became horrified that all their suffering might be for nothing, and began advocating for the continuation of the Quest for Sky in -5133 AR. His deep connections and reputation served Taargick well, and many joined his cause, calling the alliance Tar Taargadth.

When some factions refused Taargick's call to mobilise the dwarves and challenged his rule, he defeated Hrungul Ironeye, the leader of the greatest dissident faction, in single combat. Hrungul then became one of Taargick's most fervent supporters and had his own guards 'escort' other dissidents to a ceremony, during which Taargick was named High King of Tar Taargadth. A year later, in -4987 AR, the dwarves had finished the Quest for Sky.

Sky Citadels and death

After the Quest for Sky succeeded, Taargick recruited the brightest minds he could find to design the Sky Citadels, so the dwarves could survive in the unfamiliar surface world. The first Sky Citadel was Koldukar, built at the very site where Taargick surfaced and saw the sky for the first time. The second one was Dongun Hold, which Taargick envisioned as the first of Tar Taargadth's many far-flung outposts, and assigned Arnhild Arunak, one of his most trusted lieutenants, to command it.

From Koldukar, Taargick ruled over Tar Taargadth's golden age. During this time, he became one of the most hated names among the Darklands creatures who had found themselves displaced by the dwarves' Quest for Sky. As he approached the age of 600, a grand tomb was built for him, but Taargick feared that doing so would subject Koldukar to endless attacks from his enemies. Instead, he donned his adamantine armor and left Koldukar to die in obscurity.

Legacy

Recently, a scrap of adamantine inscribed with Taargick's name showed up in an alley market in Absalom, allegedly sold by an adventurer who took it from an orc bandit's corpse, though Taargick's exact resting place remains unidentified. Meanwhile, Anong Arunak, High King of Dongun Hold, discovered Taargick's last missive in a hidden library, in which he expressed regret that he failed to find a peaceful solution when driving the orcs from their homeland, and a wish for an orc king to whom he could apologise.

References

Taargick appears in the following works:

Work	ReleaseThe release date or a partial release date.
The Secrets Stones Keep	July 2013

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.