Hurndig Champion Lore
While some claim that parts of Dwarven civilization stagnated during their self-imposed isolation, their mechanical ingenuity only flourished. Over countless generations, the Dwarves perfected their craft, combining engineering and arcane science to gain dominance over earth and metal alike. Some mechanists focused on designing tiny, beautiful clockwork machines, while others built titanic, lumbering engines, capable of moving giant quantities of earth and ore to help prospectors in their endless mining of the mountains. The latter was especially prevalent in the Skyiron Dominion, where molten iron and bronze flow in great rivers, feeding the Dominion’s great foundries. Hundreds of Dwarves toil in the stifling heat of these factories to this day, blending metal and runescript to craft fearsome weapons. Whether it’s nigh impenetrable suits of armor, razor sharp axes, or sturdy iron ships, everything is overseen by the Dominion’s Supreme Engineer.
Unlike their compatriots in Gloomdeep Hold, the Dwarves of the Skyiron Dominion welcomed the outside world much more readily after they recovered from the Demonspawn invasion of their lands, quickly becoming a bustling hub of technological advancement. Shipwrights, blacksmiths, and metallurgists from across the world flocked to learn from Skyiron craftsmen, often exchanging their own knowledge of magic and manufacturing with their Dwarven tutors. Over the years, the Dwarves married their sacred runescript with magic from across Teleria, pushing the limits of technology beyond anything seen before. Under the watchful eye of Hurndig, the current Supreme Engineer, the Dominion’s creations have become the pinnacle of magical innovafion.
Few Supreme Engineers have earned such good repute as Hurndig. His journey began when he was singled out by the Metalworkers’ Guild at a young age. Under their guidance, Hurndig dedicated his life to the art of the mechanist. But Hurndig’s view of his craft differed from his fellow Dwarves. Though he put the needs of his homeland first, Hurndig knew that his inventions had the power to improve the lives of all people in Teleria. They needed to be shared with all, not hidden in some dark manufactory like the way a dragon hoards their treasure. Despite this generosity, he has kept a few of his inventions for himself, the most powerful of which is his massive forge hammer. Hurndig’s hammer is the result of blending ancient Dragonkin research and the oldest Dwarven runes, creating something that has the power to slow the passage of time for anything struck by it. He has also conducted experiments with rudimentary firearms — using the power of runescript, advanced metallurgy, and specialist fire magic, these prototype weapons create explosions to propel projectiles over long distances.
To this day, Hurndig continues to engineer new machines and devices that will help push Teleria’s technological boundaries. Some within the Skyiron Dominion detest Hurndig sharing his gifts outside his kin, but he is resolute. His creations are to be used by all, as far as he is concerned – as long as they are used to lift the world from its ruined state.
Hurndig Storyline
No one among the people of Teleria can match the Dwarves in mechanical ingenuity. For countless generations, they had perfected the union of engineering and arcane science, made all the stronger by peerless Dwarven craftsmanship. Some artificers are said to have created clockwork automata that resemble birds and beasts, while others work tirelessly on building great machinery to ease the lot of prospectors deep beneath the earth. Yet with the Mountain King’s hosts marching to the surface world once more, war has been the focus of all the great minds of his Kingdom. Brass and iron flow in molten rivers in the underground manufactories, where the arquebuses and the cannon of the Dwarven armies are forged, and many are the great dynasties whose hallmark graces those exquisite weapons. Few, however, can match the fame of Hurndig, the Chief Engineer of the Kingdom.
Hurndig always had a knack for metalwork and had been singled out by the artificers of the Cannoneer Guild when he was but a sapling. And like any true Dwarf, he never shied away from hard labor, oft toiling at the blast-furnace and the anvil himself. It was not just the inner workings of cannons that fascinated the young engineer, but also their undeniable might on the battlefield – he would not only make these beasts of war but he would command them one day. And his chance arrived in due time. When demonic hordes invaded the Dwarven domain, Hurndig had already grown to be a respectable man and a master of much renown. It fell to him to organize the defenses of several key outposts – a task Hurndig excelled at.
Such was the precision and congruence of the crews he had trained that not even the greatest of Demonspawn and Undead abominations could approach the walls under their protection, much less tear them down. For months he traveled from one stronghold to another, shoring up defenses and guiding the beleaguered garrisons to victory. And after the onslaught had been repelled, the King recognized Hurndig’s effort by elevating him to the rank of Chief Engineer. Yet that was not the end of the heroic tale. Shaken by the horror he had witnessed, Hurndig was among the first warriors who volunteered to venture into the World Above to pave the way for the Dwarven Hosts in their quest for justice.
It was no simple undertaking, of course, Hurndig knew he would do well to prepare before plunging headfirst into danger. And prepare he did. With the help of his wisest and most experienced peers, Hurndig crafted a pair of portable bombards that he could carry with him. Next was the hammer he had imbued with the fiery heartbeat of the forge and enough gunpowder to bring down a small citadel. Outfitted thus, Hurndig finally departed his homeland and set foot to the surface, where the corrupting influence of Siroth still held sway. There Hurndig found adventures aplenty, battling evil at every turn and learning about other mortal races. Though he prefers to travel alone and holds loyalty to the Mountain King above all else, the Chief Engineer is nonetheless eager to fight Siroth’s scum whenever they can be found – perhaps a crafty Summoner could win his respect and his talents.