Origin
Upon his birth, Thordrin Oakenshield became a member of
Clan Battlehammer: one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Dwarvish Clans in all of
Faerūn. He is the son of Orthor and Dalia, two proud parents indeed. His home was the mines of
Kelvin's Cairn, where refugees settled after escaping the attack on the great
Mithril Hall. His father is a great warrior and cousin to the next rightful
King of Mithril Hall, Bruenor Battlehammer.
Thordrin has lived and witnessed many things while living
in the dwarven valley at the base of Kelvin's Cairn...a war with the Barbarian
tribes of Icewind Dale, the wizard Kessel's attack on Ten Towns (the nearby villages) and the
valley where he lived, and the goblin attack on the mines with the subsequent
cave-ins. As he grew, Thordrin was engrossed in the 'normal' lessons and
training of a young dwarf, learning the history of his clan and their craft.
As his studies reached the art of weaponsmithing,
Thordrin heard the news of his cousin Bruenor leaving
the Cairn in search of Mithril Hall, leading his friends and allies in hopes of
retaking it from the dark beast that drove them out. It was Thordrin's 25th
birthday (a day of great celebration) when his parents took him to see the
clan's guildmaster, Argo Grimblade,
and he began his apprenticeship as a weaponsmith. He
moved quickly to the apprentice dormitories to begin his studies. Thordrin saw
little of his parents for the next 25 years, being limited to one visit home
per week (as is custom, this lends to personal strength of character and
independence). He knew it was well worth the sacrifice, though, for his family,
himself and for the clan.
Over those long years of training much had happened, news
came of Bruenor's exploits: he found 'Settlestone',
the encampment at the base of Mithril Hall, and soon Mithril Hall itself. He
learned that the source of the darkness that lead to the evacuation of the Hall
was an evil dragon named 'Shimmergloom', a beast more
shadow than dragonflesh. The dragon had brought with
it to the sacred Halls the foul Duergar. The clan
learned of the epic battle between Bruenor and Shimmergloom,
how the dwarf fell into Garumn's Gorge, and how he
survived (though his friends thought him dead), then tried to escape through
the dark tunnels of the Duergar. They heard of the
rescue of Bruenor by Lady Alustriel, and the
following reunion of friends. Then the rescue of Regis the Halfling, called 'Rumblebelly' by Bruenor, from the southern desert. And
finally, the triumphant return to Mithril Hall to crown the rightful Eighth
King of Mithril Hall, Bruenor Battlehammer.
Upon Thordrin's 50th birthday, his family organized a
great celebration to mark his entry into adulthood and all the responsibilities
that come with it. Soon he would take his place in the mines next to his father
and the hundreds of other dwarves of Kelvin's Cairn. He did, but he soon longed
for adventure like his cousin Bruenor and wanted to join him at Mithril Hall.
One day the time finally arrived for Thordrin to tell Orthor
and Dalia of his decision to go to Mithril Hall. His
parents were worried, but knew also that he could handle himself and accepted
the fact that he was an adult and they couldn't hold him back. So, they gave
their blessing and best wishes for a good journey.
The Adventure
Begins
The next morning Thordrin left his home, heading south
through the barren wastes that is the north and Icewind
Dale. He took with him gifts from his father: the axe 'Aegis Rey', a dwarven waraxe crafted by
Orthor's grandfather (Garumn
Battlehammer); a shirt of scalemail worn by his
father in the great battle of Mithril Hall; and a simple shield that his father
said "had saved my neck more times than ye' got fingers". Also he
carried all the supplies one would need to survive the harsh cold of Icewind Dale. He made his way across the 'Spine of the
World' and headed toward the small settlement of Luskan.
While there he refilled his supplies and chartered passage with a caravan
headed south for 'The City of Splendors', Waterdeep.
He hopes that in Waterdeep he will find assistance
from local dwarf guilds on the precise locale of Mithril Hall and a more
sufficient mode of transportation.
Last updated 01-19-2006 by Skip Franklin. Original text by Chopper.