A dwarven hold cut from the rock of a deep vale in the Dawnforge Mountains, Hammerfast is the largest and wealthiest town in the region. The Trade Road runs through the citadel gates and continues eastward beyond the Dawnforge Mountains. Hammerfast is governed by a council of masters, each the leaders of one of the town's powerful guilds. The current High Master is the leader of the merchant guild, a dwarf named Marsinda Goldspinner. The dwarves of Hammerfast look to their own first and don't give away anything for free, but they are honest and industrious.
Within the city walls the attitude could best be described as militaristic. Hammerfast is, after all, a stronghold. Gardusk is just on the other side of the mountain range and malcontents from Dragomir have a habit of showing-up outside the city walls. Strangers are looked upon with suspicion, even if they're dwarves. But, the inhabitants of Hammerfast are quick to warm-up to anyone with loose coin and expensive tastes. Haggling within Hammerfast is perhaps the most brutal and refined you find on all of Atroa. The dwarves are stalwart on their prices and visiting merchants often find their dwarven customer extremely frugal. A difficult sell, to be sure. Dwarves make up the vast majority of Hammerfast's permanent residency. A few earth genasi and even fewer goliaths also make Hammerfast their permanent home. Humans come and go, but never stay long. Elves and eladrin make their visits as short as possible.
Hammerfast is currently on good terms with Fallcrest, though the two settlements have had a tumultuous past relationship. Dwarves from the mountain citadel often travel to the river settlement to sell their goods and, occasionally, their stone-working services. Renegade dwarves, though few, tend to pass through Fallcrest on their way further west or south. These unscrupulous few make their living off of the pain of others and usually team-up with road bandits or do work for less-than-savory sorts.
Recently, the discovery of a rich vein of ore had Hammerfast in a dwarven mining frenzy. They dug deeper and deeper into the mountains, pulling the ore from the stone. However, they uncovered something dark in the depths of the Dawnforge. Mining teams have gone missing without a trace and of the three squads of soldiers Marsinda has sent into the mines, none have returned. That section of the mine has since been sealed-off, but High Master Goldspinner is looking for adventurers brave enough to uncover the mystery of the missing miners. She is anxious to resume excavation of the valuable ore.
