Ironhoof - The Gorgon
In the wind-scoured canyons of the Crestview Ridge highlands, the ground trembles before the sound of clanging hooves and the hiss of metal on stone.
Ironhoof the Unbroken, an ancient gorgon whose iron-plated hide has weathered decades of battle, roams the ridges like a living siege engine. Caravans vanish. Lone hunters turn to statues mid-scream. And every dwarven clan within a hundred miles knows the legend: “You can’t cage Ironhoof.”
Role in Its Society:
Gorgons are solitary, territorial creatures, but Ironhoof is a roaming force of nature. It wanders the highland passes, claiming choke points and watering holes as temporary territory before moving on. While most gorgons react to threats, Ironhoof actively seeks them out—charging down cliffside switchbacks to destroy bridges, wagons, and camps before disappearing into the dust.
Appearance Description:
Ironhoof’s body is clad in layers of natural steel-gray plates, weathered and pitted from years of impact. Its eyes burn with dull red embers, and wisps of petrifying vapor curl from its nostrils with every breath. Old weapons jut from its flanks—broken spears and bent swords that never pierced deep enough to kill. Its horns are polished from decades of battering stone and bone alike.
Backstory:
Legends tell of Ironhoof as the last war-beast of the Ironthrone Clan, a dwarven war machine meant to break enemy gates during the Crestview Wars. When the clan fell to infighting, Ironhoof was set loose into the wild. Freed from its handlers, it learned to roam, adapting to the highlands’ harsh terrain. Now it treats any sound of metal as a challenge—charging without hesitation, as if every clang were a war drum.
