Baltanzir

Ancient map of Baltanzir's surface city (Baltanzir-sa), ca. 1070s VR.

Baltanzir, The Silver Cistern, was an ancient dwarven underground and surface city, known as Baltanzir-sa, which existed from prehistory to sometime between 1320 and 1340 VR, when a protracted war in the Underdark between the drow of the Southern Enclave and the Guleikin illithid likely broke into Silverborn Territory (where Baltanzir was located). Not much is known about the events afterward, though Storybearer reports from an excursion in 1344 VR indicated that the illithid killed and removed the brains of all the dwarves of the city.

Etymology and pronunciation

Baltanzir is an Old Dwarvish word, containing the runes BL TN ZR, which translate loosely to "Birth of the Silver Clan." The Middle Dwarvish runes are BalTanZir.

History

Dwarven runescript and skaldsong describes the prehistory of Baltanzir with some exaggeration; it is sung in Ferdurg's Epic of Stonebirth that the Silverborn clan was born from droplets of the veins of silver nearest the Blood Cauldron, a large deposit of magma far beneath the surface of Akhentour. The silver there melted and the drops that hit the earth became Galdru and Firlen Silverborn as well as their three children, Orhreg, Zeldir, and Kazarin.

From that day onward, the Silverborn clan mined the veins of silver out of the earth, which became the 101 original members of the clan. They eventually broke up into the Underdark, where they established the the City of Silver, Baltanzir.

Later, at some point near the beginning of the Bronze Age, the city constructed Baltanzir-sa, a surface city meant for surface exploration and to establish trade with the Diomedean wood elves.

The War of the Blood Trees

Several circumstances between the dwarves and the elves resulted in a war between the two species, the War of the Blood Trees, which began with a large dwarven battalion from Baltanzir marching upon Diomed in 1032 VR. The siege began a long, devastating war for independence by the dwarves, who had been under the thumb of the elves for centuries. The war lasted for 30 years and many dwarven surface cities were besieged, as were a handful of Underdark cities, such as Baltanzir. In the end, the war ended after a seven year stalemate, with the Treaty of Baltanzir giving dwarves the freedom they desired.

Post-War

Not much is known about Baltanzir after the war. The majority of silver that circulates in Dorian was mined and minted in the city, and it's likely that the dwarves sought simplicity and peace following the war, resulting in fewer historically significant incidents occurring there. The city is thought to have existed until the excursion of 1344 VR discovered that the underground city was full of the skeletons of dwarves, their skulls sliced open. An investigation and subsequent report by Storybearers indicated that the dwarves were likely killed by the Gulekin illithid, presumably during the war raging between them and the drow of the Southern Enclave.

The dwarves of Baltanzir-sa, believing their underground city to be cursed, left the surface city, which remained as ruins for roughly 200 years before much of the stone was broken down and transported across the river to fortify the town of Lilingbroke.

Now, the site where Baltanzir-sa once sat contains the outer barracks and wall of the Kreven Mines, which began operation roughly 500 years ago but was purchased 3774 VR by Oswald Kreven, a human entrepreneur who refused to believe that the underground site was cursed. Kreven was killed in 3779 by a cave in in the mines, but the operation has continued to this day through descendants of his family, all of whom have passed away in strange ways, usually due to an accident or event involving stone, metal, or earth.