The War of the Three Hammers was a civil war fought for the succession to the throne of Khaz Modan.
Prologue[]
In the years leading to the war, tensions had arisen amongst the dwarven clans of Khaz Modan.
Colonization of the northern Wetlands had been completed during the reign of Gamlen Ironforge as High King of Khaz Modan. Gamlen's most trusted general, Corrigan Foehammer, assembled an aerial army to defeat Garshilan, the red dragonlord who had been ruling his kindred in the eastern highlands. Corrigan slain Grashilan in 1,172 b. O. and was granted a clanhold on the site of the battle, Grim Batol (Fall's Peak). Not long after, in 1,170 b. O., Gamlen suffered major injuries during a terrorist attack on board an airship. Corrigan, serving as Keeper of the Forge, was left in charge of the kingdom while the king laid in a coma. The Senate attemted to seize the regency, but Corrigan took the senators to trial. The Trial of Corrigan before the Grand Session resolved that Corrigan was "not acting as the king's deputy, but in his stead", merely carrying out his will until his recovery; the Senate, on the other hand, was only responsible for between-kings regencies. Corrigan was preparing to pass the regency to Gamlen's son, Cyrik, when the king woke up. The Keeper then retired from political life.
Corrigan's Grim Batol clanhold would pass down to his son-in-low Baelog Wildhammer as dowry, while his son Bolgaff would continue to rule from his capital in Kirthaven. But Bolgaff died while his son Kurdrum was still underage, so Baelog became his guardian. Not long passed before Kurdrum bent the knee and asked the king to grant Baelog his title as Warden of the Highlands.
Differences where beginning to arise between the highland dwarves (hill dwarves or wild dwarves) and the dwarves from Dun Morogh (mountain dwarves). While the Wildhammers where pushing for an open foreign policy and cultural integration agenda, the mountaing clans where mor conservative. Since Corrigan's demise as Keeer, actual power had resided in the King's Keys, a council of ministers, which was responsible to the Senate, which in turn was controlled by these conservative clans. Their leader traditionally was the thane of Bronzebeard Clan.
Another faction took hold in the Senate, a radicalized nationalist faction led by the Dark Iron Clan. One of their goals was to get out of the International Agreement on the Responsible Use of Magical Abilities, aswell as other international pacts on Rights of Civilization. Thargas Dark Iron was their leader. Thargas used sorcery to cause Cyrik's wife to miscarry, and through poisoning, assasinated Cyrik himself. Sigrun abdicated in grief in 1,009 b. O., dying a year later,