The Frostsilver Mines, also called simply Frostsilver, were a dwarven mining and forge complex located somewhere near Waterdeep. It was abandoned sometime before the late 15th century DR following a violent catastrophe that resulted in the deaths of every miner.[1]
Description[]
The Frostsilver Mines were a sprawling mine that was rich in ore and gemstones, and which contained many secret forges, foundries, and workshops as well as storehouses of dwarven treasures. Many of the Mine's tunnels twisted and turned in ways meant to access and extract as much wealth as possible from the surrounding rock, and as a result, parts of the Mines were dangerously unstable. Many of these same locations, however, also hummed with a magical connection to the Elemental Plane of Earth.[1]
The Hidden Forge of Dumathoin in the depths of the Frostsilver Mines.
The deepest depths of Frostsilver contained a complex of forges known as the Hidden Forge of Dumathoin, the dwarven god of secrets. This area contained many dedications to the god, as well as rivers of molten lava, powerful wards, and solid iron doors marked with his sigil. Hidden at the very heart of the complex was a large secret room that contained the Anvil of Dumathoin.[1]
It was also said that there were tunnels connecting the Mines to the Heartcoil Deeps.[1]
Defenses[]
Frostsilver Mines were known to be guarded by suits of animated armor known as "Frostsilver Knights", whose construction was blessed by Dumathoin himself such that they remained active and in pristine condition long after the Mines had been abandoned.[1]
History[]
In its heyday, the dwarves spent centuries extracting seemingly endless amounts of mineral wealth from the mines, and these riches were used to build nearby Sharpstone Keep. Frostsilver was also known for its manufacturing, with its smiths making many treasures and constructs, the greatest of which was said to be their Frostsilver armor blessed by Dumathoin.[1]
However, everything changed when a sudden and violent catastrophe led to the deaths of every miner within Frostsilver Mines. While the nature of this tragedy was long a mystery to the outside world—and many concluded that the place has become cursed—the truth was that they were slaughtered by the Anvil of Dumathoin, one of the dwarves' own creations. This mighty iron golem had gone on a rampage, killing the dwarves and leaving their spirits in trauma. This led to the dwarves' spirits becoming twisted by anger and rage, causing their bodies to rise as skeletons and zombies and their spirits to warp into specters.[1]
At some point in the late 15th century DR, the hobgoblin warlord Mrolgyet learned of the Anvil of Dumathoin and desired to acquire it for himself. Rather than send his Legion into the Mines directly, he subdued a clan of ettins led by Grocknock, gave them rust monsters to eat through the doors and defenses of the Mines, and tasked them with recovering the Anvil of Dumathoin. Grocknock used the Legion's support to force his rivals—a gang of trolls led by Snarlclaw—to tunnel directly into the Hidden Forge and begin their search.[1]
Around the same time, goblin, kobold, ogre, and orc bandits of the Burntbone Horde arrived in the upper reaches of Frostsilver to hunt for treasure, but were stymied by an army of skeletons that prevented them from delving deeper into the Mines. Not long after, their base at Sharpstone Keep was overrun and they were pursued to the Mines by adventurers hired to stamp them out by the Open Lord of Waterdeep, Laeral Silverhand. These adventurers learned of the skeletal army and its leader, "The Bonebreaker", from a captured goblin, and when Laeral heard that there was such a large force of undead so close to her city, she ordered the adventurers to destroy The Bonebreaker and scatter the army. While they succeeded, this opened the path for the Horde to rush into the Mines, leading to a race between the adventurers and the bandits to secure the dwarven treasures. They soon discovered, however, not only the many undead and constructs that still defended the Mines, but that the treasures themselves were suffused with negative energy. The adventurers eventually won this race and succeeded in acquiring samples of Frostsilver's famous enchanted armor to send back to Blackstaff Academy for study.[1]
Pressing deeper into the Mines, the adventurers began to piece together the horror of what had happened to the dwarves. After making their way into the Hidden Forge, they also began discovering the name "Snarlclaw" written in the Giant language. Recognizing the name, and realizing that the trolls would only have tunneled into an area so full of fire and molten rock under extraordinary duress, the adventurers investigated. They drove off Snarlclaw, who was not at all interested in fighting them, and captured and interrogating Grocknock. Before he too fled, he revealed to the adventurers that he was sent to find the Anvil of Dumathoin, although he did not reveal what it was or who sent him. The adventurers subsequently learned of Mrolgyet's involvement by recognizing his sigil branded into the flesh of some trolls and ettins. After fighting through to the center of the Hidden Forge, the party finally realized the true nature of the Anvil of Dumathoin, and destroyed it. Despite some rumblings that the Anvil might repair itself and rampage once more, the adventurers left the mines to confront Mrolgyet's Legion at its headquarters on Harvestshield Mountain.[1]
Inhabitants[]
Prior to the tragedy that took their lives, Frostsilver was inhabited by dwarves. After their deaths, it was inhabited by giant spiders and the dwarves' undead remains. Among the many undead, perhaps the two most prominent were a particularly large skeleton known as Bonebreaker and a particularly furious specter known as Frostsilver's Rage.[1]
The depths of the Mines were also home to a potent earth elemental known as the Soul of Frostsilver.[1]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
- Video Games
- Warriors of Waterdeep