The Battle of Kalôr-Thun

History seldom remembers the fallen. If they are remembered, their stories stand as parables against greed, pride, or malice. Kalôr-Thun is not a story of folly or failure, but tenacity against the endless horde.



Looking back on the Battle of Kalôr-Thun is like squinting through a snowstorm to see the depths of a frozen pond. Two-hundred years isn't a long time, but the only stories come from the maddened survivors of a genocide. Stories speak of a battle with demons, dragons, devils, orcs, giants, great beasts, abominations, and any other beast that the imagination can summon. As dirges about the battle became popular, the horde simply became known as the Burning Shadow.

I heard not the oracle speak,

nor read the scribe fortell.

No beacon fire warned,

of the horde from hell

Be now warned of blood stained claws

Strap in and prepare to run

the Burning Shadow leaves

the ruins around Kalôr-Thun

Yet some clarity does exist, as the accounts are in concur the final moments of the battle. After the hordes had broken the final lines of the dwarven army they reached the kings guard at the entrance to the city. The beasts were climbing over the walls of the city and would soon catch the fleeing survivors. That's when Kalôr-Thun, King of the Mountain, began to speak.

Some say it was a challenge, that no beast could best his men. Others say it was a spell that bore into the minds of the host. Dwarves gathered at taverns like to say it was the longest, most vulgar, and most insulting string of insults ever to escape from the lips of any man on Vaeltor. Whatever it was, the horde began to converge upon the King's Guard. Falling into the tower shields, those trained in the ancient discipline of the dwarven defender held against the relentless charges. The legends say the mountain would have yielded sooner than those dwarves did. Yet after hours of battle, the lines broke and the horde flooded past the shields.

The armor battered. The weapons shattered. Hope lost, a loud crackling noise came from the defenders followed a few moments later by a blinding light that disentegrated or at least banished the invaders from the mountains. While there were still many left to continue the battle, many would speak of the bravery of Kalôr-Thun.

Aftermath
Raiding dwarf holds is not new, albiet attempts are typically not successful. The frequency of these raids has certainly increased after the year of Kalôr-Thun. The legend has become famous or at least infamous. Most dwarves of the surrounding lands do not believe the legend of Kalôr-Thun. Many openly mock people who claim to be "descendents of Kalôr" saying they were too weak to win a battle with some hill giants, and are now too weak to admit their defeat.