Page 67 - D&D - Player's Handbook

with the least damage, scavenging stones from ruined Thornhold, they passed through the caverns of Clan
structures to reinforce those that can be salvaged. Stoneshaft, which had lived below since before the
Before the war, Sundabar's surface streets were time the surface city was erected by humans. Though
cobbled smooth, but many of those roads have been the Zhentarim killed or enslaved many of the dwarves
destroyed by falling stones, torn up for ammunition or to there, they failed to destroy the clan. The survivors soon
repair walls, or simply neglected. Now, the surface city escaped, regrouped, and retook Thornhold by force
is a hollowed-out ruin. Some believe that the city above under their leader, Ebenezer Stoneshaft, with the aid of
will be allowed to wither into oblivion, with the excep- Samular's descendant, the Harper Bronywn Caradoon.
tion of the sturdy double wall that surrounds it (and After the fortress was reclaimed, in a gesture of respect
which the dwarves have already repaired). The tem- and gratitude, Caradoon bequeathed its custody to Clan
ples of human deities stand abandoned. The walls are Stoneshaft.
patrolled by a few sharp-eyed sentries, whose duty is to The dwarves of Thornhold are all of the Stoneshaft
report what they see and to turn away unwanted visitors. clan, and because tunnels from their home connect to
In the center of the upper city, the Circle still stands the castle, they refer to the place as Stoneshaft Hold;
around the ruin of the Master's Hall, ready to receive vis- they use "Thornhold" only when a non-dwarf in a con-
iting caravans, livestock, and merchants. However, few versation is confused and an explanation must be made.
such visitors arrive, and fewer still are welcomed, as Sund- By habit and nature, Stoneshaft dwarves are secretive
abar prefers to engage in trade nowadays only with other (even for dwarves), but nonetheless always eager to
dwarven cities through the Underdark. Were it within the hear what's afoot in Waterdeep, particularly any doings
Forgemaster's power, he would see to it that all commerce involving the Margaster family, whom they see as
entering and leaving the city do so by means of under- foes who will one day attack their home to regain it or
ground traffic, so that most surface trade routes could be destroy it if they can't take it back.
abandoned entirely. To most humans, Thornhold is merely the fortress
Sundarren trust of outsiders is low, and their assess- above the surface, a castle of gray stone with a thick,
ment of humans lower still. During the war, of all the curving wall and a two-towered central keep. They don't
human cities, only Silverymoon made any attempt to aid know of the caverns below that lead to the Stoneshaft
Sundabar, and that aid was (to dwarven minds) far too clanhold. The cliff facing the sea is so sheer that no wall
little and too late. As a result, with the Silver Marches need be built to protect that side of the hill on which
dissolving, Sundabar wasted no time withdrawing from Thorn hold sits. The castle is utterly without adornment
the Lords' Alliance as well, officially severing formal ties or ornamentation, and only crenellations and arrow
with the human realms of the North except for those slits break the solid face of stone. Within the castle,
necessary for trade. Given that such trade is now a rare surrounding the bailey, are small buildings of wood and
occurrence, most of the human realms see Sundabar plaster that hold animals and are used for smithwork,
as jealously guarding its wealth and cravenly hiding candlemaking, laundry, wood repairs (including wagons
beneath the surface, while the rest of the region does and the like), and brewing beer.
what it can to recover from the recent conflicts. Sund- Long ago, Thornhold was a profitable stopover for car-
abar's losses in buildings and in population have done avanners, adventurers, and other travelers journeying
nothing to diminish the contents of its overflowing cof- north along the High Road past or through the Mere
fers, and despite its current state, the city remains one of Dead Men. For decades, the expansion of the Mere
of the wealthiest in the North, though most of that coin in the calamities of the Spell plague cut off most travel
rarely leaves the city now. along the High Road. During that time, the Stoneshafts
The notion of kingship has come up among the lived in relative isolation, stockpiling their ore, refined
dwarves in the undercity, but the Forgemaster has metal, and crafts. Stoneshafts are known for the fine
rejected the idea. Let the dwarves tend to themselves, metal- and gemwork they craft, considered by most to be
surely, but there should be no king in Sundabar. I don't works of art worn as personal adornment.
know whether Flamestoker's reticence is false modesty The Margasters ofWaterdeep believe that they still
or true wisdom, or if he is waiting for a warrior-king to have a right to Thornhold. The fortress sits on the rees-
claim Sundabar as part of a larger realm. tablished High Road leading to Neverwinter, so it is no
wonder that the nobles wish to profit from the fortress's
THORNHOLD location along that route. The Knights of Samular also
show interest in restoring their outpost at Thornhold as
West of the High Road and hard to the coast near the
Mere of Dead Men lies what humans refer to as Thorn- a prelude to sorties into the Mere, and there is talk that
hold. Once the keep of a petty warlord of the Margaster these desires may lead to a curious alliance between the
family of Waterdeep, it was captured and claimed by a grasping human nobles and the high-minded paladins.
Stoneshafts fear the politics of powerful Waterdeep
paladin as part of the Second Troll War. For many years
will lead to an assault on Thornhold. They have thus
the Knights of Samular, an order of Tyrran paladins
been preparing for siege by gathering supplies and rein-
founded by one Samular Caradoon, used Thornhold as
its base, though the hold remained the personal prop- forcing Thornhold's defenses.
erty of the Margaster family. Stoneshaft dwarves can taste the wealth, bustling
For a brief time a little more than a century ago, energy, and constant excitement of nearby Waterdeep,
Thornhold fell into Zhentarim hands. When the and want to share in it. They don't want to be forced into
Zhentarim marched through the Underdark to claim isolationism, and kept away from Waterdhavian society

CHAPTER 2 I THE SWORD COAST AND THE NORTH