Gauntlgrym

Gauntlgrym is an ancient dwarven city and the capital of the Delzoun.

Geography

The city was built on a massive scale, with many doorways large enough that even dragons could pass through them. Doorways were constructed from iron, mithral and stone.[1] These doors were designed to be opened only by a Delzoun. They were both magically sealed and tremendously heavy.[13] The city was adorned with icons to the Morndinsamman, the dwarven pantheon, and other dwarven heroes.[1] Location
Its location was lost for centuries. The city was alleged to be north of the River Dessarin, near the Valley of Khedrun in the Savage Frontier.[10] It was actually farther southwest.[1] Entry Points
Bruenor Battlehammer rediscovered Gauntlgrym through a cave entrance in a stony ravine in the Crags outside of Neverwinter. This entrance appear to be the closest to the city's "front doors."[14]
Another entry point was a river of magma that originated within Mount Hotenow, which, in 1479 DR, was connected to the Great Cavern (and therefore Gauntlgrym's main entrance) via winding tunnels.[1] The river was guarded by Karrundax, a young red dragon.[15]
A number of tunnels in the Underdark beneath Gauntlgrym led upwards into the city; many of which bypassed the main entrance.[16] Gauntlgrym connected with Deepearth and Nuur Throth via the Underdark. Also starting beneath the city was a long and treacherous tunnel to the Great Worm Caverns and an even longer tunnel to Shadowdale.[10] History Origins
After the last conflict between gods and primordials[17] in −31,000 DR,[18] the primordial Maegera, tired of fighting and uninterested in following its fellow primordials to the world of Abeir, entered in a coma-like sleep beneath the Crags, forming the caves that would later be called Gauntlgrym.[17][19] Rise and Fall
Toward the end of the Age of Elves (−22,900 DR to −1100 DR), Delzoun was established around −3900 DR[20] and dwarven miners first dug the tunnels and chambers that would eventually become known as Gauntlgrym. The dwarves found unusual veins of magical ore, but in their digging, they encountered the slumbering primordial. After that disastrous encounter, Delzoun sealed the tunnels and focused on expanding their empire.[21]
Millennia later, the primordial was rediscovered by the arcanist Maerin of Illusk. He convinced the dwarves of Delzoun to build a city around the mines of Gauntlgrym in order to harness the power of the primordial to create exceptional pieces of metalwork. Construction on the city began in the Year of Seven Spirits, −335 DR,[22] as a joint effort between the human wizards of Illusk and the dwarves of Delzoun. Maerin and the elven wizards of Iliyanbruen extended the reach of the "roots" of the Host Tower of the Arcane in Illusk to carry the cooling waters of the sea to the primordial.[21][2] The famed dwarf artisan Immar Fardelver was involved in the construction of the city itself.[22]
The city was completed fourteen years later in the Year of Hollow Hills, −321 DR, and became the home to dwarves from Clan Goldspire, humans from Illusk, and Netherese refugees from Runlatha and Sundabar.[22]
The city fell during the Orc Marches of the Year of Terrible Anger, −111 DR, but was resettled in the Year of the Impenetrable Mystery, 141 DR, this time as a vassal of Illusk, who again aided the dwarves in their efforts.[23] Unfortunately, after an invasion in the Year of the Wolfstone, 153 DR, by lycanthropes and illithids a mere twelve years after its resettlement, the city was left to the mind flayers for the next millennium.[24] Many refugees of Gauntlgrym, infected with lycanthropy, fled to the Gray Wolf Tribe, spreading their curse to the Uthgardt.[25] Illithid Rule
The illithids ruled over the city for over a millennium, keeping to the lower levels while leaving the trap-filled upper halls empty. They would later use the city as a base from which to attack the Kraken Society, who had managed to injure their elder brain and managed to abduct and brainwash one of their own in the Year of Many Bones, 1278 DR. They would also find unexpected numbers when they accepted refugees from destroyed Phanlinksal in the Year of the Weeping Moon, 1339 DR,[26] who aided them in their main goal which seemed to be the creation of half-illithid hybrid creatures.[27]
The Knights of Myth Drannor would be only the second surface group to uncover Gauntlygrym, the first being the Company of the Gryphon. The Knights had found a previously undiscovered route through the Underdark from Shadowdale. A group of goblinoids called the Hargrath later took over the upper levels.[27]
In the Year of the Wyvern, 1363 DR, the mind flayers of Gauntlgrym created the first illithiderro, or madminds. The madminds, who could breed amongst themselves, did so quickly and outnumbered their creators in only a few years. They successfully rebelled against the illithids, slaughtering most of their former masters and enslaving the duergar before coming to infest the lower levels like vermin.[27][28]
Following the Spellplague of 1385 DR, the Abolethic Sovereignty sensed the presence of Maegera and wanted to harness its powers for their own ends. In order to control Maegera, a branch of the Sovereignty created the dreaded Symphony of Madness.[29] The first tests of the Symphony occurred a few years later, when the Sovereignty used the Symphony to corrupt the mind flayer's elder brain, something that in turn corrupted the mind flayers, turning them into plaguechanged puppets of the Sovereignty.[30] Waking of the Primordial
Around the Year of Knowledge Unearthed, 1451 DR, the vampire Korvin Dor'crae followed the roots of the destroyed Host Tower of the Arcane, which still had traces of remnant magic. Using his mist form, he easily passed through the deep caverns, and found that the roots were connected to the great forge of Gauntlgrym. He reported back to the Thayans, who sent Dahlia Sin'felle and some allies to the ancient kingdom. Dahlia sought out the Delzoun dwarf, Athrogate, and his drow companion, Jarlaxle. The group, including Dor'crae, who helped them navigate the dangerous caverns, finally reached Gauntylgrym. The evil vampire knew that only a Delzoun dwarf could open the way into the great city, deactivate its traps, and disable the forge. After the great gates were swung open, the wards were safely passed, and the group came across the lever to disable to forge. Dor'crae mentally dominated Athrogate, and he was forced to pull the lever, awakening the fire primordial, Maegera. The subsequent volcanic eruption destroyed the nearby city of Neverwinter.[2]
In the Year of the Elves' Weeping, 1462 DR, Sylora Salm tried to destroy the now ruined settlement of Neverwinter but she was stopped by the combined efforts of Jarlaxle, Athrogate, Bruenor Battlehammer, and Drizzt Do'Urden. In an event later known as "the Summons", hundreds of dwarven ghosts emerged from Gauntlgrym and approached the descendants of Delzoun to beseech their help in repelling the invaders. The dwarves of Clan Battlehammer in Icewind Dale, as well as those of Mirabar, heeded the call and helped turn back Sylora Salm, Valindra Shadowmantle, and the Ashmadai, but not before Bruenor and his faithful shield dwarf, Thibbledorf Pwent, were fatally injured.[31][2] Q'Xorlarrin
In the Year of the Reborn Hero, 1463 DR, a group of drow from House Xorlarrin, led by Ravel Xorlarrin, captured the forge area of the complex at the behest of Matron Zeerith Q'Xorlarrin, having been secretly prodded to do so by House Baenre. The purpose was to create a sister city to Menzoberranzan that was free of the direct control of House Baenre and that would provide many valuable forged goods. Additionally, the city had the potential to afford greater rights to drow males and driders, as well as to improve access for Bregan D'aerthe to send trade goods from the surface back to the Underdark. A brief setback occurred shortly after the occupation began when Brack'thal Xorlarrin, the house elderboy, succumbed to the whispers of Maegera and tried to release the primordial once more, coinciding with an attack from a contingent of Shadovar led by Herzgo Alegni.[32]
By the Year of the Awakened Sleepers, 1484 DR, the drow had secured the area around the forge and some of the lower mining tunnels, where they forced slaves to work. That year, House Xorlarrin received official approval to leave Menzoberranzan for the new settlement, which was named Q'Xorlarrin. Not long before Matron Zeerith was set to arrive, drow troops (under the command of House Baenre) captured Artemis Entreri and his companions and tortured them or set them to work. The reborn Companions of the Hall, who entered Gauntlgrym to free Thibbledorf Pwent from his vampiric curse, learned about Entreri's captivity and set out to rescue him. In the ensuring fight, the drow were forced to retreat temporarily and many of the settlement's rooms were destroyed. However, Zeerith and Matron Mother Quenthel Baenre arrived and presumably moved to rebuild the city.[33] Notable Locations
A map of Gauntlgrym from the novel of the same title.
Burning Heart The Burning Heart was a steam-filled chamber beneath the Great Forge that contained a pure adamantine ziggurat that was used to tap the power of Maegera, the primordial used to power the Great Forge.[34]
Fiery Pit The Fiery Pit was a deep magma-filled chasm in the depths of Gauntlgrym in which the primordial Maegera was kept in a semi-conscious slumber.[35]
Great Cavern The Great Cavern contained Gauntlgrym's main entrance and was a very large natural subterranean structure, covered with stalactites and stalagmites, with a lake at its centre.[1]
Great Forge The Great Forge used the heat of Maegera in the Fiery Pit as its power source, and was a large chamber split into sections for furnaces and anvils. Some were raised and others were in shallow pits. A pulley system was used to transport buckets, containing water or ore, and this was accessed via raised stone catwalks. Tools made in the furnaces of the Great Forge were imbued with tiny amounts of primordial essence.[34]
Iron Tabernacle The Iron Tabernacle, situated at the heart of the city, was Gauntlgrym's temple, although it covered a huge area containing a number of cathedrals, and was adorned with sculptures and intricate knotwork.[36] It also contained a switching station which acted as a central hub for the magical automated mine carts that were used to transport ore across the city, via an extensive series of mine cart rails.[37] A large crypt lay at the lowest part of the Iron Tabernacle, with burials ranging from simple ones to large sarcophagi, buried with full details of lineage. The crypt was protected by ghosts who would attack those who were not respectful of the dead.[37]
Mines As of 1480 DR, duergar mining activity was underway in the depths of Gauntlgrym. At first utilising the dwarven mines of the city, which were of traditional dwarven design, there were also much more dangerous duergar mines which were, in places, almost vertical, with makeshift homes at the bottom of some pits, to improve efficiency. Some of the deepest pits reached the large underground magma lakes of Mount Hotenow.[16]
Shrine of Sacrilege As of 1480 DR, a duergar shrine to Asmodeus had been constructed in one of the deeper pits within the mines, by using materials taken from the Iron Tabernacle, such as icons of Moradin.[38]
Inhabitants
The city was, at first, occupied only by dwarves, but during its rise to power, it gained in notoriety and developed populations of humans, elves, gnomes, and other races, until its fall in −111 DR.[1] After that, it was resettled briefly by humans until it was overtaken by illithids.[24]
In the 15th century DR, Gauntlgrym and its mines were occupied by a number of factions. In 1463 DR, a group of drow took up residence around the forge.[32] In 1479 DR, the illithids who once resided there returned, mutated, plaguechanged and under the control of the Abolethic Sovereignty, who sought to control Maegera.[39] The duergar remained, expanding the tunnels beneath the city at the behest of Asmodeus, while also mining for precious metals, including hellthorn.[40] The dwarf-turned-vampire Thibbledorf Pwent protected the cairn of Bruenor Battlehammer and regularly killed or turned all the drow he could get his hands on.[4] In addition, there were the ever-present threats of Delzoun ghosts, elemental servants of Maegera, and a large colony of dire corbies who stubbornly refused to be eradicated.