The Eternal Forge
Ervenian Era, 1051 AB
The Eternal Forge is the heart-hearth of Erackinor: a vault the size of a city where Moradin tempers souls as surely as steel, and where Berronar’s steady grace keeps every spark from turning wild. Here, craft is prayer and heat is hymn, an anvil-orchestra whose music shapes destinies as much as metal.
Customs and Rites
The Three Strikes
Every great work begins with three measured blows—Design, Duty, Dedication—struck in public upon the Soul Anvil.Temper of Mercy
Weapons destined for guardians are quenched in the Mercy Pool; they hold a quiet reluctance to spill innocent blood and respond keenly to defensive fighting.Ring-Binding
Oaths are braided on the Rune Looms and sealed with paired silver rings. A false vow tarnishes in the mouth; a true vow tastes of mint and iron.Trial of Reforging
Broken heirlooms and broken reputations alike can be re-tempered. The supplicant declares the fault, the forge sings the remedy, and work is shared until the new temper holds.Geography
Carved from a single, titanic chamber of star-grained stone, the Forge spans terraces of anvils, crucibles, bellows-towers, quench-pools, and rune looms. At its center stands the Soul Anvil, a 40-foot monolith of living Mithril, faced by a glacier-bright ice wall and flanked by a lake of soulfire whose surface moves like molten glass. Between the three flows a measured breath of heat and cold; masters say the Forge inhales trial and exhales resolve.
Notable Locations
The Soul Anvil
A living mithral block veined with faint, slow-turning runes. Each strike upon it rings three notes: craft, kin, and oath. Only Moradin, Berronar, or an anointed Forgewarden may call its full voice.The Quench-Lakes
Tiered pools, water, oil, salt, and sanctified snowmelt, fed by the Ice-Wall. Each imparts a different temper to both tools and vows: mercy, memory, duty, or endurance.Bellows Spires
Hollow, ribbed towers that drink cold from the ice and feed the furnace-galleries with measured drafts. The spires hum with a low, reassuring chord when the work is true.Rune Looms
Walkable lattices of braided sigils where Berronar’s faenor bind promises into metal. Oaths woven here leave a silver comfort in the chest and cannot be lightly forsworn.The Ember-Arcades
Merchant aisles and guild cloisters under red lanterns; everything for a lifetime of craft can be found here, from ore-scriptured ingots to heirloom dies.The Quiet Gallery
A pillared overlook where petitioners and visitors sit in reverent silence; the stones translate the rhythm of hammers into wordless understanding.Travel and Access
Way of Rings
Pilgrims enter through Berronar's Side; a ring-oath at the Gate-Kiln opens the bronze doors. Oathbreakers find the passage looping them back to the lantern-ports of Solania.Forge-Paths of Kin
Signed guild-routes connect directly to allied Morndinsamman realms (Dwarvish Mountain, Mount Angradd, The Merciful Court). Each requires a countersign: a stanza, a stamp, and a shared tool.Anvil-Keys
Massive iron keys fashioned as miniature hammers unlock restricted workbays (soulbinding, relic-restoration, vault-warding). Keys are sworn to persons, not places.Inhabitants
Forgewardens (tome/warder archons)
Keep the cadence, adjudicate safety, and bless collaborative projects.Faenor of Berronar
Healers, oath-tenders, and keepers of the Looms; they pair every great work with a kindness owed.Azer Master-Smiths
Guest artisans overseeing extreme heats and exotic alloys.Petitioners of the Craft
Dwarves and kindred souls who loved honest work in life; they teach, apprentice, and laugh easily.Localized Phenomena
Anvil’s Chorus
Cooperative labor resonates. When three or more craft in concert, their checks feel steadier; instructions passed in time with the beat are understood as if shared language.Quenchlight
Steam rising from the lakes makes soft auroras that reveal hairline flaws, whether in metal or in a plan. Honest revision feels easy; stubborn pride weighs heavy.Memory Slag
Scoria formed from failed attempts remembers the last mistake. Work done beside it gains a “do not repeat” intuition; those who refuse to learn find tools oddly off-balance.Oath-Heat
Sworn vows warm the hands like fresh bread. Lie while you work, and the tongs go cold; speak truth and the grip suits you.Bellows’ Breath
When tempers fray, a cooling draft moves through the aisles, lowering voices and steadying hearts. Violence flickers and usually gutters out.Khuzdul natives
Only Khuzdul can be spoken here. Those who don't understand it, must ask permission to speak it from and only then, they can speak and understand while there.Trait Type |
Description |
|---|---|
| Gravity | Objective down to the nearest worked surface; in grand shafts, “softened descent” halves fall damage for willing creatures bearing a clan-mark or oath-ring. |
| Time | Time is 5 times slower than the Prime Material Plane; Shift-bells (work watches) can be “held” by overseer chant to complete a task scene without losing more than a minute to the wider plane. |
| Shape & Size | Functionally infinite; terraces and galleries extend as need and worth demand. |
| Morphic Traits | Divinely morphic to Moradin and Berronar; law-bound to vows, plans, and blueprints, documented intent shapes layouts subtly in your favor. |
| Elemental Energy | None Dominant |
| Alignment | Lawful Good. |
| Magic | Fabricate (honest use), make whole, blessed hammer/weapon/armor prayers, wall of stone, stone shape, consecrate, hallow, heal/greater restoration (especially during ring-rites), community and guardianship magic (aura of courage, status, shield other), oath/rune magics, divinations about kin, craft, or truthful witness are enhanced. While, dominate, geas used to violate rightful oaths, fear that breaks guard-duty, necromancy that steals dwarven dead, glamers meant to defraud craft or pedigree are impeded. |
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