Yirandastron Tor

Yirandastron Tor, the Fire Mountain, has always stood watching over the lake, and always will. Ruled by the ancient draconic house of Astron, the Fire Mountain has served for millennia as the guardian of the Vale, protecting the northern border of Rivian from whatever is within or beyond the mountains. It is said, in antiquity, before Rivian even existed, Yirandastron Tor existed under a different name, a name now long lost, as a dwarven fortress that commanded the lake, and the lands around and within the Visigean range.

The dwarves here were rich and prosperous, and carved out the mountain to grand proportions, as well as many labyrinthine mines deep, deep below the mountain. The area around the vale is known to be rich in precious minerals, with deposits of precious tin, copper, gold and mithril under the mountain and throughout the eastern mountains, and from these the dwarves in the bastion became very wealthy and powerful.

This wealth and power attracted the attention of envious eyes, and about the time when Ricarin and Rivian were building the twin cities-over-the-river, a blue dragon clan, whose names were long forgotten, invaded the mountain. Through surprise and superior firepower, they overpowered the dwarven rulers, and took the mountain for themselves. The battle for the mountain bastion lasted seven whole days, where many died, and when all hope was lost, the dwarves collapsed the mines deep below that bore their riches, sealing two of the dragon clan inside. Outraged that the dwarven gold was now out of their reach, the dragons slaughtered every single dwarf that still remained in the mountain, and took it as their own.

This clan now ruled this mountain and the lands it commanded, and reigned with terrible tyranny over the humans and other races that settled the vale. So it was for many thousands of years, past the age of fire, through the age of dragonkind, until they bordered the burgeoning Kingdom of Rivian. To them, the dragons were just called the blue ones, and their lair the Misty Tor. Rivian, a bastion of freedom and prosperity, attracted attention from the clan, and their northern border became subject to constant raids. The Rivenians tolerated this for some years, until finally, one raid overstepped the boundaries, and a blue dragon of their clan was brought down in Carelyn, the capital of Carolinium, after causing much death and devastation in the city. His raiding party made away with some treasures, but were ultimately unsuccessful.

This was too far for the King, and he ordered his most faithful general, a bronze dragon by the name of Astazir, house of Astron, to raise an army, and capture the mountain. In return, he would be granted principality over the northern half of the vale, with his own province to rule. So, ever faithful, Astazir raised an army six legions strong, with an accompanying auxiliary force of twenty dragons. With this overwhelming power, the forces borne by the Misty Tor were no match against General Astron and his Rivenian army, and the duchy was captured in two weeks of fierce fighting.

As promised to his general, the monarch granted him the mountain fortress from which to keep the peace forever more, naming the surrounding province Arkilinium, and his throne Yirandastron Tor. The Fire Mountain.

The House of Astron has reigned ever since in the Fire Mountain, swearing an oath to eternally protect Rivian's border to the northern mountains. They have kept that promise, through rise and fall, from when Rivian controlled half a continent, even to times of civil war. The Lord Astron has always turned his back on conflict within Rivian, minding only his own ream, and remains always watching north, guarding whichever new King that ascended to the Rivenian throne.