The Deephold

Deep beneath the Galarpos Mountains, far below even the deepest reaches of the Underground Pass, lies the hidden settlement of Dinas Gwaelod, the Deephold: the secret base of a band of rebel Dark Elves, a remnant of the old Iorwerth cult of the Dark Lord, who call themselves Cadwyr, the Keepers.

Background
In Year 2 of the Sixth Age, after the death of the old Lord Iorwerth and the destruction of the Dark Lord, most of Clan Iorwerth accepted Iestin Edern as their new leader and were reconciled, more or less, with the other Elf clans in the restored city of Prifddinas. There were some among them, however, who refused to give up their old death-cult, despite the destruction of the Dark Lord: these Dark Elves were never stamped out entirely - they merely learned to keep their religion to themselves.

One such sect, styling themselves "the Keepers of the Dark", was formed by a veteran Iorwerth assassin named Marwnad. For the Keepers, from the start it was never enough to practise their faith in secret: their goal was to see Prifddinas returned to Dark Elf control.

The creation of the Deephold
Marwnad sought the aid of one of the most powerful and reclusive of the old Lord Iorweth's allies, an ancient magician by the name of Mathonwy, to help her build a secret base for her sect and ensure it could not be found; but Mathonwy went one better. Over three years, Mathonwy designed and oversaw the construction of an entire hidden city for them, beneath the deepest caverns of the Underground Pass, where no one would stumble across it by accident; and he concealed its entrance behind an enchanted labyrinth that could not be solved except by one who already knew the way. The Deephold was finally completed in Year 5 of the Sixth Age; and the Keepers officially took up residence there.