Ovdal Kanzad is a dwarf hold in the Tree of Stone known as the Cannonhold, the home of the first cannon prototypes in the Serpentspine, prized amber and experimental warfare. Ovdal Kanzad is known for its stalwart defence, being the final hold of the east as both Amldihr and the Jade Empire collapsed. The Amber Dwarves were known for their mastery of forging cannons which guaranteed their survival against the goblins that plagued the area, while being assisted by their staunch allies in the west, the Topaz Dwarves of Gor Ozumbrog.
Culture and Customs[]
It is said that the first cannon to be forged originated as an experiment by the Amber Dwarves, where they used the vast deposits of sulphur and lead in the Tree of Stone to create a devastating weapon. While powerful, the first cannons were expensive to produce and hard to transport, so the majority were used as emplacements in walls and outposts in the Tree of Stone to protect against invading goblins. The Amber Dwarves shared their discoveries with all of Aul-Dwarov yet they kept the craft of making cannons a secret, constantly refining the designs and production methods, eventually producing mobile cannons used to besiege the hobgoblin-occupied hold of Grônstunad in 2394 BA.
In much of the amber found in the Tree of Stone, there lie many different insects, arachnids and plants preserved inside. With every piece of amber being so individually unique, collectors, scientists and jewellers desperately made their way to Ovdal Kanzad to find the rarest species. While the sales propped up much of the local economy of the hold, by the time of the fall of Amldihr, the luxury of buying such amber was deemed much less important. The nobility of Ovdal Kanzad would repurpose these fine pieces of amber, embedding it in weapons, armour and even cannons, turning each into a unique piece of art. Some rumours even say that each species within the amber would imbue the items with unique qualities and give luck to their aim.
The fear of exhausting Ovdal Kanzad’s lead deposits was always close to becoming a reality with the goblin hordes at their gates, leading to many different experiments across the years. The Amber Dwarves invented Hollow-shelled cannonballs that were developed and modified to unique situations - explosive cannonballs could target attacking siege engines while incendiary shot could close off perimeters on battlefields. The meagre attempts of foes to combat their cannons would fail continuously as they constantly adapted techniques to dispatch any enemy creatively and efficiently.
The Amber Dwarf Cannon-Generals were famous across the Dwarovar, sitting atop their great cannons and bellowing orders for when to fire and reload to their artillery companies. Their cannons proved to be invaluable in revolutionising combat against the hordes of monsters that beset them, collapsing ceilings onto their enemies and breaking any defences they would dare to set up. Their voices could reportedly be heard even over the sound of cannon fire.
History[]
Under the Jade Empire[]
Proclamation of the Jade Empire[]
Soon after the fall of Amldihr in 5895 BA, Grônstunad declared itself overlord of Aul-Dwarov and declared the West lost, establishing the Jade Empire in 5887 BA. Outraged at being passed over, many of the holds of the Middle Dwarovar refused to acknowledge the proclamation, and severed ties with Grônstunad. The holds of the Tree of Stone however, tired of the constant warfare, accepted the proclamation and joined the Jade Empire. Gor Ozumbrog and Ovdal Kanzad, the holds of the Segbandal and Jade Empire that were closest to the border, still maintained close ties despite the hostile relations of their overlords.
The First Call for Reclamation[]
In 5702 BA, High King Moilin I of the Jade Empire, on the first day of his rule, issued the “call for reclamation”. He stated that the western holds must be reclaimed by any means necessary, and called for the creation of a reclamation army. It was led by Morri Splitbeard, a noble from Ovdal Kanzad and was to be sent west, marching straight through the Segbandal, to reclaim Hul-Jorkad and Verkal Kozenad. If they were to be denied access by the dwarves of the Segbandal, Moilin stated, those dwarves would be enemies of the Jade Empire.
As the reclamation army arrived at the gates of Gor Ozumbrog and demanded to be given access through the Segbandal, they were rebuffed by their incredulous king. As he had been ordered, Morri Splitbeard began to siege Gor Ozumbrog in 5695 BA, but did not launch any assaults upon their defences since he had many family and clan members within the gates. Unwilling to actually wage war upon them, he kept up the pretence towards the High King that he was actually fighting a war. Gor Ozumbrog, whose western access wasn’t actually blocked off by the half-hearted siege, began to expand its fortifications in response.
As the half-hearted siege of Gor Ozumbrog carried on, Morri Splitbeard grew old and eventually died of old age in 5608 BA. On his orders, his subordinates fired several crossbow bolts into his chest after his death, and delivered his body to Moilin I, claiming that he had fallen in an assault against the impregnable walls of Gor Ozumbrog. Defeated, Moilin I declared the reclamation had failed, and recalled the army.
The Second Call for Reclamation[]
In 5440 BA, High King Dvepnir II called for a renewal of the Call for Reclamation, putting together an army of all of the holds of the Jade Empire. He had decided to lead the forces himself, and to travel over what is in modern times known as the Forbidden Plains rather than through the Segbandal, aiming to reach and reclaim Dûr-Vazhatun. Departing from Grôzumdihr, the Reclamation army travelled through the Phazuélen, and was never heard from again. It is clear that they had failed, but their exact fate is uncertain.
The Third Call for Reclamation[]
In 5002 BA, High King Moilin III declared the third Call for Reclamation, and stated that the holds of the Segbandal would kneel before his army as he moved westward or be destroyed. He began to besiege Gor Ozumbrog in 5000 BA, but its defences much improved since the first siege by Morri Splitbeard. Gor Ozumbrog was able to withstand the assaults with relative ease causing a protracted siege to begin.
An Amber Dwarf general by the name of Thrindul Frozenflame and his retinue defected to the Segbandal, claiming that they should not be fighting their own kin and in 4874 BA, they had attacked the besieging reclamation army in the back, killing High King Moilin III. The rest of the reclamation army scattered, and the siege of Gor Ozumbrog was lifted, with Thrindul and his forces settling down in Gor Ozumbrog.
Amber Independence[]
The Frozenflame Coup[]
With logistical support from the Segbandal, Ordmir Frozenflame organised a coup in Ovdal Kanzad in 4701 BA, ousting the king Tharvid who was loyal to the Jade Empire, causing the Frozenflame clan to return to Ovdal Kanzad, and having the Jade-aligned clans expelled from the hold with Ordmir crowning himself king and declaring independence from the Jade Empire. He did not join the Segbandal, instead entering a treaty of mutual friendship with Gor Ozumbrog: the Copper Road Pact. High King Vorri IV of the Jade Empire decided to not contest this as he was unwilling to enter into another conflict in the west, instead inviting the exiled clans to settle in Grônstunad.
The Pilgrimage of Halanna[]
In Ovdal Kanzad, faith in the old Dwarven Pantheon had been slowly fading, as the gods appeared to have been entirely unable to stop the fall of Aul-Dwarov. Instead, many of the Amber Dwarves took up the Ancestor Worship like many of the western holds they were in contact with. This was widely disliked by the followers of the pantheon, and would result in the bolstering of the cult of Halanna, which was the strongest voice denouncing this “godlessness”. The cultists warned that all this was just a test, and that apostates would not see the restoration of Aul-Dwarov leading to the king of Ovdal Kanzad publicly renouncing his faith in the gods in 3859 BA. This led to the cult of Halanna and many of those who still held onto the gods to leave in protest, deciding to move to Ovdal-az-Ân, where the cult of Halanna had a strong presence. When they arrived, they were welcomed in, strengthening the cult there even further within the hold.
Recovery of the Jade and Citrine Gems[]
Despite the Segbandalic Expedition’s failure to conquer Verkal Kozenad, the defeat of an orc warband led to the miraculous acquisition of the Citrine and Jade Gems of the Dwarovkron. The Jade Gem was sent to Ovdal Kanzad as a sign of friendship at the behest of Gor Ozumbrog, and the Citrine Gem was returned to Seghdihr, where it was placed in the royal treasury for safekeeping.
Chaotic Centuries[]
The Goblintide[]
With Grimka the Despoiler’s Goblintide ravaging the tree of stone, contact with Gor Ozumbrog was lost in 2497 BA. Gor Ozumbrog had begun the Long Watch where the Topaz Dwarves eagerly waited for the goblintide to wane and for a connection to be reestablished, yet only sparse contact was reestablished and never again was the travel between the two holds the same.
The Last Expedition[]
With the fall of Grônstunad in 2419 BA, the Dwarves knew that a lot of survivors were still stuck in Vûrdriz-Ândriz and that it was only a matter of time before its defences failed. In 2396 BA, under the command of king Nori II of Grôzumdihr, a coalition was again formed between Verkal Ozovar, Hul-az-Krakazol, and Grôzumdihr. He also reached out to Ovdal Kanzad and Ovdal-az-Ân, arguing that the Jade Empire is gone with the death of the High King and the fall of Grônstunad, and that this is only about saving Dwarvenkind from further doom. Ovdal Kanzad agreed, and sent a small expeditionary force with cannons to aid in Grônstunad’s reclamation.
The army of the four holds quickly dispatched the much weakened hobgoblins on the surface, and soon laid siege to Grônstunad in 2394 BA. With aid of the cannons from Ovdal Kanzad, the siege was quite successful despite not cutting off the access routes from inside the mountains, and the hobgoblins regularly having to repel attacks and throw up temporary defences as their walls are broken by cannonfire. With the Dwarven attackers mostly situated in the tunnel access towards Grônstunad, the hobgoblins sent reinforcements to their kin on the surface, and they managed to put together an army to lock the dwarven army inside the tunnel. With their supplies cut off, the dwarves abandoned the siege, breaking through the army on the surface, and returned home with their goal unfulfilled.
Siege of Ovdal Kanzad[]
The Bloodscrawl Underkingdom which established itself after the Goblintide had organised a siege of Ovdal Kanzad in 274 BA to gain full control over the western Tree of Stone. The Initial frontal assaults were almost entirely obliterated by cannonfire, soon turning the siege into a drawn-out chokehold, with occasional attempts to dig around the defences of the hold.
Jade Gem Heist[]
Clanboss Dragaz Wild Eye of the Bloodscrawl Underkingdom organised another dig in 198 BA to get around Ovdal Kanzad's defences. And after nearly five years of digging, they breached the hold and by pure chance, their tunnel led them straight into the Amber treasure room. Dragaz relished in his success as he spotted one item put on a pedestal, clearly given more importance than all the gold and silver in the room. With the dwarven guards already coming into the treasure room, having heard the commotion, Dragaz had his goblins grab the Jade Gem of the Dwarovkron and scurried off. After this successful heist, he renamed his clan to Stolen Gem. The clan gained much prestige and power, becoming the most important clan under Bloodscrawl.
Day of Ashen Skies[]
With the Day of Ashen Skies hitting the surface world and the Segbandal, Ovdal Kanzad was virtually unscathed and mostly caused chaos upon the goblin clans of the Tree of Stone. This let Gor Ozumbrog to use the time to find an opening to Ovdal Kanzad on the Copper road, reuniting finally in year 10. However, this was only a brief period as in year 50, the two holds were isolated from each other once again.
Arrival of the Orcs[]
A large orcish warband arrived from the west in 818, shaking up the status quo in the Tree of Stone. They only passed by Ovdal Kanzad as they were heavily dissuaded from a siege against such heavy Amber cannonfire, and moved on to Grôzumdihr.
The Topaz Fall[]
With much chaos in the Segbandal after Empress Jexis had taken power in Bulwar, King Ombrindal az-Fiobmhor gathered an expedition and set out down the Copper Road, to Ovdal Kanzad. Hoping beyond hope, he found the hold intact and met with the ruling king, seeking to create a new alliance, and reclaim the Copper Road from the goblins and orcs of the Tree of Stone. With much success, King Ombrindal returned to Gor Ozumbrog, finding it sacked by the Seg Band brutes for his defiance to Jexis. Not long after, the hold fell to a horde of goblins that came from the Tree of Stone to enact revenge upon Ombrindal, with him staunchly defending the walls so that his people could escape, eventually leading to his heroic death.
The refugees ended up splitting into two groups, one of which made their way towards Verkal Gulan, and the remainder to Ovdal Kanzad. Over the next decade bands of refugees would make their way towards both holds, though in time the flow of refugees would become a trickle, and then dropped, before ceasing altogether by 1167.