Valabar

Valabar was a great dwarven city and the capital of the Bardulur Dwarven State in Northwest Faerun. It was the historic rival to the Netherian Elven Empire with its capital Silvermoon.

Valabar was founded somewhere in the 8th century DR, with humble beginnings as a mining outpost. Over the centuries it grew out to a vast city dug into the Spine of the World mountain range, tunneling from its lush south side to its frozen north side.

During the orc invasion of the 14th century, Valabar was besieged for months by the invaders. Nearing defeat, the city was suddenly enclosed by a inpenetrable energy barrier that lasts to this day. This enclosure has made the city legendary throughout the entirety of Faerun, and it is considered a holy sites for dwarves, who periodically launch pelgrimages or crusades to the city.

Close to the closed southern entrance to the city, the dwarven city of Mirabar was founded not long after the orc invasion waned.

Cultural implications
The inpenetrable enclosure around Valabar has become legendary throughout Faerun, especially within the wizardry and scholarly circles, and the dwarven populations of the continent. Many have had their hubris curbed over the centuries as they tried to break the enclosure and failed.

Like other dwarven cities, the city name had the suffix -bar, which roughly translated to 'city'. Valabar thus roughly translated to 'the great [dwarven] city'.

With the legend around the city emerging, the prefix 'vala-' became associated with greatness or enigmatic in the common tongue. It is curious that the Valator family of Baldur's Gate used this prefix and spawned Edmund Valator, who became the great conquerer of Northwest Faerun in the late 15th century DR.

The enclosure of the city, and the survival of several last communication transcripts between Arin Wittensteen, the Silver King of Valabar, and Lathandar, the greatking of the Netherin, has given rise to the dwarven belief that a descendant of the Wittensteen royal family will one day break the enclosure around the tombed city and that it will once again become a haven for all dwarfkind.