This plot sounds awfully familar
Now, let's see, Brunor Battlehammer's clan lived in a dwarven city that was called Mithril Hall and was famed throughout the land for its wealth. However the city was invaded and occupied by a horde of demons and all of the dwarf inhabitants were driven into exile. Brunor then has an urge in this book to return to the city of his ancestors and to drive out the demons and to reclaim Mithril Hall for his people. I wonder where I have heard this story before – that's right, [book:The Hobbit].
Okay, in all fairness to Salvatore, ever since [author:Tolkien] penned his famous fantasy novels the ideas that came from those novels has pretty much dominated the literary scene ever since, and particularly since Dungeons and Dragons borrows so heavily from Tolkein, it is not surprising to see some of those ideas taken and adapted for this particular setting. I guess the whole idea of the dwarf as the exiled race is something that has pretty much been set in stone for many of the subsequent fantasy novels and worlds (though I believe that this is the only official novel where this idea has occurred).
Mind you, the dwarf as the exiled race is something that features heavily in Tolkein, because it is not only Lonely Mountain that they have been exiled from, but also the mines of Moria, and this is not necessarily because life has been unfair to them, but rather it is as a result of their greed (and the same idea can be implied here, though I am doubtful that Salvatore had any similar ideas as did Tolkein). It is not surprising though that when a race or a city becomes famous for its wealth that it will entice armies and treasure hunters to come to get their share of the wealth.
I also suspect that there is some relationship between the dwarves and the Jews in Tolkien, in that both of them are an exiled race (though the Jews have since returned to their homeland, but surprisingly they have not reintroduced the monarchy, nor has the temple been rebuilt) and there were reasons for the exile as outlined in the Bible. I don't necessarily want to comment on why the Jews were exiled, because there is really no difference between in attitudes of the Jews and Gentiles back in those days (as they are now) and both are under the judgement of God. I suspect that the reason that God did go harder on the Jews was because the Jews had been privileged to have received God's revelation, but despite having the revelation, still ignored it.
I see no such thing here with the dwarves though, because in the end, in Tolkein, and to a lesser extent, here, the dwarves are an exiled race purely because of their greed. However possessing wealth is not necessarily greed nor is it necessarily a problem, but it is how we gain the wealth and what we do with the wealth that is the problem. There is no problem being a barrister (or a lawyer, since they don't have barristers in the United States, but to those over there a barrister is simply what could be called a trial lawyer) who earns $5000.00 a week as long as that money is earned honestly and the money is used in an appropriate way (such as providing for one's family, the church, and to the less fortunate). However if we are earning money by underpaying our workers, bullying our suppliers, and extorting our customers, then there is going to be a problem. However, in the long run, it is not me that you will have to answer to (because I doubt you, if you are in that position, would believe that you needed to answer to me) but rather to God, and it is in God's hands that it shall leave it.
