In the time of the Second Wurgyn-Noroughen War, our brethren the Chakrandrum were sorely pressed by the forces of darkness, led by a fearsome general of the Ungoulid - a monster called Mulordrun.  This creature was said to be protected by the dark gods so that no axe nor bolt could pierce his accursed hide.  We khordaldrum sent what aid we could, but our kingdom was also beset by foes, so unlike in the First Wurgyn-Noroughen War, we could offer few troops to assist in the defense.  

 

In the Warrens of Caelbo at that time lived the Quartzhearts – a proud, respected, if not particularly affluent family.  Like all good families, there were four children – three males and one female.  

 

The oldest brother, Dolgan, was a warrior, but this is not his tale.  The sister, Tilda, is recorded in name only.  But the two younger brothers, Uldin and Hilgan, they touched history, and are the focus of this chronicle.

 

Uldin was a smith, and a talented one at that.  Indeed, by his ninetieth birthday, he had already gained such a reputation that he had surpassed any Quartzheart smith ever known. Truth be told, Uldin was perhaps the greatest smith of his generation; indeed, he was likely the greatest smith that Kharolis had seen in several hundred years.  

 

Hilgan, on the other hand, was a Khun-khar, a Runemaster of no small repute.  It is spoken that he knew many runes, especially for a Runemaster of his age.  That he had a thirst for knowledge, but not in a self-serving manner; Hilgan had a great love for his people, and all of the knowledge he sought, all of the runes that he mastered, were done so to improve the lives of the khordaldrum.

 

In short, these brothers were well respected, valued khords.  

 

When the war came, the brothers – who had spent much time in Charadun – were moved by the plight of our cousins the Chakrandrum.  But how could they, a mere two khords – and not even warriors at that – help the chaks?

 

After much consideration, research, and dreaming, they decided to design a weapon.  A special weapon, one that could command lightning and thus break the protection of the feared Mulordrun.  

 

And so, Uldin created a unique great hammer, a maul of the finest steel, which was then covered in runes of power and battle by Hilgan.  The brothers enlisted the aid of the great Azmae Argafal, a sorceress of the likes we have not seen since.  She laid special enchantments upon the maul, imbuing it with even more might.  But the hammer simply could not contain such power; the magics would drain away.  They discovered that the weapon required a power source to focus and channel the mystical energy – it required a soul.

 

Azmae created a special gem to hold the soul of a khord, and to thus power the great weapon.  Uldin mounted the gem in the handle of the weapon, where it would not be accidentally damaged in battle.  Hilgan bound the gem to the hammer with more runes.  

 

But the weapon was still not complete.  Where would they find a soul to empower it?

 

Meanwhile, the Chakrandrum fought and died, slowly losing their war.  Kharolis itself was threatened, and the vallakarl was forced to make the difficult decision that the magical portal that connected our two kingdoms must be destroyed, lest the khordaldrum be invaded and perish as well.

 

Desperate, believing that they could still save the Chakrandrum, the brothers made an awful choice.  Uldin laid down his life so that his own soul could be bound inside the gem.  The hammer leapt to life, and his brother Hilgan took it up and stepped through the portal... never to be seen again.

 

The last refugees who came through the portal before it was destroyed shared tales of a khordaldrum warrior wielding a great crackling hammer, standing against the hordes of enemies, buying time for their kin to flee while he struck telling blow after blow.  Some claim that he slew the monstrous general.  Others claimed that he fell in battle, or that he perished in a cave-in as the great hall of the chaks collapsed during that final desperate battle

 

In any case, both Hilgan Quartzheart and Umùrad Egrond itself were lost to history when Charadun fell and the Chakrandrum were exterminated.  No report of the legendary magical weapon has even been shared since that awful day.