npc

High King Durnar The Iron Willed

High King Durnar the Iron-Willed

CR 18

Medium humanoid (dwarf), Lawful Neutral

Reveal Stat Block

Armor Class

22 (Runic Plate and Shield)

Hit Points

290 (20d8 + 200)

Speed

25 ft.

str

dex

con

+10

int

wis

cha

Saving Throws STR +13, CON +16, WIS +11, CHA +10

Skills Athletics +13, History +8, Insight +11, Persuasion +10

Damage Resistances Poison, Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Damage Immunities Petrified

Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15

Languages Common, Dwarvish

Stone-Flesh Disease.Durnar's flesh is partially turned to stone. He has resistance to nonmagical damage (included) and advantage on saving throws against being petrified or paralyzed.

Runic Counter-Resonance.Durnar and allies within 30 feet have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day).If Durnar fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Actions

Multiattack.Durnar makes three attacks with the Axe of Dal-Dur.

Axe of Dal-Dur.Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d10 + 7) slashing damage plus 13 (3d8) force damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 21 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Shield of the People (Recharge 5-6).Durnar slams his shield, creating a shockwave. Each enemy within 30 feet must succeed on a DC 21 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone and restrained by spectral chains until the end of Durnar's next turn.

Legendary Actions

Strike.Durnar makes one Axe of Dal-Dur attack.

Command.Durnar targets one ally he can see within 30 feet. The target can use its reaction to make one weapon attack or move up to its speed.

Runic Surge (Costs 2 Actions).Durnar activates a rune on his armor. He gains 40 temporary hit points and resistance to all damage until the start of his next turn.

High King Durnar the Iron-Willed

High King Durnar the Iron-Willed was a legendary dwarven ruler who ascended to the throne in the chaotic aftermath of the Age of Ruin. Born into a fragmented society of surviving clans, Durnar recognized that the scattered dwarven holds in the Southwestern Continent could not withstand the creeping corruption of the Mana Wastes on their own. Through a brutal, decades-long campaign of unification, he forged the disparate clans into the unified kingdom of Dal-Dur. His reign was characterized by an unyielding pragmatism; he famously ordered the execution of his own brother for dealing in corrupted Aether, cementing his reputation as a leader who placed the survival of his people above all else, including family.

The defining achievement of Durnar's rule was the commissioning of the Great Anchor-Stones in 12 AW. Recognizing that the magical "backwash" from the Mana Wastes threatened to mutate the flora and fauna of Dal-Dur, he gathered the greatest runesmiths of his era. Together, they engineered massive, subterranean monoliths designed to emit a counter-resonance that neutralized chaotic magic. The construction of these wards cost thousands of dwarven lives due to cave-ins and raw magic exposure, a toll Durnar bore with stoic grimness, insisting that the blood of the present was the shield of the future.

Though he is revered today as a savior and the architect of dwarven resilience, historical records suggest Durnar suffered deeply in his final years. The prolonged exposure to the early, unstable Aether used in the Anchor-Stones afflicted him with a crystallization disease that slowly turned his flesh to stone. He ruled from a specialized, steam-vented throne until his death, refusing to yield power until the final ward was placed. His legacy is one of absolute sacrifice, and his name is still invoked by dwarven commanders when ordering their troops to hold the line against impossible odds.