Durgeddin’s followers lived and worked in a series of carved halls and chambers beyond the Glitterhame. Most of this part of the complex was thoroughly ransacked when the dwarven citadel fell.
Unlike the Mountain Door or the Glitterhame, which offer exits to the surface world, the Foundry isn’t readily accessible. The area isn’t abandoned, though. Undead horrors wait in its darkest recesses, and dwarf-crafted traps still work perfectly well despite their age. In addition, a small number of duergar have come here to breathe life into Durgeddin’s old forges and decipher the secrets of the master smith’s work.
If the characters come to this part of the complex from the Black Lake (see the “Dark Mere” subsection of “Scout the Area”), they begin in area 38.
Fast-Flowing Water
The underground river that cuts through this level of the dungeon presents a serious hazard. Those who fall in risk being swept away by the current.
A creature that falls in the river and is within 5 feet of the water’s edge must succeed on a DC 10 Strength saving throw to catch itself on the rocky bank. On a failed save, or if the creature is too far away from the bank, it is drawn into the main current.
A creature in the main current that takes no other action is swept 60 feet downstream (to the south or to the west, depending on location) each round. If it spends its action to make a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check and the check is a success, it can reduce the distance traveled by the amount of its walking speed and move toward a bank.
On a failed check, the creature must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of
Maps
35. Chamber of Statues
In the corridor behind the iron door in area 27, a flight of steep stone stairs climbs 30 feet northward.
The stairs end at the entrance to an octagonal chamber. The floor is inlaid with cracked, dusty blue tiles, and the walls are dressed with polished marble. Large doors of iron-bound oak exit to the northwest and northeast.
Three cast bronze statues, almost ten feet tall, stand by the west, north, and east walls. Each depicts an armed dwarf. The eastern and western ones carry axes and shields. The center statue is armed with two axes. The ceiling rises in a dome almost thirty feet above the floor.
From somewhere in the distance, you can hear the faint ringing of hammer on anvil.
The sound of the hammering comes from beyond the east wall, as can be determined with a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check. Anyone who examines the floor notices that the dust is somewhat disturbed. A successful DC 13 Wisdom (Survival) check reveals an infrequently used trail that leads from the entrance stairs to the stone wall behind the east statue.
Statue Trap
The obvious exits to the northeast and northwest are false doors that open onto blank stone. Pulling on either door releases a catch that causes the axe-wielding hands of the two closest statues to drop. Any creature within 5 feet of a door when it is opened is subjected to two melee attacks: +5 to hit; 9 (2d8) slashing damage on a hit.
With a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, a character can discern small scorings on the floor in front of a door, left by earlier axe strokes. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check enables a character to deduce that the doors aren’t what they seem, through small clues showing that they are unused. The same check focused on a statue can reveal a small line on the arm that holds an axe, indicating the arm’s ability to move.
A character who makes a successful DC 10 Dexterity check using thieves' tools can jam a statue’s arm so that the axe can’t swing. Destroying a statue (AC 18, 60 hit points, immunity to necrotic, poison, and psychic damage) also disables its attack.
Once a statue has attacked, the trap must be reset manually. If any duergar survive and remain here, they reset the trap within a day after it has been triggered.
Secret Stairwell
The secret door behind the east statue is well hidden, requiring a successful DC 18 Wisdom (Perception) check to spot. If the characters detected the faint trail that leads there, a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check locates the door. Beyond is a flight of stone stairs that leads upward.
The stairs have been warded with a magical alarm. When a creature ascends past the halfway point of the staircase, a
Dwarvish Voice
“Alert! Alert! Intruders approach!”
This sound warns the duergar guards in area 36.
36. The Great Hall
At the top of the stairs from area 35 is a stone door carved with a glowering dwarf’s face. It opens easily.
This enormous hall is lined with ten great pillars, carved into the forms of giants and dragons, that support the vaulted ceiling high above. Guttering orange torches set in sconces along the walls illuminate the room, and a mighty throne sits on a dais at the opposite end. The walls were once covered with tile mosaics, but they have been smashed and defiled by graffiti. Tiny fragments of tile litter the floor. You can see five other exits.
A small fire smolders on the floor before the dais, where six sleeping pallets lie empty, surrounded by packs and supplies. The sound of hammers ringing on iron comes from beyond the doors to the south.
Suddenly a harsh voice calls from the shadows of the pillars, “Go back the way you came! This is the only warning you’ll get!”
The cavern was formerly Durgeddin’s throne room, banquet hall, and center of authority. Its ceiling is 30 feet high, and the sconces are 10 feet above the floor. The throne is unremarkable: a short bench of stone that might have been decorated at some point in the past. The graffiti consists of crude epithets in the Orc language insulting dwarves and their ancestry.
Creatures
Two duergar guards and Ghared, a duergar spy, stand watch here. Unless the party climbed the stairs from area 35 without triggering the magic mouth, the duergar are invisible.
Negotiation
The duergar start hostile but wait to see if the characters attack. Ghared shouts the initial warning and speaks for the group; she’s suspicious, greedy, and arrogant, but not stupid. She is willing to give information to the party if a character succeeds on a DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion) check. The characters can change her attitude to indifferent, reducing the check DC to 10, with a suitable bribe (at least 100 gp).
Ghared can share any of the following information if the party succeeds in getting her to converse:
- The doors to the north lead to halls infested with undead and cursed magic.
- The door to the southwest leads into the old kitchens, guarded by more cursed magic.
- A dragon lives in a large lake cavern deep below.
- The subterranean river flows from the lake through other parts of the complex below the Glitterhame. It’s fed from a lake on the surface.
If negotiations are successful, the duergar are willing to let the party enter the rooms to the north. With a sufficiently high Charisma (Persuasion) check and an indifferent attitude from Ghared, the characters can get the duergar to escort them to the entrance to the dragon’s territory (the chasm in area 38). The duergar will not allow the party into the bladeworks (area 37) without an escort, and they prohibit entry into area 39.
If the characters don’t negotiate, or if talks go badly, combat ensues.
Tactics
If combat occurs, the duerger guards first attack with their javelins. They use their Enlarge ability in the next round, taking cover behind two of the pillars before wading into melee.
Meanwhile, Ghared remains invisible and maneuvers to make a sneak attack, then enlarges herself after she becomes visible. She has a potion of healing, which she uses if her current hit points drop to half her hit point maximum or lower.
If two duergar fall in battle, the survivor tries to retreat to area 37 or 39.
37. The Bladeworks
In what was Durgeddin’s smithy and workplace, the duergar are currently engaged in a secret project, hoping to capture a spark of the master smith’s vengeful magic.
Double stone doors lead into a barrel-vaulted area containing several furnaces. The eastern end of the chamber continues into a large, dark cave, from which a cold wind moans. A stream of water rushes from west to east through the center of the room, crossed by two stone bridges. On the other side of the stream, three bald, gray dwarves work at a roaring forge, beating a white-hot blade into shape on an old anvil.
Creatures
Two duergar smiths are forging a blade at the forge in the center of the south wall. The work is overseen by Snurrevin, a duergar with the following changes, which increase his challenge rating to 2 (450 XP):
- He has 45 (7d8+14) hit points.
- His Intelligence is 14 (+2).
- He has an additional trait:
Spellcasting
Snurrevin is a 3rd-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). He has the following wizard spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will):
1st level (4 slots):
2nd level (2 slots):
Snurrevin has a familiar, a rat named Browngnaw, that hides in the shadows near the unlit forge to the east. The duergar are preoccupied with their task and don’t notice the party’s entrance unless the characters make themselves known. They object violently to intruders who aren’t escorted by duergar.
If a threat becomes apparent, the two smiths grab their weapons, use Enlarge, and move to guard the two bridges. If the fight goes against them, they turn invisible and try to slip out to area 36, then join the other duergar in area 39.
In combat, Snurrevin might cast shocking grasp through his hidden familiar, and he might use silent image to confound enemies with realistic-seeming threats.
Treasure
In the cold forge in the northwest corner of the room, Snurrevin has stashed 320 gp, 1,100 sp, a gold necklace set with ruby stones worth 900 gp, and a
38. The Chasm
The stream running through the old dwarven bladeworks meanders through a natural cavern before tumbling into a great chasm. You can see nothing but darkness below, although the splashing of waters deep below is barely audible over the roar of the waterfall.
To the north of the chasm, a small ledge is partially hidden by a spur of rock.
The chasm is 120 feet deep. Anyone who falls in takes 42 (12d6) bludgeoning damage and ends up in area 50 of the Black Lake level. Climbing down the slippery stone next to the waterfall requires several successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) checks, or DC 5 checks for a character who uses a rope.
38a. Chain Ladder
The rock spur on the northern ledge partially conceals an old chain ladder that leads down to area 51 of the Black Lake. The ladder isn’t immediately obvious from the southern ledge, but a character who makes a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check can spot it.
39. Council Chamber
The duergar have set up a guard post in what was once the council room of Khundrukar.
The door behind the throne leads into a small audience chamber. A large table made of a single stone slab dominates the room’s center, and old tapestries cling to the walls. A stone door in the far wall is carved with the dwarf’s visage that you’ve seen elsewhere.
One gray-skinned dwarf in scale mail and shield stands watch by the far door. He shouts and raises a javelin.
Creatures
Unless the party is under Ghared’s protection (see area 36), the lone duergar on duty fights to the death to protect his leader, who is in area 40.
If the characters engage the duergar guard, the sounds of battle alert the leader, Nimira. She is a duergar with the following changes, which increase her challenge rating to 3 (700 XP):
- Her AC is 17 (splint armor).
- She has 52 (8d8+16) hit points.
- She has additional traits:
Multiattack
Nimira makes two greatsword attacks.
Greatsword
Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6+2) slashing damage, or 16 (4d6+2) slashing damage while enlarged.
Nimira uses Enlarge and comes out to join the fight in the next round. If her guard falls or she faces at least three enemies, and negotiation isn’t an option, she turns invisible and tries to escape into area 36 or through the secret door that leads east out of area 40.
Negotiation
Nimira is an excellent fighter, but she is pragmatic and willing to negotiate in the right circumstances. She knows the same information as the duergar in area 36 and might be convinced to guide the party to the chasm that leads to the dragon’s lair (area 38).
40. Durgeddin’s Quarters
Durgeddin led a spartan lifestyle, eschewing rich decorations and treasures in his personal quarters. Nimira has appropriated the room for her own use.
This room appears to be a bedchamber. In one corner to the south stands a large wooden sleeping platform, badly gouged by axe blows and partially burned. A table, a bench, and a writing desk have been similarly treated. In the middle of the southern wall, a space has been cleared for a simple sleeping pallet and a pair of large satchels. Two doors exit the room to the north.
If the party enters the room through the secret door in the closet (see below), or if the characters avoided or quietly dealt with the guard in area 39, Nimira is here, resting on the pallet. Otherwise, the room is empty. The satchels contain mundane supplies: extra clothes, food, lamp oil, and similar stuff.
The door in the northwest corner leads to a bathing area, fitted with two small clay tanks to hold wash water. The northeast door opens into a closet containing the mildewed remnants of several cloaks.
Secret Door
The east wall of the closet conceals a secret door. The door isn’t well hidden, requiring a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check to find. Nimira knows about the secret passage and escapes through it if pressed.
41. Kitchens
The stairs leading south from the pillared hall end at a wooden door. Beyond is a corridor that opens up into a large room lined with hearths. This room must once have served as the kitchen: pots, pans, cauldrons, and kettles lie scattered on the floor and strewn across several tables. An archway to the west leads into a pantry filled with rotted foodstuffs. Suddenly, you hear a scraping sound, and a big wooden table shudders and begins to move, heading right for you!
Creature
An animated table activates when someone enters the main part of the room. It fights until destroyed but won’t attack a dwarf. See the “Arundil’s Animated Objects.”
The room is full of old, rusty iron pots, pans, cutlery, and cooking utensils, none of which are worth much.
Arundil’s Animated Objects
A century ago, the dwarf mage Arundil animated a number of objects to defend the Foundry against intruders other than dwarves. Many of these creations remain in place today (in areas 41, 47, and 48).
These animated objects never attack dwarves or duergar. In addition, a dwarf (including a duergar) can order an object to cease its attack. If so commanded, the object becomes immobile for 10 minutes, or until the one commanding it leaves the area.
42. Desecrated Shrine
Durgeddin made his last stand in Khundrukar’s shrine, laying enemies low until the orcs finally overwhelmed him. Orc shamans pronounced dire curses over his remains to ensure that their terrible foe would never return. Then they entombed a fierce orc warrior to defend it forever in undeath.
The door leading from area 36 bears an inscription in Orc:
Inscription
“Beyond this door the Maker of Death is chained. May he gnaw on his own hate until the sun dies and all things end.”
This room was once a shrine to the gods of the dwarves. The walls are carved with their dour images, and a low stone altar stands at the western end of the room. Stone benches have been smashed and thrown askew, and the icons of the gods have been defaced.
Atop the altar, arms folded over his chest, lies the ancient corpse of a dwarf warrior in plate armor. Bones lie heaped around the altar’s base, and at its foot crouches the desiccated body of an orc in studded leather.
Creatures
The orc champion is now a wight, an undead monster that thirsts for life essence. Two of the piles of bones are ogre skeletons (use the ogre stat block; give it the undead creature type, vulnerability to bludgeoning damage, immunity to poison damage, and immunity to the
The wight and skeletons lie immobile until someone enters. They can’t pursue characters outside room.
Some of the bones at the foot of the altar stir and form into a pair of towering skeletons clutching greatclubs. The dead orc warrior looks up at you and grins evilly, green fire burning in its hate-filled eyes as it stands.
Treasure
The orcs looted the shrine after the fall of Khundrukar, but two members of the previous expedition fell to the undead defenders with valuables in their possession. Under a scattering of bones near the altar can be found a sack that holds 280 gp and a bone case that contains a
43. Entrance to the Dwarf-Halls
The dwarves of Khundrukar once resided in private rooms to the north of the great hall. When the orcs came through, they cut down all the dwarves they found and stripped the treasure out of the place.
The door opens into a large chamber with a dark pool in the center. Bits of smashed furniture and other debris are scattered about the floor. Hallways lead off to the east and the west.
A weird moaning fills the area, slowly becoming recognizable as Dwarvish curses. The sound rises to angry shouting and grows closer. Then the translucent form of an armored dwarf appears through a wall and attacks!
Creature
area 43, area 46, and all the rooms marked 44 are now the demesne of the dwarf mage Arundil, who lingers as an insane ghost.
The ghost relentlessly attacks anyone who enters its territory (most likely in either area 43 or area 46) but can’t pursue characters who retreat beyond its domain. If the ghost is turned, it flees to one of the empty rooms labeled as area 44.
Development
Arundil’s ghost is tormented by grief and shame over abandoning his kin to die (see area 47). The spirit might be laid to rest if the characters can convince it that they have cleansed Khundrukar.
44. Looted Rooms
Several chambers in the Foundry were once living quarters, drawing rooms, barracks, armories, storerooms, and so on. Now they contain only smashed furniture and debris from the final battle, graffiti in the Orc language, and skeletal remains of dwarves and orcs.
Treasure
Here and there a remnant of something valuable can be salvaged from the trash. Roll a d10 the first time a character searches a given room; on a result of 10, the character uncovers a semiprecious stone (see the 10 gp Gemstones table in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
Gem Search
| d10 | Treasure Found |
|---|---|
| 1-9 | Nothing Found |
| 10 | 10 gp Gemstones 1x |
45. Skeleton Room
One of the smaller chambers once served as a small barracks. Half a dozen dwarves perished here and were later animated by Arundil (see area 47). He ordered them to defend their post against all intruders.
This chamber might once have been a barracks. The remains of six wooden bunks lean against the walls, burned and hacked by pillagers, and half a dozen skeletal dwarves lie here and there on the floor. With clicking and scraping sounds, the skeletons rise and advance on you.
Creatures
The six skeleton attack any non-undead creature that enters. They don’t pursue anyone beyond this chamber.
Treasure
The rogue from the failed expedition lies in this room, her desiccated corpse half-buried under wrecked furniture. A pouch on her belt contains 670 sp.
46. Common Area
The open courtyard in the east end of the residential area was the site of a pitched battle between dwarves and orcs.
The hallway leads to a large open chamber. Three doors open into it, and a dark pool fills a low stone basin in its center. The chamber is littered with the remains of old warriors. Seven dwarf corpses lie where they fell a hundred years ago, surrounded by the remains of at least a dozen orc warriors. The dead have been stripped of their arms and armor; only a handful of broken weapons and shattered shields remain.
Creature
If the characters approach this area from the secret door to the south before entering area 43, Arundil the ghost confronts them here; refer to the encounter in area 43. Otherwise, there is nothing dangerous or valuable in the area.
47. Arundil’s Chambers
Arundil, the leading mage of Khundrukar and Durgeddin’s trusted advisor, lived in a spacious room close to the great hall. During the final assault of the orcs, Arundil used his magic to escape the slaughter. He returned to find all his kinfolk dead. Driven insane with grief, he tried to repair some of the complex’s defenses, animating dead warriors and various objects to kill any intruders that returned. In his madness, he even summoned a fiend (see area 49), and he perished at its hands not long after.
This chamber must once have been the personal quarters of an important dwarf. It is decorated with tapestries and furnished comfortably, although age has taken its toll on the contents. Apparently, the room has not been looted. A beautiful rug covers the center of the floor, and a simple bed and writing desk stand in the southwest corner.
Creature
The rug, 20 feet square, is actually a Gargantuan rug of smothering that activates when any nondwarf sets foot on it. It fights until destroyed but doesn’t attack a dwarf under any circumstances. See “Arundil’s Animated Objects.”
Treasure
Beneath the bed is a small wooden chest containing 1,200 sp, 3,000 cp, and a square of silk in which are wrapped a star sapphire worth 500 gp and a pair of matched blue topazes worth 90 gp each.
48. Looted Armory
Khundrukar’s armory was looted long ago. Its door is made of iron plates, but the lock was broken during the pillaging-it can be forced open with a successful DC 15 Strength check.
Rows of empty weapon racks and a dozen or more armor stands indicate that this room was once an armory. Some debris litters the floor, but nothing of value is readily apparent.
Creature
One of the armor stands is actually an animated object (use the animated armor stat block), which activates when a non-dwarf enters the room. It fights until destroyed. See “Arundil’s Animated Objects.”
49. Idalla’s Den
The mad dwarf Arundil used every magical tool at his disposal to protect the complex. He not only animated objects and the bones of the dead but called upon more dangerous magic in his futile attempt to make the place safe. In the former chambers of a dwarf scholar, tucked away in the eastern end of Khundrukar, he found a scroll that he tried to use to bind a fiend to his service.
This room was once a library or a study. Bookshelves stand against the walls. Piles of books rest on a reading table in the middle of the room. The air reeks of moldy paper. Doors exit to the north, east, and south.
A beautiful, slender woman with long black hair sits in a chair at the table, looking extremely sad. Her clothing, though well worn, does little to detract from her appearance.
Creature
Arundil summoned a succubus and commanded it to guard the area that is now the domain of Arundil’s ghost (see area 43). But the fiend easily over powered Arundil’s will, then toyed with him cruelly until it finally drained his life force.
The succubus, which calls itself Idalla, claimed the scholar’s library for its own and spends much time here reading through the collected lore. It learned of Khundrukar’s history from the scholar’s records and realized that the legends of wondrous treasure would lure greedy souls. It consumed the wizard from the previous expedition, who took refuge in this library after his companions were killed. Since that time, it has spread rumors to draw more adventurers to its lair.
Idalla takes the form of a human woman. When the characters enter, the fiend jumps up and begs to be released from imprisonment. Idalla tells the characters that she is a captive of a wizard who resides below this level. The succubus plays the role to the hilt, trembling and crying as it spins a tale of woe. It tries to split up the group, persuading one character to remain (using its Charm attack if necessary) while the others deal with the wizard. If they leave anyone alone with Idalla, the fiend attempts to kiss and drain the hapless dupe. The succubus is an adept liar and mixes in just enough of the truth to be convincing; see the “Idalla’s Story” below.
If the characters attack, Idalla attempts to charm the most dangerous-looking character and turn him or her against the party while the fiend fades into the Ethereal.
Idalla’s Story
Idalla takes delight in misleading the characters. The fiend can impart the following bits of information:
- The wizard lives below this area. He wants to use Idalla for a study on prolonging life. (False.)
- The wizard told Idalla a bit of the history of Khundrukar and the fate of Durgeddin, which she can pass on. (The information is true, but the succubus learned history from reading the books here, not from the wizard.)
- A doppelganger lurks in the Glitterhame. (False.)
- A dead dwarf haunts the halls, reduced to a mad, gibbering spirit. (True; this is the ghost of Arundil.)
- An ancient dragon lairs below the Foundry. (Partly true; Nightscale is a young dragon.)
49a Bedchamber
The adjoining room was the sleeping quarters of the dwarf scholar. It is moldy and very stuffy. Anyone who looks around the room finds a secret compartment in one of the walls with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check.
Treasure
The dwarf scholar amassed a small amount of treasure, which he kept in the secret compartment: 110 gp and a cat’s-eye gem worth 70 gp. In the library, in addition to an extensive collection of dwarven lore, the characters can find four spell scrolls (of