Alfr Brúniul was born two hundred and fifty-five years ago on July 4th, 2764 in the Third Age in the city of Rhûn in the Grey Mountains as the youngest child into a poor dwarf family that belonged to the House of Zhélruka. Alfr's parents, Brúni and Áma both worked very hard in order to keep their family in a steady condition. Brúni worked as a coal miner and he would put in very long and tiring hours in the mines day in and day out. Whereas, Áma worked as a librarian at local library, and she too worked very long and tiring hours. Alfr's older sister, Edda would also join her mother at her job in the library. Áma would often take the infant Alfr with her to the library and attempt to watch over him while doing her job at the same time. While the family was poor undoubtedly, they were not completely poverty-stricken.

As the years went by after the birth of Alfr times grew tougher and now with an additional family member, the family had officially became poverty-stricken, and they began to struggle to afford to eat regular meals three times a day. Around this time Brúni had developed a nasty drinking habit, which usually resulted in him exploding in fury at his wife and children. He was even prone to violence on particularly bad outbursts. He would often take his anger out on the young Alfr, whom he irrationally put blame on their hardships on due to him not being strong enough and old enough to join him in the coal mines.

This cycle and way of life remained the same for quite a few years up until when Ebba was of the age to be wed, which happened to be around the same time that Alfr had become of an age and a strength to work in the coal mines with his father. Brúni instantly put Alfr to work in the mines on the same day as his fortieth birthday. Brúni also desperately tried to search and find a wealthy dwarf who could wed his daughter. Unfortunately, due to their poverty, Alberich had no such luck finding a suitor for his daughter. 

As the years went on and on Brúni and Alfr worked in the coal mines and Áma and Ebba continued to work in the library. However, all of this would change when only four days after Alfr's sixty-seventh birthday, there was an accident in the mines that him and his father were working. There was a severe cave in that took the lives of Alfr's father, the mining foreman, and a few other miners. This tradgedy was so severe that the only reason the family was not made to be homeless was from the kindness of other dwarves gave the family money out of charity and a sense of community. Alfr became the primary breadwinner for his family at the young age of sixty-seven.

As luck would have it, Ebba found love in the form of a middle aged dwarf scholar, named Uni Ironmind of the Longbeard clan, who ended up being hired on as the head librarian at the library that her and her mother were still employed at. Ebba and Uni found that they both enjoyed deep philosophical conversations and they adored each other for each other's minds. Uni was not a wealthy dwarf but he was well off. Uni and Ebba eventually went on to marry him. Uni and Alfr got along fairly well and Uni recommended a few areas in the region that Alfr could explore and attempt to try his hand at prospecting for gemstones or gold or silver. Alfr, seeing that he really had very little to lose, had decided to try his hand at prospecting.

More and more years went by, Ebba and Uni eventually brought their first child into the world and much to their delight it was a daughter! They named their daughter, Jord. Alfr absolutely adored Jord and when he was able to have a few extra coins that he could spare, he would often buy her gifts. As luck would have it though, three years after Jord's birth, Alfr was actually able to successfully discover a very small diamond deposit. He used his earnings to move his family into a better area and into better houses but he also used it to get himself an apprenticeship as a jeweller and put his coal mining days behind him.

Alfr took an apprenticeship under a master jeweller known as Glói Rubynose. Glói taught Alfr the craft of jeweling with a passion. Glói was a kind but stern teacher and Alfr learned a lot under him. Glói ran a small shop in Rhûn which was often busy. Many years went by and eventually Alfr worked his way into becoming a master jeweller. Glói was so proud of his hard work that he had decided to make Alfr into his business partner. The two of them ran the jewelry shop with great success for many years. So succesful in fact that they were able to open two additional jewelry shops in the region and the pair began to make a lot of profit. During this time, Alfr had began to increase his wealth quite substantially, which his newfound wealth, Alfr had began to live a more lavish lifestyle and he showered his family, and his mentor with gifts. Life could not be better.

However, all good things have to end eventually. Glói was already an older dwarf when he had met him and over the years he had began to age quite rapidly and he went on to pass away at the old age of two hundred and seventy-four years. Leaving Alfr in charge of the jewelry business.

By this time, Ebba and Uni Ironmind had brought their first son into the world, whom they had named Nefi. Ebba and Uni's daughter, Jord had grown into a young adult and she had started to be courted by a few dwarves. She was considered quite a beautiful dwarf and she was also raised with a good education. Her wit and intelligence charmed many who spoke to her. However, Ebba and Uni wished for her to marry a scholar and she eventually settled on marrying a historian from the Broadbeam clan known as Munin.

Alfr at this point had a strong yearning to settle down and start his own family as well. He had always loved children and he dotted on Jord as if she were his own daughter. But he was also very fond of his life as a successful jeweller and he had grown fond of living a very lavish lifestyle and he did not want to quit it. So he continued as he had before. Although, he did keep his eyes out for a potential mate. Around this time Alfr had gotten involved with investing his wealth, which had turned out to be very profitable and it enabled him to buy out a small coal mine, which he hired people to work as miners in. Alfr and his hired foreman, Brúni Opalbeard got along very well. Brúni and his wife had two sons and a daughter, all of whom worked in the coal mine with him. However, Brúni's daughter, Margrethe had caught the eye of Alfr, when he would visit the property in order to do inspections and the two became instantly smitten with each other. After seeking her father's approval, Alfr and Margrethe became engaged. Life couldn't get better for Alfr.

Alfr continued to make wise investments and in turn he was able to buy more property and businesses and he turned into a landlord in Rhûn. However, with all this success, Alfr had started to get very involved with his many ventures that he had begun to neglect his fiancée, much to her and her family's anger.