Snorri Whitebeard was the eldest son of Grungni and Valaya, and the first High King of the Dwarfs after the departure of the Ancestor Gods.[4a][4b] It was he who forged the alliance with the Elves, and even fought alongside them against the beasts of the dark powers that assailed the lands at that time.[7a]
History[]
In year -4421 IC, the 102nd one after Valaya's blessing of Karaz-a-Karak's pillars, Grungni made the Throne of Power and gifted it to his eldest son, Snorri Whitebeard. 302 years later, bereft of their Ancestor Gods for the first time, the Dwarfs named Snorri Whitebeard as their High King. Joining forces with Malekith of the Elves, Snorri led the Dwarfs as they hunted down and destroyed the last Chaos armies that threatened the Old World.[1b][3a][4b] There are tales of them saving each other's lives on several occassions, as they and their hosts confronted the evil things of this world and set about building the empires of their people.[7a] Afterwards, trade flourished with the Elves and the Dwarfs, growing ever richer, founded many new strongholds, with Malekith and Snorri becoming fast friends.[1b][3a][4b]
In -2839 IC, the High Elf Phoenix King Bel Shanaar visited the Dwarf capital stronghold of Karaz-a-Karak, where he was made welcome by the aged but venerable Snorri Whitebeard.[1b][3a][4b] According to the hold's Book of Honour, during the visit of the Phoenix King, Bel-Shanaar presented the High King with a single casket of Ellyrion wine, a vintage so rich and precious that the cost of a single glass would bankrupt the average Elf lord. The Dwarf King, keen to show his appreciation, stove in the barrel lid with his axe and guzzled the whole lot in one go, wiping the copious spillage with his beard as his fellow Dwarfs cheered loudly. Quite what the delicate Elven courtiers made of this performance is not recorded. It can only be imagined what the Elf king thought of the dozen barrels of Gutstrangle's Owd Nasty Dwarf Ale and two gallon Dwarf souvenir tankard that he received in return.[1a]
Nevertheless, the two great kings swore an oath of friendship, and Malekith remained in Karaz-a-Karak as his king's ambassador.[1b][3a][4b] It's likely that it was during this period that the Elves decorated the ceiling of the Great Hall of the High King in Karaz-a-Karak with a planetarium of sapphires and diamonds, though no Dwarf will ever speak of this nowadays.[2a] For a while Elves and Dwarfs prospered, until the Elves were drawn back to Ulthuan where civil strife was tearing their land apart.[1b][3a][4b]
The oldest Dwarf tales, never spoken of now, say that Malekith and Snorri were not just comrades in battle and representatives of their people, but were as close to friends as any two individuals of these two very different races could ever be. It is said that Snorri gifted Malekith with a great many things. Among them were a silver-chased horn of a mountain ox almost as long as the king was tall; and a bridle for Malekith's steeds gilded and inlaid with a hundred polished gemstones. For his part, Malekith pledged his undying support to Snorri, and also gave such gifts as would now be beyond price and avarice. A cloak of fur taken from the fabled white lions of Ulthuan was amongst these, as was an ithilmar drinking goblet that Snorri was to use in favour of a dwarfen tankard until the day he died.[7a]
After a long a prosperous reign as High King, Snorri Whitebeard died at Karaz-a-Karak, in the company of only his closest friend, the ambassador Malekith, surrounded by tapestries depicting the battles the two fought together.[6a] He was buried in his tomb, inside a runic casket that was, on Snorri's instructions, carved with dire runes of vengeance and grudge-bearing by the most powerful Runelords in the hold. He was succeeded as High King by his son, Throndik Snorrisson.[6b]
Relationship with the White Dwarf[]
"Let it be known to our allies and our enemies, that the death is not the end of my guardianship. Vengeance shall be mine. When our foes are great, I shall return to my people. When the foul creatures of this world bay at the doors to Karaz-a-Karak, I shall take up my axe once more, and my ire shall rock the mountains. Heed my words, Malekith of Ulthuan, and heed them well. Great have been our deeds, and great is the legacy that I leave to you, my closest confidant, my finest comrade in arms. Swear to me now, as my dying breath fills my lungs, that my oath has been heard. Swear to it on my own grave, on my spirit, that you shall remain true to the ideals we have both striven for these many years. And know this, that there is nothing so foul as an oath breaker."
- —Snorri Whitebeard last words on his deathbed.[6a]
Shortly before his death, Snorri Whitebeard swore that he would return to aid his people during their time of greatest need. He also had Malekith make an oath upon his deathbed to keep to their legacy.[6a] Perhaps because of this oath and the eventual betrayal of the Elves, there are rumours that the mysterious White Dwarf is actually Snorri Whitebeard. If this were true, it would mean the White Dwarf is truly an ancestor that somehow managed to transcend the limits of mortality...[6c]