Dhunbor
Matron's Crucible
The Ashward Legions' Barracks
Slave Foundries
The Black Ledger Vaults
“The flames beneath Dhunbor do not warm; they remember. Every ingot pulled from its forges is strength reborn, every blade a covenant of vengeance. Fire fades. But the iron never forgets.”
-High Forgemaster Kharzul Deepbrand, before the Siege of Three Gates
Dhunbor is the greatest stronghold of the dark dwarves, a city carved into obsidian strata deep within the Underrealm where stone bleeds heat and the air itself tastes of iron. Where other Underdark cities glorify sorcery or secrecy, Dhunbor venerates industry, conquest, and craft. It is not merely a home for its people, but a machine that forges weapons, armies, and dominion
To swear by Dhunbor is to swear by iron law and unyielding will. Such oaths are not spoken lightly, for the city’s creed holds that a promise, once forged, must either be fulfilled or shattered violently. Dhunbor’s influence stretches far beyond its cavern walls, carried outward on armored legions, mercenary contracts, and infernal arms traded at ruinous cost.
Unlike surface cities, Dhunbor was not grown organically. It was excavated with purpose, each hall measured, reinforced, and aligned to serve the city’s forges and foundries. The result is a brutalist sprawl of terraces, crucibles, and vertical shafts, where heat rises and authority descends. Comfort is secondary and efficiency is sacred.
Overview
Dhunbor lies at the convergence of several magma-fed fault lines under the Spine, deliberately chosen millennia ago for the resources they would provide. Rivers of molten stone power the city’s great forges, while infernal conduits channel energies drawn from bound entities and sealed pacts. The city is perpetually shrouded in smoke and ember-glow, its ceilings lost to shadow and drifting ash.
The city was once ruled by the Iron Alliance, a council of forge lords, generals, and clan leaders whose authority was enforced by both law and overwhelming force. Since then, the Drow have conquered the city, and a Queen’s regent governs it.
The city was once ruled by the Iron Alliance, a council of forge lords, generals, and clan leaders whose authority was enforced by both law and overwhelming force. Since then, the Drow have conquered the city, and a Queen’s regent governs it.
Demographic
Dhunbor is overwhelmingly populated by mole dwarves, or Druergar, though they are far from alone. Enslaved or indentured populations, goblinoids, outcasts, captured surface folk, and condemned debtors, vastly outnumber the ruling caste. These laborers are considered resources, assigned to mines, forges, or auxiliary industries and replaced as needed.
Citizens of Dhunbor are expected to serve in some capacity: military, industrial, or administrative. Martial training is universal, and even master smiths are expected to know how to wield the weapons they create. Foreigners are permitted within the city only under strict supervision, often confined to designated trade vaults and never allowed near the deepest forges.
Citizens of Dhunbor are expected to serve in some capacity: military, industrial, or administrative. Martial training is universal, and even master smiths are expected to know how to wield the weapons they create. Foreigners are permitted within the city only under strict supervision, often confined to designated trade vaults and never allowed near the deepest forges.
Points of Interest
The Infernal Forge-Heart:
At the molten heart of Dhunbor lies the Infernal Forge-Heart, a colossal smeltery complex empowered by a singular, powerful act: the donation of living heat from the demon Azrakar. Unlike traditional emril-bound forges that rely on trapped entities or volatile runes, this forge was irrevocably altered by Azrakar’s own essence, gifted in a rare, devastating practice.
His demonic heat infused the forge’s very foundation, elevating it beyond any known craft. Magma flows through obsidian trenches that pulse with residual infernal power, and every flame bears the memory of that strength. The result is an enduring forge capable of creating weapons and armor stronger than emril, forged to endure scorching sun, searing heat, and magical duress to a degree.
Weapons born here are heavier, tougher, and burn with an unnatural resilience, capable of channeling heat without warping, and ideal for surface warfare or harsh magical climates. The materials forged within are prized among both surface armies and underrealm war hosts, commanding fear and awe.
Matron’s Crucible:
A sanctum where the ruling Matron governs with absolute authority. Hewn from volcanic glass and reinforced with infernal alloys, the chamber hums with residual divinity and searing magical force.
The floor is carved with ever-shifting glyphs of Maelzafan’s favors. Towering basalt thrones line the walls reserved for senior druergar war-chiefs, high forge-casters, and mole dwarf viziers who await her bidding. The ceiling is lost in shadow, from which chains dangle like waiting judgments.
From this black-hearted chamber, edicts are spoken. Her will is carried through the deep by whisper-slaves and branded messengers, and the slightest defiance invites withering ruin. The Matron can command the forges, redirect trade convoys, or ignite surface invasions from this single seat of power. Even high priests dare not speak in her presence unless bidden.
The Ashward Legions’ Barracks:
Dhunbor’s standing army is housed in fortress-barracks carved directly into the city’s outer ring. These legions are heavily armored, disciplined, and accustomed to fighting in smoke-filled, lightless environments. Entire battalions can be deployed through fortified tunnels within hours.
The Slave Foundries:
Separate from the Forge-Heart, these foundries rely on brute labor. Mortality rates are high, and the output is crude but plentiful, creating armor, tools, siege equipment. The screams are said to improve morale among the overseers.
The Black Ledger Vaults:
A heavily guarded archive containing contracts, infernal pacts, and debts owed to Dhunbor. Many wars have begun over names inscribed here. To be written into the Black Ledger is to belong, in some fashion, to the city.
At the molten heart of Dhunbor lies the Infernal Forge-Heart, a colossal smeltery complex empowered by a singular, powerful act: the donation of living heat from the demon Azrakar. Unlike traditional emril-bound forges that rely on trapped entities or volatile runes, this forge was irrevocably altered by Azrakar’s own essence, gifted in a rare, devastating practice.
His demonic heat infused the forge’s very foundation, elevating it beyond any known craft. Magma flows through obsidian trenches that pulse with residual infernal power, and every flame bears the memory of that strength. The result is an enduring forge capable of creating weapons and armor stronger than emril, forged to endure scorching sun, searing heat, and magical duress to a degree.
Weapons born here are heavier, tougher, and burn with an unnatural resilience, capable of channeling heat without warping, and ideal for surface warfare or harsh magical climates. The materials forged within are prized among both surface armies and underrealm war hosts, commanding fear and awe.
Matron’s Crucible:
A sanctum where the ruling Matron governs with absolute authority. Hewn from volcanic glass and reinforced with infernal alloys, the chamber hums with residual divinity and searing magical force.
The floor is carved with ever-shifting glyphs of Maelzafan’s favors. Towering basalt thrones line the walls reserved for senior druergar war-chiefs, high forge-casters, and mole dwarf viziers who await her bidding. The ceiling is lost in shadow, from which chains dangle like waiting judgments.
From this black-hearted chamber, edicts are spoken. Her will is carried through the deep by whisper-slaves and branded messengers, and the slightest defiance invites withering ruin. The Matron can command the forges, redirect trade convoys, or ignite surface invasions from this single seat of power. Even high priests dare not speak in her presence unless bidden.
The Ashward Legions’ Barracks:
Dhunbor’s standing army is housed in fortress-barracks carved directly into the city’s outer ring. These legions are heavily armored, disciplined, and accustomed to fighting in smoke-filled, lightless environments. Entire battalions can be deployed through fortified tunnels within hours.
The Slave Foundries:
Separate from the Forge-Heart, these foundries rely on brute labor. Mortality rates are high, and the output is crude but plentiful, creating armor, tools, siege equipment. The screams are said to improve morale among the overseers.
The Black Ledger Vaults:
A heavily guarded archive containing contracts, infernal pacts, and debts owed to Dhunbor. Many wars have begun over names inscribed here. To be written into the Black Ledger is to belong, in some fashion, to the city.
History
Dhunbor predates many surface empires, founded during an age when the Underrealm was fractured among rival clans and petty kingdoms. Early dark dwarf settlements struggled until a conclave of smith-kings discovered how to bind infernal entities safely into forge-works, trading fragments of their souls for mastery over hellfire.
This revelation transformed Dhunbor from a city to a fortress. Its weapons proved superior, its armor near-indestructible, and its armies stalwart. It is a bulwark of stability and cruelty.
Over centuries, internal schisms gave rise to the Iron Alliance, replacing hereditary kings with a meritocratic tyranny where power is earned through conquest, production, or ruthlessness. It is the iron-clad agreements and pacts that bind this otherwise disagreeable group together into a single entity, each vying for power and influence over others even as they claim to work toward a common goal.
The city finally succumbed to outside invasion when the Drow came. Fielding an unrelenting army, the Drow invaded under the former queen Vyx’aria Tor’Rahel and annexed the city under the influence of Zar’ahal, replacing the Iron Alliance with a Drow ruling class.
This revelation transformed Dhunbor from a city to a fortress. Its weapons proved superior, its armor near-indestructible, and its armies stalwart. It is a bulwark of stability and cruelty.
Over centuries, internal schisms gave rise to the Iron Alliance, replacing hereditary kings with a meritocratic tyranny where power is earned through conquest, production, or ruthlessness. It is the iron-clad agreements and pacts that bind this otherwise disagreeable group together into a single entity, each vying for power and influence over others even as they claim to work toward a common goal.
The city finally succumbed to outside invasion when the Drow came. Fielding an unrelenting army, the Drow invaded under the former queen Vyx’aria Tor’Rahel and annexed the city under the influence of Zar’ahal, replacing the Iron Alliance with a Drow ruling class.
