Queen Kima

Queen Kima (alternatively referred to as Queen Kim) was an ancient dwarven monarch who ruled from the mountain stronghold of Axeholm during the historic era of the Pact of Phandelver, roughly a millennium ago. Known as a sovereign of stubborn pride, a deep love for finely crafted warhammers, and immense generosity, she is remembered in her later years as an old dwarf queen with a kind, smiling face, wrinkles lining her cheeks, and a crown upon her head.

The Tripartite Accord

During the golden age of the Pact of Phandelver, Queen Kima was instrumental in shaping regional history. When the human King Phandelver II led settlers into the Neverwinter Wood, it was Queen Kima who brokered the first leg of the alliance. This tripartite accord was subsequently completed with Archmage Larellion, the steward of the Hand of Sehanine. Under her rule, the dwarves of Axeholm contributed their peerless granite-carving skills and forge-craft to the alliance, creating blades that could cut through spells and spirits, and ultimately helping construct the legendary Forge of Spells.

During this era, the celestial heavens of the Age of Arcanum bore witness to the alliance’s greatness. The stars rearranged themselves into three prominent constellations representing the Pact: a hand with long, delicate fingers representing the Hand of Sehanine, a great castle representing Highthorn, and a large hammer bedecked in jewels across its handle and head representing Axeholm and Queen Kima’s domain.

Betrayal and Death

Despite her stubborn reputation, Queen Kima possessed a generous spirit, showing immense kindness to Vyldara Sehahine when the young elven emissary arrived at Axeholm from the Hand of Sehanine. However, Vyldara—driven by a bitter, ambitious desire to surpass her sister Agatha and impress her father, Larellion—repaid this hospitality with treason. Vyldara fomented civil unrest among the dwarven clans and secretly poisoned Queen Kima. Rather than granting her a swift end, Vyldara brewed a slow, lingering poison designed to inflict a memorable, echoing suffering, ensuring her name would be whispered in dread.

Legacy and Fall of Axeholm

Queen Kima’s agonizing death threw the mountain stronghold into chaos. Although Vyldara was caught by the royal guard to face trial, she resisted and attempted a desperate escape. In the struggle, she slew six of her guards, staining the stone halls with their blood before she was ultimately cut down. Denied redemption and abandoned by her father and goddess, Vyldara rose as a banshee whose cursed wails turned the remaining residents into undead and forced the surviving dwarves to abandon Axeholm. Queen Kima’s demise became the first major crack that led to the eventual, tragic collapse of the Pact of Phandelver.

Centuries later, the legacy of her people remains bound to the ruins of Wave Echo Cave; activating Gond’s Smelter—originally created by Gond, the legendary master blacksmith of the Age of Arcanum—requires the “Mettle of the Dwarves,” a testament to the enduring craftsmanship and spirit of Queen Kima’s lost kingdom.