Blackpowder

Although blackpowder (also called gunpowder) is not technically magical, some magic is required to process the materials used in its manufacture. The accessibility of blackpowder varies from culture to culture, though it is most commonly the local dwarves who discover how to create this substance.

The Ashes Archipelago

In ancient times, the secrets of blackpowder were given to a group of fire cultists by the primordial Maegera who wished them to gather enough to blast open her volcanic prison and free her. When the cultists were stopped by a group of adventurers, they recovered the formula for blackpowder and began to sell it throughout the Ashes Archipelago. Within a few decades, ships armed with cannons and crews with pistols was the norm in the region.

The Kingdom of Lothal

In modern times, blackpowder is one of the chief reasons the budding Kingdom of Lothal is considered a major military power. Shortly before the kingdom's founding, a group of dwarves ventured into the Underdark and stole a recipe for blackpowder from a city of duergar as well as the key thing needed to make it: a black dragon egg. The duergar formula required certain minerals to be exposed to a liquid with the exact right acidity for a specific length of time, and the only liquid which could do this was the acid breath of a black dragon.
The black dragon imprisoned in the "mine" in Ironrock is one of the Kingdom of Lothal's darkest secrets, more so due to the fact that the dragon once nearly broke loose. It was only through the sacrifice of several brave adventurers, including Miu, the wife of Artung "Artie" Dwarforged, that the dragon was recaptured. The theft of the blackpowder formula also resulted in the duergar forming an alliance with the Morlocks during the groups attack against the Kingdom of Lothal, backing up the Morlocks army with their own and making it a point to target surface dwarves first during their attacks.

Item type

Weapon, Explosive