The Three Kingdoms of the Hammer
Humans were not the first to awaken in the mountains.
The stone itself woke first.
In Arcadia's northern depths, where light could not reach, the summoned cities drew breath. A massive tunnel network bound halls to mines. Warm crystal lamps lit the passages. Runes carved into rock guarded memory itself.
Among thousands of ruins… only three kingdoms lived.
1) Kazador — The City of Silent Flame
A city carved near volcanic layers where furnaces never died. Metal bridges over slow lava lakes. Pillars holding ceilings like cathedrals.
This was a city of craft.
Dwarves here spoke little… and made everything.
Work was language. The hammer was signature.
2) Graimfold — The Wardens of Gold
Deeper, behind tangled tunnels, lay Graimfold: gold and shadow. Gem-lined halls, doors opened only by sworn oaths, statues of kings on metal thrones.
This was a city of guardianship.
Wealth was not decoration… it was sovereignty.
Those who sought gold without honor were cast out without battle.
3) Thorindar — The Stone Throne
Deepest—and most dangerous—Thorindar. A city carved into a black mountain, halls vast, murals telling wars humans would never record.
Here sat the dwarven king.
Here decisions were made.
The Cost Is Watched From Afar
Thousands of kilometers away, in an underground room, men stared at satellite images.
Mountains that had "changed."
Ruins never recorded.
Heat patterns that made no sense.
One voice said: "Impossible."
A higher official replied:
"Impossible is what you say when you have no explanation."
They tried analysis—then interference spread.
Runes didn't just block detection… they confused perception.
The order was clear:
"Long-term surveillance. Classified file. No leaks."
The world would not know—yet.
The Mountain's Question
In Thorindar, the dwarven king stood before his stone throne, hand on an ancient hammer.
His voice echoed like the mountain itself:
"Tell me… who is the king of this land?"
End of Chapter Three