Lore:Gauntlgrym

Amusud the Giant
Mount Hotenow's eruption flooded many of the tunnels leading into Gauntlgrym with white-hot magma, sweeping creatures that lived in the bowels of the volcano along within it. One such creature was a mighty fire giant named Amusud, carried away while he slept. Awakening and finding himself in the Iron Tabernacle, Amusud immediately set about claiming the area for himself.

For decades, Amusud and the duergar tolerated each other's presence. The giant only attacked duergar who entered what he considered his domain, and the duergar found it not worth the effort it would take to get rid of him. This uneasy truce, however, changed once new factions began to trickle into Gauntlgrym. Fearing that one of these interlopers would seek to gain Amusud as an ally, the duergar have decided that giant must be dealt with before he turns into a foe.

Armories of Moradin
As with all of the Iron Tabernacle, Moradin's armory serves as a repository for Gauntlgrym's sacred offerings. Arms and armor of the highest quality are held in readiness there for the Soulforger's paladins and clerics. Although some of the armory has already been looted by duergar, many of the vaults remain sealed.

Conflicts ranging from skirmishes to pitched battles frequently break out between erstwhile allies in the armory. When it comes to deciding what to do with impressive cache of weaponry, it seems a contest of arms is inevitable.

Gauntlgrym
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Delzoun Explorers
A society dedicated to restoring the city of Gauntlgrym to its ancient glory, the Delzoun Explorers were founded by a scion of the Delzoun bloodline and a high-minded sage with a map. Declaring their intentions to occupy, excavate, and repopulate the lost city, they quickly developed bulging coffers and popular support.

Their rivals, the Luskan Corsairs, accuse the Delzoun Explorers of rigid bureaucracy. Admittedly, the leaders of the Explorers have impose many rules and protocols for how Gauntlgrym is to be catalogued, but they claim their rules are in the best interest of historical accuracy.

Guardians of the Crypts
Unlike the rest of the Iron Tabernacle - much of which has been plundered, defaced, or destroyed by the duergar - most of the crypts below remain untouched. There is good reason for this: there are guardians.

The ghosts of long-dead dwarves haunt these crypts, and will attack intruders without mercy - especially those who attempt to disturb or steal from the tombs. Golems of iron walk these halls as well, still executing their orders to slay any who would dare to disturb their masters' final rest.

Any who wish to retrieve the ancient and powerful artifacts held within these crypts would do well to prepare themselves for a difficult and dangerous battle.

Luskan Corsairs
The Luskan Corsairs describe themselves as enterprising individuals dedicated to the advancement of personal wealth. Haling form (and not planning to return to) the fallen city of Luskan, the Corsairs know the way to lost Gauntlgrym, and intend to squeeze every last coin out of the ruin.

Their rivals, the Delzoun Explorers, claim a right to restore the city to its former glory, but the Corsairs point to their own heritage - that of the ancient kingdom of Illusk, which helped to build Gauntlgrym - as rights enough to salvage and plunder.

Riding Howlers
Howlers are magical beasts that feed off the terror of intelligent beings. In the wild, they travel in packs and stalk villages in the night. Tamed, they can be powerful - if treacherous - mounts.

The duergar have been breeding, taming, and training howlers for use in war, but howlers respect strength above all. By defeating their duergar masters, adventurers can prove their worth to a would-be howler mount.