Citadel Adbar

This fortress is named for King Adbar, the ancient dwarf who built it over 1,000 years ago during the waning years of ancient Delzoun making this the last shard of that once mighty dwarven kingdom. The Citadel consists of a massive fortified fortress that provides surface access to miles and miles of defensive granite corridors, tunnels, and hallways that wind their way under the Ice Mountains. The city can house up to 60,000 dwarves in relative comfort, though these days less then a third that number are actually present.

People
Citadel Adbar does not welcome visitors. This is not surprising, as most visitors are orcs or monsters seeking the swift death of its citizens, but, despite its insular traditions and remote location, the fortress is a trading city. The dwarves dwelling here make their living by mining, smelting and forging their native ores. Their constant work causes a permanent cloud of smoke to hang over the city and creates such a din and clangor that it is just as well that the city does not entertain many guests.

As it is, only metal traders and the most desperate or daring peddlers attempt to reach Citadel Adbar. Ironically, since raiding orcs, prowling crag cats and other predators make the land around the Citadel so deadly, most caravans travel through the relative safety of the Underdark via Sundabar, Mithral Hall and even distant Mirabar. Caravans that survive the long and dangerous journey bring mainly grain and dried fruits and vegatables that the Citadel is incapable of producing. Fresh fruit, which the dwarves delight in eating during the winter, fetches the highest price.

Every year more than one caravan is lost in the Underdark but those who are successful are richly rewarded. The dwarven smiths here make the best dwarven weapons and armor this side of the Deep Realm. All goods made in Citadel Adbar are considered masterwork and command premium prices throughout The North. In addition most of the forge bars (blocks of refined metal) used by quality smiths in The North are from Citadel Adbar. The dwarves continue mine mithral as well as other precious metals, but the recent opening of long-abandoned Mithral Hall has made the largely mined-out mithral deposits of Citadel Adbar less important.

Like other dwarven communities in Faerûn, the number of dwarves in Citadel Adbar had been steadily dwindling over the last several generations. In recent years, as the miners grew fewer and orc raids upon the trade-caravans became fiercer, the remaining dwarves’ output decreased significantly. The renewed vigor brought about by the Thunder Blessing however, promises to help return Citadel Adbar to its former glory. While many dwarves of the new generation have left to rebuild Mithral Hall and Citadel Felbarr enough have remained so that the city is once again producing its famed goods in quantity.

For over a hundred years Citadel Adbar has been ruled by King Harbromm, and he is noted for his attention to strategy and detail. He is also a master smith and the city’s badge is his personal forge mark. It’s an upright, single-bladed hand axe enclosed by a circle of flame inscribed in red on a silver field. He’s managed to hold his community together in the face of threats from the orcish tribes.

The king employs human adventurers in patrols outside the walls, and he keeps 200 dwarves on the battlements of the Citadel. Another 1,500 are ready to take up arms if the horn call is sounded through the speaking tubes cut in the Citadel’s rock. These tubes also allow dwarves to flee quickly underground by tumbling into them. In a day, Adbar can arm and armor 9,000 dwarven warriors. Harbromm’s policy is to safeguard the lives of his folk and to keep inside the Citadel whatever befalls.

Places
The Citadel is a fortress, perhaps the mightiest castle north of Amn. It has ditches that can be filled with flaming oil, bridges that can be drawn up or swung down into deep pits, concentric rings of walls that can be defended one by one in the event of a powerful besieging army, and so on. The Citadel has withstood over 60 orc horde attacks thus far. Each of these were determined sieges by over 10,000 orcs at a time, and occasionally 10 times that number.

The fortress that humans see is only the small surface part of an underground, dwarven hold known as Adbarrim. The Citadel exists to provide a secure connection with the world above and to keep the smoke, noise, and stench of metalwork out of the dwarven homes. Miles upon miles of chambers, passages, and suites have been carved out of solid granite.

A well-guarded route runs through the Underdark from Citadel Adbar to Sundabar and also provides access to the Everfire. Once a year at Shieldmeet a dozen master craftsmen are chosen by the king to make the perilous journey to the forge at Everfire. They are each given an entire year to create a single magical weapon or piece of armor commissioned by the king for an undisclosed champion of Citadel Adbar. These priceless artifacts are presented to the most deserving defenders of the city, as chosen by the king, and are almost always dwarves. At least one dwarf friend however, has been awarded this great honor.

The Silver Marches Confederation
King Harbromm was initially opposed to conjoining Citadel Adbar with the Silver marches confederation, as he saw no benefit in it. But thanks to Emerus Warcrown and Bruenor Battlehammer, Citadel Adbar is now the Confederations primary source of military ordnance.

Militia
200 dwarves are always on duty. Another 1,500 dwarves can take up weapons on a moment’s notice. A total of 9,000 dwarves can take the field.