When Flint Fireforge becomes the reluctant king of the gully dwarves, he learns the true meaning of heroism and leadership

Flint Fireforge, paternal dwarven member of the Heroes of the Lance, returns to his sleepy boyhood village in the foothills near Solace to investigate his brother’s murder. Upon his arrival, he finds Hillhome unexpectedly booming with commerce. But when he stumbles upon the ominous source of this prosperity—an alliance with an enemy dwarf race—he is pushed to the death in the Beast Pit.

Even more unexpectedly, the gully dwarves and an interesting—and interested—female dwarf come to his rescue. Made their monarch against his will, Flint struggles to unite the scruffy dwarves into one fighting force that will not only thwart the agents of the Dark Queen but help him bring his brother’s killer to justice.

Before war loomed and dragons returned, before he ever met Tanis or carved axes for Solace's woodsmen, Flint Fireforge was already a master smith with a restless heart. Though a Hill Dwarf by birth, Flint's skill had earned him a rare invitation to the grand underground kingdom of Thorbardin, homeland of the Mountain Dwarves. There, in a realm of ancient halls and intricate politics, he found something unexpected: a place where he was both respected and resented.

Flint's arrival in Thorbardin stirs tension between the Mountain Dwarves and his own Hill Dwarf kin. His presence is tolerated only so long as he serves the interests of the ruling Hylar clan, crafting weapons and fine works to bolster their power. But Flint has little patience for scheming dwarves in velvet cloaks. He dreams not of gold or power, but of honest work, clear skies, and living with pride and purpose.

When the Hylar begin preparations for a secretive coronation—a plot to install a puppet king under their influence—Flint becomes entangled in the deadly power struggle. A reluctant player in political games, he soon learns that his craftsmanship is being used to forge tools of betrayal, and that his friends may be caught in the fallout. Among those allies is Perian Cyprium, a fierce and principled Mountain Dwarf warrior who challenges Flint’s prejudices and tests the barriers between clans—and hearts.

As tensions in Thorbardin rise and blood is spilled beneath the stone, Flint must choose between escaping back to the safety of the surface world or staying to fight for what’s right. He uncovers treachery at the heart of the dwarven leadership and finds himself, quite accidentally, the symbolic rallying point of a rebellion. Though he never sought power, Flint becomes a figure of legend: a king in spirit, if not in title.

By the end, Flint leaves Thorbardin behind, returning to the surface with new scars and a greater sense of self. The experience strengthens his resolve, sharpens his sense of justice, and sows the seeds of the loyalty he will one day offer the Companions. He never calls himself king—but to those who know him, he always was one.

Flint the King is a tale of identity, honor, and reluctant leadership. It reveals the quiet greatness of a character often overshadowed by louder heroes, and shows how the foundations of friendship, integrity, and courage are laid not in grand gestures—but in the steady swing of a hammer and the choices made when no one is watching.