Grymforge

Grymforge, was a fortress in the Underdark that was connected to the nearby Sharran temple called Gauntlet of Shar. In the Grymforge was nearly forgotten and had no permanent inhabitants except for those trying to explore its secrets.

Geography
Grymforge was built on the far shore of Ebonlake, near a lava lake which heat was later used for the work of the Adamantine Forge.

First Sharran period
The original fortress was first built by some unknown followers of goddess Shar and had another name, which was still known in the end of the 14 century and mentioned in the book Grymforge: A History, but in the the exact name was illegible. A forge has been built around the lava lake bordering the city.

The Sharrans had been using the fortress for almost 800 years, but for some reason it was abandoned. The reason was a mystery even for Shar's Chosen, Ketheric Thorm.

Second Sharran period
In the end of the 14 century Ketheric Thorm planned to rebuild "the lost city". It served as the headquarters of Ketheric's Dark Justiciars.

Sharran Priestess Sister Ansar converted Silouv Yali probably via torture into the Sharran faith. Gnome Silouv Yali was known from Candlekeep to Sorcere for his talents in wizardry and metallurgy. He redesigned the Grymforge forge so it could be able to smelt adamantine weapons. After a sequence of experiments he managed to find the way to do it and continued to

The enemies of the Sharrans tried to infiltrate the fortress leading to a sequence of misidentifications of the Sharrans as spies by inquisitor Sybil. Some of the Harper spies got captured and interrogated revealing their stashes.

The Dark Justiciar forces of the fortress were preparing an assault against Moonhaven and the traces of these preparations still could be found in Grymforge in 1492 DR. The correspondence between inquisitor Sybil and general Ketheric Thorm testified to the changes in the assault plans as Sybil's subordinates hadn't destroyed Moonhaven by the time planned by Ketheric. It resulted in Ketheric deciding to lead the Dark Justiciars against the Selunite town by himself and his planned visit to Grymforge.

The Selunites in Reithwin were on the verge of being destroyed, so Mordfred, the leader of the Selûnite resistance, made a deal with Raphael, selling his soul in exchange for the help fighting against the Ketheric's Dark Justiciars. Raphael sent orthon Yurgir to get rid of the Sharrans. The orthon broke through the walls of Grymforge and started to extinguish all the Dark Justiciars of Grymforge and Gauntlet of Shar till there would be none left. Some of his merregons still roamed the Inquisitor's chambers in 1492 DR.

The Absolute crisis
As of the, the fortress was under control of the cultists of the Absolute that operated under the orders of True Soul Nere and the hired duergar Clan Flameshade. The cultists were trying to find a passage to the Sharran Temple. For this task they required more workforce, so they assigned the Clan Flameshade to deliver more slaves to excavate the fortress. Most of these were enslaved after a successful assault on the Decrepit Village, a deep gnome settlement on the other side of Ebonlake. A lot of slaves died and were simply thrown into the waters of the lake.

A squad of drow Harpers under the leadership of Jhaam by order of Jaheira attempted to infiltrate the cultists, but their real identities were rumbled and they were publicly hanged by the novice of the Absolute called Murmath.

The route through Grymforge to the Gauntlet of Shar turned out to be impassable. During the excavation the rubble has collapsed and Nere and four enslaved deep gnomes got into a gas trap trying to reach a broken platform leading to the Temple.

Cult of the Absolute

 * Nere, a drow True Soul of the Absolute

Clan Flameshade

 * Thrinn, a duergar sergeant of the Absolute
 * Greymon, corsair
 * Brithvar, the elder of Clan Flameshade
 * Orgath, a duergar Stone Guard
 * Kur, a duergar Stone Guard
 * Kith, a duergar stonemason
 * Gergerann, a duergar stonemason
 * Thudd, a duergar slaver
 * Mirthis, a duergar slaver
 * Danna, a duergar slaver
 * Morghal, a duergar cleric of Laduguer
 * Dunnol, a duergar mind master and a cultist of the Absolute
 * Fonmara, a duergar mind master and a cultist of the Absolute
 * Skarjall, a duergar herdmaster
 * Morgya, a duergar novice of the Absolute
 * Drar, a duergar novice of the Absolute
 * Murmath, a duergar novice of the Absolute training spiders and killing people executioner
 * Grundril, a duergar novice of the Absolute
 * Brathwen, a duergar novice of the Absolute
 * Viss, a duergar novice of the Absolute

Ironhand Clan

 * Beldron, a deep gnome Ironhand's steward
 * Lunkbug, a deep gnome
 * Laridda, a deep gnome apprentice
 * Meerna, a deep gnome burrow warden
 * Welso, a deep gnome apprentice of burrow warden
 * Wicky, a deep gnome
 * Philomeen, a deep gnome sapper

Spiders

 * Lur Xanta
 * Lur Fu
 * Lur Otan
 * Lur Jox

Harpers

 * Jhaam, a drow Harper scout

Sharrans

 * Sybil, dark justiciar and Sharran inquisitor

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Baldur's Gate III