Ural d’Orien, a 4th-level sorcerer, is the seventh son of the patriarch of House Orien, one of the great mercantile families of Khorvaire. In addition to performing duties for the family, Ural uses his sorcerer skills to feed his love for action and adventure.

He recently hooked up with a halfling barbarian (Corrash), a half-elf cleric, and a kalashtar psion (Halharan). Their makeshift adventuring party has foiled a hijacking attempt on a money carriage, defeated an Order of the Emerald Claw cell, and rescued a Mror Holds noble from pirates operating along the Dagger River.

Always flamboyant and somewhat aristocratic, Ural also has a mystical side. His abilities as a sorcerer have led him to search for meaning in the draconic Prophecy. He feels that by working and traveling with other adventurers, he has a better chance to learn more about the source of his arcane skills.

The architecture is sturdy, functional stone, though the scale is slightly too small for most humans. While there is luxury to be found here, the citizens of Highhold put work before play.

When House Kundarak first established itself in Sharn, the dwarf immigrants who came with the house sought to make their mark on the city. While dwarf engineers had played a significant role in the construction of Sharn, the city was designed for humans. Highhold is the first district to be built by dwarves for dwarves, and their touch is evident throughout the district. While the dwarves appreciate luxury and comfort, they are also concerned with defense and durability, and the buildings of Highhold are among of the strongest and most defensible in the city.

Dwarves make up the majority of the population in Highhold—both recent immigrants from the Mror Holds and those whose families have lived in Sharn for generations. The inns and taverns serve strong Mror ale and stonebreaker mead, and most of the buildings and furnishings are built to dwarven proportions. Beyond the dwarves, there are a considerable number of gnomes in the district, refl ecting the strong economic ties between House Sivis and House Kundarak.

Businesses in Highhold include a branch of the Kundarak Bank and a Sivis message station. There are also restaurants serving Mror food (an acquired taste for most humans) and a variety of other crafters, including master masons, architects, and armorers. Many of the inhabitants work for one of the branches of the Kundarak Bank, while others work in the Cog foundries but have positions allowing them to afford to live above the surface.