D&D 5E Adventures in Dwarven Mountain (now with sketches!)

7: Dwarven Mint

Dwarven Mint

[sblock=art inspiration]
[/sblock]

When the poet Ioeluf spoke of "rivers of gold" on the planes, he surely must have been thinking of the Dwarven Mint in Strongale Hall. Here platinum, gold, silver, and copper ingots brought up from Dumathoin's hall and cleaned in Dugmaren Brightmantle's hall are smelted and poured into great molds, creating coins recognized across the Outlands and Sigil. It's said a body can't cross the Outlands without coming across a trader dealing in dwarven coin, and the engravings are so fine, with unique ribbing around the rim of every coin, that forgeries are virtually impossible. Which dwarf gets to see their face emblazoned for eternity on the coins is a matter of great pride and much scheming, the honor going to whichever follower of one of the three gods most pleased Vergadain with their ventures the past year. Likewise, being choosen to craft the design for a new coin is a great honor coming with the title of Noble Coin-maker; competition among dwarves for this title is fierce. There are darker whispers about the coins, however, detractors claiming that Vergadain traps his enemies in the form of coins, though the truth is such occurred are rare and usually are intended to give the offender an opportunity to see the cosmos thru Vergadain's eyes: as an unending great game of trade.

Alia Horfinch(Px/ female dwarf/ rogue 8/ N) loosely runs the mint, though her efficenient dwarven petitioner workmen are extremely adept at their task and require little supervision. For accessing the hottest areas, repairing crucibles, and dealing with leaks of molten gold, copper automatons are employed. These automatons were a gift from Dugmaren Brightmantle and have turned an already streamlined operation into an example of efficiency to rival any across the planes. However, sometimes glitches occur. Chaos imps may follow planewalkers from Limbo to wreck havoc with the machinery or the copper automatons. Alia Horfinch may issue a recall if the test production of a new coin doesn't meet her exacting specifications. And sometimes dwarven petitioners, turning over an old coin in their hand on its way to be smelted and re-cast may have fleeting memories or emotions from their lives before; gold is indeed a powerful touchstone to the dwarves, and during such "gold-lapses" things tend to get overlooked.

Operating a mint in the realm of a god revered by thieves (even non-evil ones) presents the constant challenge of dealing with coin-clippers and counterfeiters of the Gilded Palm thieves' guild. Both sides are quite sophisticated in their techniques, and both seem to have Vergadain's support, making any edge one can get over the other (such as a part of adventurers) of great interest. Currnt rumors of cursed "luck-eating" coins being distributed by the thieves have the mint's investigators on high alert; they will pay handsomely for any information leading to the identity of the rogue responsible.

You need some Wight Dwarfs in the crypts

8: Gilded Palm Thieves' Guild

Gilded Palm Thieves' Guild

[sblock=art inspiration][/sblock]

A stately rock-cut building with a gilded entrance, high arrow slits, and a sign painted with a weathered palm holding a gold piece mark the Gilded Palm Thieves' Guild for those traversing the Esplanade of Divine Alewives. Only Vergadain's high-ups, those who the Guild has an interest in, or who know the password - a combination of a dwarven word and a hand gesture using a coin that changed every couple weeks - are permitted to enter. Unlike most of Strongale Hall, the petitioners here are scoundrels rather than merchants (though sometimes they can pass themselves off as merchants), and they watch newcomers with wary eyes, ready to pull out a dagger or crossbow if they think they're being had. When it comes to travelers, the Guild might steal from them merely to secure a meeting in which more coercive means - ranging from debt settlement to outright blackmail - are used to secure the newcomer's services on an upcoming heist or con.

Guildmaster Tallybod (Pl /male leprechaun/ 2 HD/ CN) is not what one would expect when receiving an audience with the Guild. Ugly, wrinkled, and with beady greedy little eyes, he sits on an oversized wooden throne inlaid with rare coins - The Throne of Coins - that only emphasizes his short stature. A shrewd negotiator with terrific business savvy, Tallybod has manipulated several Hurndor and powerful merchants into his pocket with dirty little secrets and the promise of giving them first pick of his fabled treasure. See, Tallybod's treasure is not supposed to be the normal leprechaun pot of gold, but something fabulous that even words cannot describe. One day, many decades ago, Tallybod showed up at Vergadain's doorstep offering his treasure to any dwarf who could guess his true name; the conditions were that each dwarf could only guess once and that if they failed they would perform an unnamed service for Tallybod. The promise of having first pick of his fabled treasure proved too great for some of the dwarven high-ups, including the former Guildmaster whose position Tallybod took after Guildmaster Glariin was left destitute and exiled in Curst. Several assassination attempts have been attempted on the devious little punter, possibly orchestrated by Glariin's followers, but no matter how grisly a death Tallybod seems to suffer, he reappears on the Throne of Coins the next day with a wicked gleam in his eye. The leprechaun, it would seem, cannot be killed.

In spite of this, the Guild performs an essential task for Vergadain: the recovery of stolen or wrongfully claimed dwarven treasures (that means ALL dwarven treasure owned by non-dwarves). To this end, the Guild has an extensive training ground within its headquarters which holds several shifting portals to various prime worlds where dwarven thieves loyal to Vergadain operate. When especially difficult missions to recover a lost treasure fall outside of the rogues' expertise, they contract specialists and planewalkers. When working for the Guild, a body should make certain to get gold on the barrel head up front, otherwise they are notorious for stringing out their payments to get further favors from the hapless planewalker. When a treasure is recovered, usually it is brought back to Vergadain's Treasury or given to a worthy clan of prime dwarves, though inevitably the Guild takes more than their fair share of the leftovers. Recently, the Guild has had several run-ins with a gang of thieves called the Plunderers based out of Sigil; the Plunderers specialize in quick smash-and-grab jobs conducted on the prime via portal. If the Plunderers interfere in dwarven affairs one more time, it could be all out thieves' war between them and the Gilded Palm.

YourSwordIsMine said:

You need some Wight Dwarfs in the crypts

Click to expand...

If not the crypts, then the gaming tables.

Quickleaf said:

If not the crypts, then the gaming tables.

Click to expand...

hehe That is even better.

The group I pulled this on, everyone thought I said "White Dwarfs"... They were in for a bit of a shock when they realized I said "Wight Dwarfs".

9: The Songhearth

The Songhearth

[sblock=art inspiration]


[/sblock]

Three grand arches engraved with names of revered dwarven bards and scenes of their daring exploits lead to the Songhearth, a large circular plaza with a depressed amphitheater cut from the stone itself. At the center of the amphitheater is an ornate fire pit with bright red coals burning with eternal fire, casting a warm ruddy glow on the space. A large golden statue of a laughing Vergadain overlooks the amphitheater and offerings of instruments, scented oils, fine scarves, and songs composed on gold leaf paper are left in the golden dish in the statue's lap. At any time of day, dwarven bards, chanters, and poets can be found in the Songhearth practicing their craft in the hopes of winning Vergadain's favor. So long as a song is sung before the hearth every day the fire will not go out...and a transcendent song that pleases Vergadain may earn a song from the god himself, echoing thru the Songhearth...at least, so say the bards. These same bards, while prone to hyperbole, speak the truth when they say that any song a dwarf has written can be found inscribed in the walls of the Songhearth.

More so than any other place in the hall, the Songhearth is warm and a bit more humid thanks to the numerous underground plants - mosses, lichens, mushrooms - that grow from the walls, cascading like a vertical garden. Among these plants are a rare type of singing mushroom, called the campestri, which have an innate memory for songs of any language. Because of their low intelligence, however, the campestri only mimic sound and have no understanding of the meaning of the words they sing; moreover, they cannot access their large repertoire of songs without guidance from a musically inclined character starting the refrain for them, or beginning with a bit of lute playing, in which case the campestri then boisterously join in. Their nasal discordant voices make them good at singing drinking songs but rather obnoxious when it comes to songs with more gravitas. Thankfully, they can be induced to hibernate with the application of anything cold or dark (such as a bucket with ice water placed over them), thus giving dwarven bards peace to practice their serious songs. Strangely, killing the campestri is considered taboo by the Hurndor and surely a way to earn ill luck.

Of the bards who frequent the Songhearth, there is one who stands above the rest: Hangroth Stonesinger (Pe/ male dwarf/ 2 HD/ CN), a grey bearded dwarf with bushy eyebrows and forlorn eyes, who has a slightly wispy appearance and seems to cast no shadow. While Hangroth can play a cheery tune with the best of them, his true forte is in more somber hymns and fugues that are said to make the stones themselves weep. The story goes that Hangroth lost his wife to a medusa's gaze. Realizing he was no match for a medusa in combat, Hangroth challenged the medusa to a duel of songs for his wife, with the medusa agreeing on the condition that her lover be the judge. Hangroth sang a song so haunting, so heart-wrenching, that the medusa's lover grudgingly declared him the winner; in outrage, the medusa turned her lover into a gemstone (a glyptar) and slew Hangroth where he stood. Unlike most petitioners, Hangroth remembers only this single detail from his life, and he seeks to perfect a song which will turn his wife from stone to flesh. Unbeknownst to Hangroth, the medusa pined away to death at the loss of her lover, who (as a glyptar) blamed Hangroth for the misfortune that befell him and over many years has made his way to the planes as a gemstone inset in the pommel of planewalker's sword. The medusa's lover seeks revenge on Hangroth by luring him away from the Outlands and killing him so he cannot merge with the Mountain, and to this end he can influence weak-willed being coming into contact with the gem or animating any object the gem is set into.

Quickleaf said:

. . . It is something I'm contemplating in the back of my head, and would love to get thoughts and opinions on how to respectfully and legally get the adventure out there. . . .

Click to expand...

"Legally": don't use trademarked or copyrighted words. That is, don't say "Planescape," say something else instead. (But IANAL.)

The same applies equally to any other identifiable trade dress: paraphrase it, or come up with something better. Don't say "Vergadain," say 'Merchant King," or "Prime Dealer." That sort of thing.

Hm. My 4E Dwarf Mage worships Moradin ("Forge Father"), Vergadain ("Merchant King"), and Dumathoin ("Deep Holder"). He does so by carrying around a family heirloom in the form of a portable, enameled-steel, folding shrine, which he can unfold nightly so he can worship the Dwarven gods as he thinks they deserve.

(It's not a triptych, there are four gods pictured on it -- including Haela Brightaxe ("Luck Maiden"), whom my PC no longer worships on account of her being dead.)

You might want to have one of your locations sell such items for pious dwarves to carry around with them. ("You never know when you're going to be too far away from a proper shrine to worship at daily, so carry one of our folding FlashFire shrines with you instead!")

10: Drunken Guttar Inn & Stables

Drunken Guttar Inn & Stables

[sblock=art inspiration]


[/sblock]

Imagine a dwarf stripped of honor, stoicism, and self-restraint. That just about sums up the average dwarven petitioner who works at the Drunken Guttar, the only place which will provide visitors a place to rest in Strongale Hall. Not that it's likely to be a planewalker's best night of sleep, what with all the merry-making, drinking games, dwarven belly-dancing, fights in the back alley, and braying of stabled cave oxen (and the occasional mule or horse). Still, the rooms are clean and only cost 2 silver pieces a night, a free pint is included, and there's plenty of interesting characters to mingle with, from guides and sellswords to dwarven proselytizers and con-artists. The place should more rightly be called a tavern, but since that description applies to pretty much aloof Strongale Hall, maybe the name is just fine. Planewalkers know to look for a stuffed Guttar (cave ox) head hanging above a large rusty red painted door.

Balachora Gleameyes (Pe/ female dwarf/ 2 HD/ N) inherited management of the inn after her older husband ascended to join Vergadain. Being a widow hasn't slowed Balachora down any, however, and she even continues belly dancing for patrons willing to tip nicely. The inn manager has an eye for men of taller races and isn't above seducing a planewalker for a romp in the sack; rumor is the dwarf mistress is a regular hellcat who could teach a bard a thing or two about the bedroom arts. Of course, as with anywhere else in the Hall, a body'd best keep an eye on his or her belt pouch here, particularly as thieves of the Gilded Palm run a protection racket, thieves hidden among the crowd serving as enforcers should anyone get out of line or attempt to steal from Balachora. Foremost of these rogues is Kandriim Bladebiter (Pe/ male dwarf/ 2 HD/ N) who is known for challenging folks who've offended the Gilded Palm or Balachora to a "bobbing for apples" contest, only to have his dwarven cohorts hold the offender underwater till they drown or give up all their possessions and swear not to cross Kandriim again. And sometimes he throws poisoned appled into the mix, just to keep folks guessing.

Friendly little games of all sorts take place at the Drunken Guttar, some rougher than others. A burly einheriar appropriately named Gödrug the Crusher (Pe/ male dwarven einheriar/ 4 HD/ N) holds wrestling matches in the back alley of the inn; despite Gödrug never having lost a fight, challengers keep coming for the promise of his wager: Gödrug can coach a body how to win any wrestling or boxing match so long as they tell him their opponent's True Name. A Fact is, Gödrug can't be defeated so long as he drinks of dwarven ale before a match.

[MENTION=10994]tuxego[/MENTION]
Yeah, swapping out trademark words (Planescape, Outlands, Vergadain, Tiefling) is always possible I suppose. Right now, however, we don't know what their policy (if any) will be for 5th edition support from third party publishers.

And nice idea on the folding shrine/tryptich. It feels very dwarven.

11: Odzak's Emporium

Odzak's Emporium

[sblock=art inspiration]

[/sblock]

There are other dwarven petitioners and then there is Odzak Glorybeard (Pe/ male dwarf/ 2 HD/ CN), a dwarf known for glorifying adventurers and pining for a "real adventure to alleviate the doldrums of everyday trading." Odzak embraces all the teachings of Vergadain wholeheartedly and yet for the life-and-death of him can't seem to grasp the art of trading. Others are quick to say Odzak is a bit touched, and point to his "Emporium" as testament to the dwarf's addled brain. Built under the Viaduct of the Merchant Princes, along the side of a great arching support, Odzak's Emporium is a ramshackle structure made of various stone and wood that Odzak traded from across the planes. Herein the wild-haired dwarf deals in all manner of trinkets, minor magics, Outlander spell keys, holy symbols, gate keys, and other oddities.

Planewalkers trying to convince Odzak to join an adventure will find the boisterous dwarf dissembling and backing out. It would be easy to think Odzak a coward were it not for a persistent rumor about what befell him in Limbo. Years ago, pursuing a trading venture with githzerai, Odzak ventured into Limbo where he was killed...except that a planewalker had a spirit bowl on hand, trapping Odzak's spirit there. The kindly planewalker brought Odzak's spirit in the bowl back to Dwarven Mountain, returning his spirit to Vergadain. That would be the end of it, but Odzak, he reappeared right away and settled back into business in no time at all. Several factions like the Dustmen and Mind's Eye are interested in figuring out how Odzak returned from beyond the Eternal Boundary, and every couple months or years a faction agent is sent to investigate Odzak's mysterious return.

Among the oddities lining Odzak's shelves, planewalkers will find:

• Dwarven Whirligigs: (10 gp) Little toys made of hammered copper in the shape of an 8" palm tree like mechanism with four folding "fronds." They are used by young dwarven petitioners to communicate, in a way, with other dwarven children in Soot Hall or Dumathoin's realm. A tune whistled or hummed into a whirligig when the umbrella is opened will be repeated when the whirling gig ends its flight path. The stem is spun between the palms, sending the whirligig spinning, and it will float down until it reaches the ground.