Egrentek Clan

The Egrentek Clan is a clan of Dwarves renowned for their silver mining.

Underneath what is now the human province of Talador, they built the city of Zul Zybrano, the location of one of the largest coin mints in modern day Elanthia.

Involvement with the Kingdom of Hendor

The human Kingdom of Hendor was founded in 4288. King Thurbon I of Hendor was wary of the impending conflict with the other local human rulers, and he made good use of the influx of skilled dwarves. He paid them well and fortified the city's defenses considerably as a result. For years to follow, the local dwarven artisans managed to profit and keep their business interests safe, mostly by keeping Hendor's soldiers in the finest of weapons and armor, as Thurbon warred with neighboring Human provinces.

The Egrentek Clan and the Parkshnuum Clan dwarves, with other clans lending aid, built Doggoroth Keep in 4519. Doggoroth Keep was a source of great pride to the dwarves, who prior to this did not build such immense fortifications above ground. They were accustomed to moving about, and keeping their buildings simple. The Keep served the dual purpose of a trade location deep underneath the fortifications, as well as a watchtower for invading evil beasts. Doggoroth Keep was in the area of the major local silver and iron mines, and only a short journey from modern day Talador, and some of the smaller Human communities within Hendor's province. The Keep held strong for 60 years until it was overrun by orcs.

Conflict with Jantalar

Hendor was annexed by the Turamzzyrian Empire following the events of the Witch Winter of 4628.

Circa 5090, Baron Lerep Hochstib of Jantalar took over Talador and the local mines, at one point enslaving dwarven miners as well as blocking trade with Vornavis. In a show of power, Hochstib destroyed part of a mine in 5094, killing hundreds of miner dwarves trapped within. Embittered Parkshnuum Clan dwarves destroyed the rest of the Talador mine shortly thereafter. The other clan leaders made no official statement against this retaliatory attack, as it is well known that dwarves do not take well to any type of slavery. Those Egrentek dwarves that escaped Hochstib's attack participated in this raid as well. It was the boldest attack in a hundred years of minor skirmishes with Jantalar soldiers, and it saw the greatest amount of casualties, as the mine was well guarded by Hochstib's soldiers. However, with the mine destroyed and both sides suffering loss, the conflict was deemed futile to pursue. The Toktrog Clan located an alternative trade route to Solhaven Bay via the frontier town of Wehnimer's Landing and assisted the Vornavis Humans in building a trade route around the blockade set up by Hochstib. This was completed in 5098.

As part of the Cross Into Shadows storyline, adventurers were able to visit the ruins of the old dwarven mine in Talador. Undead spirits lingered in the area, including red-eyed dwarven miners and ethereal dwarven sappers, presumed to be former Egrentek dwarves.

Peridot talismans

Dwarves are not generally a superstitious people, but they treat peridot with great respect. For centuries, beloved tradition among the Egrentek clan held that carrying a piece of peridot would protect against mine disasters, and no Egrentek dwarf would go into the mines without a piece of peridot any more than he would go into the mines without his pickaxe—and, indeed, other clans of dwarves mused that the Egrentek seemed particularly blessed in safety beneath the earth. Among the Egrentek, a peridot stone was a traditional gift from a parent to a child upon the occasion of the child's first mining trip. When Baron Hochstib destroyed part of a mine of Talador, however, hundreds of miner dwarves were trapped and killed in the collapse, and the supposed charm of the peridot stone was dismissed in the dwarven grief.

Today, a dwarf who carries or wears a peridot stone normally does so because the stones are talismans to remember the dead dwarves of Talador. These dwarves are often suspicious of human intentions and hostile toward non-dwarves.