Orim

The rhythmic ping of hammer on steel reverberates as a roaring forge casts out ominous shadows along cavern walls. Sweat and brimstone stain a furrowed brow as two maddened orbs remain fixated upon the flames. The smith inhales deeply. Spurred on by the acrid fumes, his pupils dilate as he strikes twice as hard, twice as fast. In the darkness, it is impossible to tell how much time has passed when he finally holds his creation to the light. He regards it closely before breaking into a jagged smile, his deranged laughter echoing deep through the pitch-black halls. From a young age, Orim, or The Volcanic Anvil as he'd come to be known, showed incredible skill for smithery while working in his grandfather's forge inside a dwarven volcano. Orim's own father was killed in battle from a blow that shattered his armor, after which his grandfather swore his people would never again fall victim to faulty craftsmanship. As the pair worked tirelessly in the forge, Orim's grandfather would inhale the fumes deeply and feverishly recount the "golden age" of the dwarves, when they possessed such skill that even the gods were envious of. If Orim was lucky enough, his grandfather would show him ancient instructional scrolls he'd collected, relics from the lost Dwarven city of Mechapolis, in addition to letting him hold his prized hammer and shield. Orim's grandfather eventually died, poisoned by the fumes of his own forge, leaving Orim to carry on his work. Using the ancient scrolls left to him, he developed a superior alloy. When he presented it to his elders, they did not trust the material, believing him as crazed as his grandfather. Wanting to prove himself, he defied his superiors by outfitting a small band of dwarves with armor made from the alloy before hunting a group of vampires. Not a single dwarf was harmed. Despite his success, the elders confiscated all of Orim's tools and scrolls, sentencing him to a month in a dark holding cell. Furious, Orim eventually returned to his forge, inhaling fumes from the fire and building his rage. He stormed into the vault where his materials were being kept, stealing back the scrolls in addition to his grandfather's hammer and shield. As a contingent of guards attempted to stop him, he brutally dispatched them all, no doubt maddened by the forge fumes. Today there are whispers that Orim The Volcanic Anvil eventually found the lost city of Mechapolis and used his grandfather's scrolls to gain entry. It is even rumored that the Hammer of Hell, Aizhkor sought Orim out and commissioned him to craft protection for an army of demons. Those who've dared to venture into Mechapolis swear they can hear the ringing of hammer on steel, followed by incessant, maddened laughter.