Dorn's Deep

Dorn's Deep was a dwarven stronghold located in a solitary peak in the Spine of the World near the region of Icewind Dale.

Interior
Within the depths of this fortress was a statue of an elf and a dwarf sitting on a double throne.

Great Forge
Within its upper depths was a small circular temple dedicated to the dwarven god Moradin, known as the Great Forge. Its walls were lined almost entirely in Dethek script. In its center was a large stone statue of the god, holding a pot that continuously poured molten metal into a large furnace. Hidden within a secret compartment of this furnace was the celebrant's blade.

On either side of the statue a staircase wrapped around it, leading to a raised platform that encircled the room. In the center of this platform were three archways, with large statues of dwarves embedded into the walls above them, that led into the fortress's crypt.

Tiers of the Dead
The crypt of this fortress was referred to by the inhabitants of Dorn's Deep as the "Tiers of the Dead." Here they were buried in stone sarcophagi. Throughout the crypt was a variety of stone statues, made to resemble dwarven warriors. In the center of this room was a mausoleum, the "Hall of Heroes," dedicated to the greatest among them.

Those entombed in the Hall of Heroes each had their own individual crypt within it. Outside of these stood a stone statue of the entombed that bore a plaque. At the end of the Hall of Heroes was a large set of doors, guarded by four bronze constructs. These opened to a hewn stone passageway, leading to the adjacent Wyrm's Tooth glacier.

Wyrm's Tooth Glacier
Wyrm's Tooth glacier had been heavily carved and sculpted out by the dwarves of Dorn's Deep into a massive, open-air temple complex dedicated to the dwarven god Dugmaren Brightmantle.

This temple complex featured a large museum with displays of a variety of frozen aquatic life in glass containers, both above ground and embedded into its floor. Some of this wildlife included jellyfish, giant squids, sharks, turtles, and a whale. Some of these displays were noted as being very life-like, as if the creatures had been frozen during movement, and their glass was kept clean through means of an enchantment. A small statue with a plaque stood in front of the large floor display of a whale, portraying the structure's chief architect Alkonos.

The basement level of this temple was a large library filled with hundreds of books and scrolls on wooden bookcases. The exterior entryway to this level featured two statues of Dugmaren, one holding a book and the other holding a workman's hammer. Each statue had a plaque that proclaimed it to be a depiction of the god, but with the titles "the Scholar" and "the Tinkerer" respectively.

History
During the 10 century DR, the ruler of Dorn's Deep forged a close alliance with the elves of the fortress known as the Hand of the Seldarine. Together they crafted some of the greatest enchanted armor, weaponry, and items of that age. They also fiercely fought together against the marauding orc clans of the North.

At some point the architect Alkonos petitioned the fortress's king for the construction of a temple to Dugmaren Brightmantle, which he was granted permission for. The dwarves working under him thought to simply bore a tunnel through the glacier adjacent to their fortress, then build a small temple on the other side of the mountain. But during the construction process Alkonos became obsessed with designing something far grander for his god and thus came to build its glacial temple complex.

Inhabitants
By 1281 DR, the large cavern that connected the ruins of Dorn's Deep to the surface was infested with a large colony of blue myconids. By this time a large number of ettins had also begun to lair within the caverns' smaller caves.

Some time following the fortress's destruction a number of ice trolls, snow trolls, winter wolves, and yetis took up residence in its glacial temple complex. Together they were all led by a group of intelligent frost salamanders, who captured and enslaved many humanoid creatures. The trolls acted as their guards, making sure that no slaves tried to escape.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Icewind Dale
 * Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
 * Icewind Dale II