with the least damage, scavenging stones from ruined
structures to r einforce those that can be salvaged.
Before the war, Sundabar's surface streets were
cobbled smooth, but many of those roads have been
destroyed by falling stones, torn up for ammunition or to
repa ir walls, or simply neglected. Now, the surface city
is a hollowed-out ruin. Some believe that the city above
will be allowed to wither into oblivion, with the excep-
tion of the sturdy double wall that surrounds it (and
which the dwarves have already repaired). The tem-
ples of human de ities stand a ba ndoned. The walls are
patrolled by a few sharp-eyed sentries, whose duty is to
report what they see and to turn away unwanted visitors.
In the center of the upper city, the Circle still stands
around the ruin of the Master's Hall, ready to receive vis-
iting caravans, livestock, and merchants. However, few
such visitors arrive, and fewer still a re welcomed, as Sund-
abar prefers to engage in trade nowadays only with other
dwarven cities through the Underdark. Were it within the
Forgemaster's power, he would see to it that all commerce
entering and leaving the city do so by means of under-
ground traffic, so that most s urface trade routes could be
aba ndoned entirely.
Sundarren trust of outsiders is low, and their assess-
ment of humans lowe r still. During the war, of all the
human cities, only Silverymoon ma de any attempt to aid
Sundabar, and that aid was (to dwarven minds) far too
little and too late. As a result, with the Silver Marches
dissolving, Sundabar wasted no time withdrawing from
the Lords' Alliance as well, officially severing formal ties
with the human realms of the North except for those
necessary for trade. Given tha t such trade is now a r a re
occurrence, most of the human realms see Sundabar
as jealously guarding its wealth and cravenly hiding
beneath the surface, while the rest of the region does
what it can to recover from the recent conflicts. Sund-
abar's losses in buildings and in population have done
nothing to diminish the contents of its overflowing cof-
fers, and despite its current state, the city r emains one
of the wealthiest in the North, though mos t of that coin
rarely leaves the city now.
The notion of kingship has com e up among the
dwarves in the undercity, but the Forgemaster has
rejected the idea. Let the dwarves tend to themselves,
surely, but there should be no king in Sundabar. I don't
know whether Flamestoker's reticence is false modesty
or true wisdom, or if he is waiting for a warrior-king to
claim Sundabar as part of a larger realm.
THORNHOLD
West of the High Road and hard to the coast near th e
Mere of Dead Men lies what humans refer to as Thorn-
hold. Once the keep of a petty warlord of the Margaster
family of Waterdeep, it was captured and claime d by a
paladin as part of the Second Troll War. For many years
the Knights of Samular, an order of Tyrran paladins
founded by one Samular Caradoon, used Thornhold as
its base, though the hold remained the personal prop-
erty of the Margaster family.
For a brief time a little more than a century ago,
Thornhold fell into Zhentarim hands. When the
Zhentarim marched through the Underdark to claimThornhold, they passe d through the caverns of Clan
Stoneshaft, which had lived below since before the
time the surface city was erected by humans. Though
the Zhentarim killed or enslave d many of the dwarves
the re, they failed to destroy the clan. The survivors soon
escaped, r egroupe d, and retook Thornhold by force
unde r their leader, Ebenezer Stoneshaft, with the aid of
Samular's descendant, the Harper Bronywn Caradoon.
After th e fortress was reclaimed, in a gesture of respect
and gratitude, Caradoon bequeathed its custody to Clan
Stoneshaft.
The dwarves of Thornhold are all of the Stoneshaft
clan, and because tunnels from their home connect to
the castle, they refer to the place as Stoneshaft Hold;
they use "Thornhold" only when a non-dwarf in a con-
versation is confused and an expla nation must be made.
By habit and nature, Stoneshaft dwarves are secretive
(even for dwarves), but nonetheless always eager to
hear what's afoot in Waterdeep, particularly any doings
involving the Margaste r family, whom th ey see as
foes who will one day attack the ir home to regain it or
destroy it if they can't take it back.
To most humans, Thornhold is merely the fortress
above the surface, a castle of gray stone with a thick,
curvin g wall and a two-towered central keep. They don't
know of the caverns below that lead to the Stoneshaft
clanhold. The cliff facing the sea is so sheer that no wall
need be built to protect tha t side of the hill on which
Thorn hold sits. The castle is utterly without adornment
or orname ntation, and only cr enellations and arrow
s lits break the solid face of stone. Within the castle,
surrounding the bailey, are small buildings of wood and
plaster that hold animals and are used for smithwork,
candlemaking, laundry, wood repairs (including wagons
and the like), a nd brewing beer.
Long ago, Thornhold was a profitable stopover for car-
avanners, adventurers, a nd other travelers journeying
north a long th e High Road past or through the Mere
of Dead Men. For decades, the expansion of the Mere
in the calamities of the Spell plague cut off most travel
along the High Road. During that time, the Stoneshafts
lived in relative isolation, stockpiling the ir ore, refine d
metal, and crafts. Stoneshafts are known for the fine
m etal-and gemwork they craft, consider ed by most to be
works of art worn as personal adornment.
The Margasters ofWaterdeep believe that they still
have a right to Thornhold. The fortress sits on the rees-
tablished High Road leading to Neverwinter, so it is no
wonder that the nobles wish to profit from the fortress's
location a long that route. The Knights of Samular also
s how inte rest in restoring their outpost at Thornhold as
a prelude to sorties into the Me re, and there is talk that
these desires may lead to a curious alliance between the
grasping human nobles and the high-minded paladins.
Stoneshafts fear the politics of powerful Waterdeep
will lead to an assault on Thornhold. They have thus
been preparing for siege by gathering supplies and re in-
forcing Thornhold's defenses.
Stoneshaft dwarves can taste the wealth, bustling
energy, a nd constant excite ment of nearby Wate rdeep,
and want to share in it. They don't want to be forced into
isolationism, and kept away from Waterdhavian societyCHAPTER 2 I THE SWORD COAST AND THE NORTH