In a long forgotten Age, there was a Dwarf known as Thirvar. The legend says that Thirvar was an unparalleled warrior who was recruited by the Dwarf King of that Age to serve as a bodyguard to the Dwarf King’s children. One of these children, a daughter named Gaela, was famed as an excellent diplomat and negotiator who frequently traveled the land to seek allies, flummox potential foes, and resolve conflicts between Dwarven clans.

Thirvar, over many years traveling with Gaela and protecting her from every manner of threat, fell in love with the Dwarven woman and proposed marriage to her. She agreed to the arrangement, but before the two could be married Gaela was needed to negotiate a peace between two now-forgotten Dwarf clans before their feud reached the point of violence in the streets.

Despite her skill, one of the clans had a demand that shook Gaela and Thirvar both. In order to balance the perceived imbalance of power, the clan wished to forge closer ties to the Dwarf King and his family and thus wanted Gaela to marry into the clan. Her protests to the Dwarf King were futile. As much as the Dwarf King loved his daughter and approved of her marriage to Thirvar, the needs of his entire kingdom was more important than their happiness.

Gaela married into the clan. And Thirvar continued to serve as her bodyguard, honor intact, for many years. But the two feuding clans continued to spar for that same time, albeit largely with words or mercantile efforts than axe and flame. The spark that blew the rivalry into violence has been lost to time. Even the legends of Thirvar and Gaela have little detail on this account. Gaela was assassinated by agents of the rival clan, aided by a traitor within her new clan who managed to keep Thirvar away long enough for the assassins to strike.

Thirvar went mad with grief. And with his madness came incredible power and uncontrollable violence. Both clans were subject to the terrible fury of a man who had just lost the love of his life. The rival clan was punished for sending the instruments of her death. The clan Gaela married into was punished for getting her so centrally involved in their feud and then failing to do enough to protect her. Dozens of clan members on either were butchered in his unchecked fury. Soon, members of both clans were terrified for their lives, homes, and businesses. They fearfully begged the Dwarf King to save them, but the King’s ears were deaf to the pleas of those who had killed his daughter.

Thirvar’s rampage was only halted when both clans combined their remaining forces and sent a full 50 veteran warriors to stop him. None of those warriors survived their fight with Thirvar. However, they did manage to succeed in their mission of stopping him. Thirvar died of his wounds shortly after his victory. Both clans were shattered and broken. The final insult to their pride an honor came when the Dwarf King ordered his personal guard to collect Thirvar’s body and bury him in the royal crypt with full honors. The Dwarf King said that Thirvar should have been with Gaela in life, but at least now they could be together in death.

Thirvar’s axe was supposed to be buried with him, but was never found. Over the Ages it has resurfaced again and again, even reclaimed by the Dwarf King and returned to rest with Thirvar, but it still manages to be lost again. Some Dwarven scholars speculate that the need to protect loved ones, and avenge any of the wrongs done to them, is embedded so strongly into the magic of the axe that it finds its way out into the world again so it can be put into the hands of those who need it.