Mror Holds role in the Last War? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Mror Holds role in the Last War? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Rechan
12-23-05, 05:52 AM Was Mror Holds involved in combat during the Last War?

I may be playing a dwarven Korranberg reporter in an upcoming game, and I'm trying to come up with a suitable background. Namely, what was he doing during the war?

And since Zilargo was neutral during the war, I suspect that he would have been with someone, and if Mror Holds were involved in the war, that's a possible place to start. The way I see it he would have been a scout moonlighting as a field reporter (or vice versa).

If not with the Dwarven clans, any suggestion as to what company to serve beneath?

Since this has to do with a character, it should be in People and Places, but I thought that since it also asked about the Last War's participants, the post belonged here.
MarkB
12-23-05, 06:58 AM Was Mror Holds involved in combat during the Last War?

I may be playing a dwarven Korranberg reporter in an upcoming game, and I'm trying to come up with a suitable background. Namely, what was he doing during the war?
The Holds were officially a protectorate of Galifar through Karrnath until the Last War, then took the opportunity to secede and become an independent nation. According to the Dwarves of the Mror Holds, Part 1 (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20041101a) Dragonshard:

Through all this, the dwarves remained citizens of the crown of Galifar. The dwarves were patient, and most placed great stock in their word and the honor of their ancestors; the clan lords of the past had sworn an oath to Galifar, and it was not the place of their children to break that vow. Even though Karrnath raised taxes, the wealth of the deep mines far outstripped this tribute. Many of the dwarf lords called for rebellion, but the clans could never come to an agreement, and no single clan wanted to act on its own.

Then came the Last War. The dwarves had sworn an oath to Galifar, but that kingdom no longer existed. Never again would the dwarves submit to the rule of a single king, not even a dwarf. They declared the birth of a new nation, a formal alliance of the clans that would one day rival the kingdom of old: The Mror Holds.
I would guess this separation was relatively peaceful, with maybe some fighting on the Karrnathi border, as Karrnath needed to use most of its military strength elsewhere. They would have likely intended to win against the other Nations first, then reclaim the Mror Holds afterwards.

And since Zilargo was neutral during the war, I suspect that he would have been with someone, and if Mror Holds were involved in the war, that's a possible place to start. The way I see it he would have been a scout moonlighting as a field reporter (or vice versa).

If not with the Dwarven clans, any suggestion as to what company to serve beneath?
As a reporter, he might have got himself assigned to a particular battallion, probably a Brelish one as Zilargo had trade arrangements with Breland, or else he could have joined any one of a wide range of mercenary groups. One idea might be for him to have been assigned to House Deneith, to report upon the House's widespread mercenary operations. That could have taken him to the front lines with mercenary squads, and to city centres untouched by the War such as Sharn, to report on Deneith's administration of their troops.
Lawen
12-23-05, 12:47 PM I agree that Karrnath probably wouldn't have spent a lot of time worrying about the Holds, but don't see the split as being peaceful by any means. I would say that at first, the Karrns did try to get the Holds back, and that they were beaten. I just can't see Kaius giving up a reliable and isolated resource like the Mror Holds. Yeah, the Karrnathi are good fighters, but have you ever tried assaulting a mountain fortress? It isn't easy.

In my Eberron, I'd say that the Mror campaign was one of the biggest blunders Karrnath made in the entire last war. Think the WWII Nazi campaign against Russia. I don't think that the fight needs to be as long, or as bloody, as that particular scrap, but it provides good inspiration. Because Kaius didn't expect much resistance from the fractured Dwarven clans, he didn't send as strong a force as he might have, but he isn't stupid, and so he did send what he thought was an adequate force. I'd even say that, at first, the Karrns had some success in capturing some small outlying towns, and perhaps a city or two. The two problems Kaius had were that he underestimated the will of the dwarven clans, and he underestimated how long it would take to gain an effective foothold.

The Karrns had fought in the snow before, and they were prepared for the onslaught of winter in the Mror Holds. However, the Warlord in command wanted to take one of the major holds to provide a strong base to pass the winter in. The dwarves finally got their act together, and managed to defend the city. As winter got closer and closer, the Karrnathi were forced to lay seige. I see the conflict escalating as the Karrns mount increasingly desperate assaults on the city, in an effort to take it before the real winter blizzards set in. I think a Stalingrad-esque climactic battle, where the Karrnathi are set between a rock and a hard place, is a great way to end the campaign against the dwarves, and kickstart the Mror Holds as a nation. I don't see the Karrns going easily, and the casualties on both sides were probably severe. Simultaneously losing an army and the valuable resources of the Holds could be part of the reason why Kaius struck a deal with Vol.
Psionycx
12-24-05, 12:42 AM The mountainous geography of the Holds was probably a key factor in sustaining their seccession. Even an undead army would find it challenging, and the dwarves had a degree of unity their ancient ancestors did not.

That said I would imagine that the Holds, like Zilargo, had a complicated involvement in the Last War. House Kundarak bankrolled the combatants heavily and now have lots of leverage across Khorvaire in the form of debts owed to them. Dwarven mercenaries probably fought in the war as well.

But overall I would think they mostly took advantage of the fragmentation of the human nation to increase their autonomy. After all, no dwarf had any chance of laying claim to the Galifar throne so why bother? Karrnath was having a rough time of it so it was an ideal chance to asert independence while their traditional sovereign was hard-pressed.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Rechan 12-23-05, 05:52 AM	Was Mror Holds involved in combat during the Last War? I may be playing a dwarven Korranberg reporter in an upcoming game, and I'm trying to come up with a suitable background. Namely, what was he doing during the war? And since Zilargo was neutral during the war, I suspect that he would have been with someone, and if Mror Holds were involved in the war, that's a possible place to start. The way I see it he would have been a scout moonlighting as a field reporter (or vice versa). If not with the Dwarven clans, any suggestion as to what company to serve beneath? Since this has to do with a character, it should be in People and Places, but I thought that since it also asked about the Last War's participants, the post belonged here.
MarkB 12-23-05, 06:58 AM	Was Mror Holds involved in combat during the Last War? I may be playing a dwarven Korranberg reporter in an upcoming game, and I'm trying to come up with a suitable background. Namely, what was he doing during the war? The Holds were officially a protectorate of Galifar through Karrnath until the Last War, then took the opportunity to secede and become an independent nation. According to the Dwarves of the Mror Holds, Part 1 (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20041101a) Dragonshard: Through all this, the dwarves remained citizens of the crown of Galifar. The dwarves were patient, and most placed great stock in their word and the honor of their ancestors; the clan lords of the past had sworn an oath to Galifar, and it was not the place of their children to break that vow. Even though Karrnath raised taxes, the wealth of the deep mines far outstripped this tribute. Many of the dwarf lords called for rebellion, but the clans could never come to an agreement, and no single clan wanted to act on its own. Then came the Last War. The dwarves had sworn an oath to Galifar, but that kingdom no longer existed. Never again would the dwarves submit to the rule of a single king, not even a dwarf. They declared the birth of a new nation, a formal alliance of the clans that would one day rival the kingdom of old: The Mror Holds. I would guess this separation was relatively peaceful, with maybe some fighting on the Karrnathi border, as Karrnath needed to use most of its military strength elsewhere. They would have likely intended to win against the other Nations first, then reclaim the Mror Holds afterwards. And since Zilargo was neutral during the war, I suspect that he would have been with someone, and if Mror Holds were involved in the war, that's a possible place to start. The way I see it he would have been a scout moonlighting as a field reporter (or vice versa). If not with the Dwarven clans, any suggestion as to what company to serve beneath? As a reporter, he might have got himself assigned to a particular battallion, probably a Brelish one as Zilargo had trade arrangements with Breland, or else he could have joined any one of a wide range of mercenary groups. One idea might be for him to have been assigned to House Deneith, to report upon the House's widespread mercenary operations. That could have taken him to the front lines with mercenary squads, and to city centres untouched by the War such as Sharn, to report on Deneith's administration of their troops.
Lawen 12-23-05, 12:47 PM	I agree that Karrnath probably wouldn't have spent a lot of time worrying about the Holds, but don't see the split as being peaceful by any means. I would say that at first, the Karrns did try to get the Holds back, and that they were beaten. I just can't see Kaius giving up a reliable and isolated resource like the Mror Holds. Yeah, the Karrnathi are good fighters, but have you ever tried assaulting a mountain fortress? It isn't easy. In my Eberron, I'd say that the Mror campaign was one of the biggest blunders Karrnath made in the entire last war. Think the WWII Nazi campaign against Russia. I don't think that the fight needs to be as long, or as bloody, as that particular scrap, but it provides good inspiration. Because Kaius didn't expect much resistance from the fractured Dwarven clans, he didn't send as strong a force as he might have, but he isn't stupid, and so he did send what he thought was an adequate force. I'd even say that, at first, the Karrns had some success in capturing some small outlying towns, and perhaps a city or two. The two problems Kaius had were that he underestimated the will of the dwarven clans, and he underestimated how long it would take to gain an effective foothold. The Karrns had fought in the snow before, and they were prepared for the onslaught of winter in the Mror Holds. However, the Warlord in command wanted to take one of the major holds to provide a strong base to pass the winter in. The dwarves finally got their act together, and managed to defend the city. As winter got closer and closer, the Karrnathi were forced to lay seige. I see the conflict escalating as the Karrns mount increasingly desperate assaults on the city, in an effort to take it before the real winter blizzards set in. I think a Stalingrad-esque climactic battle, where the Karrnathi are set between a rock and a hard place, is a great way to end the campaign against the dwarves, and kickstart the Mror Holds as a nation. I don't see the Karrns going easily, and the casualties on both sides were probably severe. Simultaneously losing an army and the valuable resources of the Holds could be part of the reason why Kaius struck a deal with Vol.
Psionycx 12-24-05, 12:42 AM	The mountainous geography of the Holds was probably a key factor in sustaining their seccession. Even an undead army would find it challenging, and the dwarves had a degree of unity their ancient ancestors did not. That said I would imagine that the Holds, like Zilargo, had a complicated involvement in the Last War. House Kundarak bankrolled the combatants heavily and now have lots of leverage across Khorvaire in the form of debts owed to them. Dwarven mercenaries probably fought in the war as well. But overall I would think they mostly took advantage of the fragmentation of the human nation to increase their autonomy. After all, no dwarf had any chance of laying claim to the Galifar throne so why bother? Karrnath was having a rough time of it so it was an ideal chance to asert independence while their traditional sovereign was hard-pressed.