CHAPTER 4: GRACKLSTUGH
Visitor s to the duergar city of Gracklstugh are greeted
by its hot and acrid air, followed by the angry red glare
of the eternally burning smelters fueling the city's metal
works, its clanging heart, and the forges kept alive by
the names ofThemberchaud. the red dragon that holds
the title of Wyrmsmith. Gracklstugh toils endlessly,
its smiths churning out the best armor and weapons
among the Underdark races. Those who do business
here refer to Gracklstugh as "the City of Blades:·
As merciless as it can be. Gracklstugh is a major
bastion of civilization in the Undcrdark with active
trade routes. For the characters. this means a potential
chance to find a way back to the surface world- and just
as importantly. to shake off the drow that pursue them.
However. the adventurers will quickly realize that the
power of the demon lords is a threat even here. getting
an even closer glimpse of the Underdark's decay as the
madness of the Abyss continues to spread.
Built within th e walls of a deep cavern southwest of
the Dark l ake. Gracklstugh is the commercial, political,
and spiritual center of the duergar, all of whom look to
the Dccpking with respect. The city has an open shore
Cll \PTER t J CRACK I C:TUCH
along the Darklake, while several caverns and passages
connect Gracklstugh to other parts of the Underdark to
facilitate travel and trade.
The characters have a chance to witness and
shape events in the city that point toward the danger
Gracklstugh faces- and how unprepared the city is for
it. But with each moment the characters spend in the
Cicy of Blades, they run the risk of having escaped the
drow only to be enslaved by the duergar.GOING TO GRACKLSTUGH
Despite its dangers, Gracklstugh does have a few things
to offer ... or at least that's what some of the characters'
fellow escapees tell them.
Buppido (sec chapter 1) and Hemetb (see chapter
3) are the only PCs who actively suggest going to
Gracklstugh. They know that duergar have no love for
the drow, and their draconian Jaws keep all foreigners
in check. which should provide some measure of
sanctuary from drow pursuit. Gracklstugh is as good
a place as any in the Undcrd ark to sell stolen gear and