Durtom was the leader of a faction of Mountain Dwarves who lead a campaign to conquer Danasia in the third age.
In the third age, when the Northern Kingdom of Norlund was shattered by civil war. The rebel Nobles in the North overthrew house Halyron and transformed the country into the ironically named Thessan Federation, lead by the Council of Six. High King Thessan Halyron's forces and his Danasian allies were pushed to the South. A Danasian army traveled around the great glacier and attacked the rebel stronghold in the North, killing the Chieftain of the Crûsgar clan. A branch of the Crûsgar clan lfuriously stormed Danasian holdings in the South, lead by a charismatic young warrior named Durtom. After a long engagement the Crûsgars were triumphant, with Durtom Crûsgar defeating The Dan in single combat in what is now the city of Dan's Rest. Durtom and his followers declared themselves an independent clan and renamed themselves Dankil beginning an invasion campaign into Danasia. The war was long and bloody, with Durtom allying with the Shanren and the Vashar. The Dankil clan tore down many of Danasia's most sacred sites and replaced them with brutal military strongholds and fortified citadels. Many of the Danasians venerated strength in arms and accepted the rule of the Dankil clan. Durtom eventually declared victory over all of the former empire and blended much of Vasharan human culture with his own, creating the Dankil Shogunate.
Shogun Dankil was often remembered as both a war hungry despot and an honourable warrior. Eventually his heirs overcame their grudge against the Danasian people and become benevolent rulers, although time weakened their hold over the empire, leading to more corruption from the Vashar.
The shogunate he founded ruled for about 400 years until Jodando Legault and Arundel Shay overthrew the dwarves and scattered their clans into the wilderness. Jodando then set himself up as the new ruler.