Anzalibur

Anzalibur was a legendary dwarven citadel and fortification that was founded towards the end of the Second Age by Neandir Goldenbeard, the very first King of the Dwarves. Built deep into the heart of the Red Mountains in The North, Anzalibur was a kingdom of such greatness that it is said that there will never be a dwarven hold with as much grandeur. It was so great that two of the seven Dwarf Lords resided there and served under the direct rulership of Neandir Goldenbeard and his resulting lineage. Anzalibur, though a thing of beauty and magnificence, also served a second purpose as a fortress, being able to strand throughout the majority of the God Wars, though eventually the kingdom fell by an attack lead by none other than Zenaphor, a necromungus of tremendous power and one of three generals of the Shadow Tyrant that the god didn't create itself.

As previously stated, Anzalibur was founded by Neandir Goldenbeard, a dwarf/elf crossbreed born in the Second Age. On his father's side he was descended from King Geladin of the Elves, lord of the elves, whilst on his mother's side he was descended from one of the Dwarf Lords. Being raised in the kingdom of his mother, who ruled over a kingdom formed of dwarves and a group of elves that had been rejected from the elven realms for being 'physically flawed,' Neandir had grown to resent the elves and although next in line, turned down the chance to become the next King of the Elves, which gained him a lot of respect ammongst the dwarves. However, feeling that his mother's kingdom was not for him, Neandir Goldenbeard, along with twelve loyal companions, set out north to form his own kingdom- Anzalibur.

Although originally having only twelve allies to help establish Anzalibur, (the thirteen in total becoming the de facto number for dwarf troops ever since,) news of Neandir Goldenbeard, descendant of kings and dwarf lords, setting up his own realm quickly spread. More and more dwarves gathered to witness and take part in the formation of Anzalibur, up until the point that Neandir Goldenbeard was joined by two of the Dwarf Lords and their people. It took several decades for Anzalibur to reach completion, though when it did there was no question as to whether or not the efforts had been in vain- it was a citadel of such radiance that could never be matched ever again. Its foundations were in the mountains, and its halls were both on the face of the mountains, inside the mountains and under them at the same time. It was said that the halls of Anzalibur stretched through several mountains, though its great structures could only be seen on the surface on the first front-facing three mountains within the mountainrange known as the Red Mountains.

It was soon after the completion of Anzalibur that all of the seven Dwarf Lords, beholding the greatness of the kingdom and understanding Neandir's true nature, went to Anzalibur and cast their crowns at the feet of Neandir, pledging their allegiance to the dwarf who was then crowned the very first of the Dwarf Kings. All seven crowns of the Dwarf Lords were melted down and rewrought into one mightier crown for Neandir Goldenbeard, Lord of Lords, King under and over the mountains. And it was so that the Dwarf Lords built in his honour the Grand Stairway, a staircase of countless steps and immeasurable length, stretching from the highest peak in the Red Mountains to the lowliest pit in the earth. And at the top of this peak was forged a throne, and in it sat the seven swords of the seven Lords, and upon this mighty throne could Neandir Goldenbeard look out upon all of the land and all that he owned, and be glad.

The dwarves of this kingdom were a powerful people and crafted some of the greatest wonders for which the dwarven race is well renouned. For centuries the dwarves here lived happily, each individual a lord in their own right, and the rulers of Anzalibur gathered copious amounts of riches, gold and jewelry and other precious metals, piles upon piles for which they could rival the dens of the mightiest dragons. They dug deep into the earth and reaped the rewards to be found there- and although in their greedy delvings they awakened many creatures of darkness that had long been lost to the world, the people of Anzalibur were so mighty that they tamed these monstrosities and used them as beasts of burden in their darkest mines.

After the death of Neandir Goldenbeard, Anzalibur continued to prosper under the rulership of his descendants, all of them whom equaled the might of their legendary ancestor. Throughout the God Wars did Anzalibur endure, being a beacon of hope to those in the northernmost regions, for here they could seek shelter and be gauranteed safety, as Neandir in his infinite wisdom had designed Anzalibur not only to be a citadel and home to thousands upon thousands of dwarves, but also to double as an inpenetrable fortress to face off any potential evil which may crawl into the world. And so it was that there were many Battles of Anzalibur, of which many fell and heroic deeds a thousand fold are recounted in epic poems and folklore of the dwarves, the death of Kings and the slaying of mighty foes being chronicled and retold throughout the ages.

However, even the greatest of the dwarven citadels could not last forever. Anzalibur's foothold in The North made it a key target for the Shadow Tyrant, whose complete conquest of the northern realm was halted by the existence of this stronghold. To take Anzalibur as his own would be to give him a distinct advantage in that region, the mountains making a perfect home to host his many reinforcements if ever trouble were to arise. And so it was that the Shadow Tyrant finally sent one of his greatest warlords, Zenaphor, as the leader of a great host to take Anzalibur in a devastating conquest known as the Fall of Anzalibur.

Finally realising that this was most likely the end of his kingdom, the current Dwarf King and ruler of Anzalibur, Throndor, sent a great league of his people, including his own daughter, northwards from the Red Mountains, using boats to arrive upon Black Isle. However, a great many of his people refused to leave and instead resolved to fight alongside him, the Last King of Anzalibur, and so the battle was even more glorious. For Throndor himself rode out onto the plains beneath the Red Mountains to meet Zenaphor and there the two armies clashed and fought for three days straight before retreating back into Anzalibur. And doing so they sealed the great gates and went under seige, and despite the use of magic and great war machines, it took many days for Zenaphor to penetrate through the mountains and into Anzalibur.

Finally breaking into the dwarven citadel, many skirmishes were had throughout the city, and through various tactics the dwarves managed to lure the enemy into choke points, or simply collapse tunnels and walkways to crush and further waylay the enemy. However these tactics did not last for long and the dwarves were pushed back to a great hall where the two armies clashed in full force yet again. Here it was that Vidal Redbreast, one of the Dwarf Lords under the servitude of King Throndor, decided to make the ultimate sacrifice and sealed him and his men in the hall with the enemy, and sent for the ancient beasts and eldritch abominations that they had awakened in the depths of the earth. As he and his men were thrown down and slain, these wretched creatures swarmed the hall and decimated a great part of the enemy forces, though they too were felled.

So it was that Zenaphor broke through and King Throndor resorted to taking the Great Stairway and ordered for his men to go up whilst he held off the enemy, though all of the dwarves present refused and demanded that he ascend the staircase first. It was not until Throndor's own brother, Turgin, declared that he would stay behind to fend off any attackers that Throndor finally relented and headed up the Great Stairway, Turgin bringing up the rear. A chase begun up this staircase, and although Turgin was the very last dwarf and many of his comrades fell about him, he successfully navigated to the top of the staircase, the entire time sparring with none other than Zenaphor himself. Reaching the last stair and weak from his wounds, Turgin tossed himself down the great stairway, depriving Zenaphor of his kill. It is said that Turgin descended laughing, mocking the necromungus who, for all his power and might, could not be the one to fell Turgin.

The last of the dwarves fought upon the peak of the mountains, high above Anzalibur, and it is here that every last dwarf fell until only King Throndor himself remained. However he showed no fear and engaged in combat with Zenaphor directly, dueling with the necromungus and mighty war general until he managed to break the enemy's sword, and threw him off of the side of the mountain. And although Throndor was clearly outnumbered, when the enemy saw this feat of their general being thrown from the mountainface, they fled down the staircase and out of Anzalibur itself. Throndor collapsed on the throne at the very tip of the mountain, weary of battle and succumbing to his mortal wounds. But from the depths of Anzalibur emerged one of the behemoths that had been captured and enslaved by the dwarves and forced into battle against Zenaphor. Yet the creature was so moved by the ferocity of the dwarves that it stopped and listened as Throndor recounted to it all that had occured, and the creature ended Throndor's life quickly. Then, taking his crown, it flew to Black Isle and told the tale of the Fall of Anzalibur to all the dwarves that would listen, as the creature respected the might of King Throndor so much. And it delivered the crown to Throndor's daughter and departed, and so it was that the Fall of Anzalibur ended.

Though it was the intention of the Shadow Tyrant to take Anzalibur as its own, this would not be the case. For Zenaphor, laying at the bottom of the mountain, battered and broken, defeaten by a mere mortal, in agonising pain not only from physical injuries, but from the destruction of his pride, slipped from the mortal realms and went into the realm of magic, and returned unscathed, one of only two beings known to have ever done this. And he came back renewed, more than a mere mortal but a god in his own right, and gathering his forces he lead an attack on Anzalibur and took it as his own. But so angered was he at the defeat he had suffered that he tore the dwarven citadel to the ground, ruining every last ounce of that great place, and so it was that Anzalibur came to its end, greatest of all the dwarven realms.