The Forge of Fury is an adventure module for Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition, written by Richard Baker and released in 2000. The adventure is a Dungeon Crawl taking place in the ancient dwarven citadel of Khundrukar, intended for players of 3rd level and higher. It also serves as a followup to an earlier adventure, The Sunless Citadel.
Durgeddin was the mightiest dwarven smith of his era. In defiance of the orcs that sacked his home, Durgeddin built a new citadel in the mountain of Stone Tooth, naming it Khundrukar. From his hidden fortress, the great smith waged a terrible war against his hated foe. In time, however, the orcs discovered Khundrukar's location and lay siege to it for days on end. Durgeddin and his people perished within their fortress, and the orcs took what valuables they could find. Khundrukar is deep and has many hidden alcoves, however, and now, centuries after, adventurers and treasure seekers are drawn to Stone Tooth, seeking gold, glory, and the famed blades of Durgeddin. But Khundrukar has not lay quiet as the centuries passed, and there are worse things than orcs hidden within its nightmarish depths...
The module was re-released in the 2017 sourcebook Tales from the Yawning Portal for 5th edition, a "Best Of" collection featuring critically acclaimed adventures from previous editions. The adventure was always intended for a "generic setting", but the Tales version gives guidelines to place it on the worlds of Greyhawk, Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms
Tropes
- Consummate Liar: Idalla, a succubus, will tell the party what she knows about the dungeon, but it is almost all lies or half-truths.
- Covers Always Lie: There is a black dragon in the adventure, but it doesn't appear on the same level as the rickety bridge, and the DM would have to make some narrative backflips to make the battle take place there.
- Dragon Hoard: Nightscale has one, of course. Looting it will give the players a decent sum, including some magic weapons and a few healing potions.
- Dungeon Crawling: The adventure is an old-school dungeon crawl taking place mostly underground, with plenty of monsters to fight and caverns to get lost in. In an interesting twist, each floor of Khundrukar is designed to reflect a type of dungeon frequently seen in these kinds of adventures.
- The Mountain Door is the "enemy fortress" type of dungeon, old dwarven defensive structures, now taken over by a hostile tribe of orcs and full of hazardous traps.
- The Glitterhame is the "natural cavern" type of dungeon, infested by unintelligent monsters and primitive troglodytes, as well as natural hazards.
- The Foundry is the "ancient ruins" type of dungeon, the old living and working quarters of Durgeddin's people. The primary enemies here are duergar and a few undead thrown in for flavor.
- The Black Lake is the most classic dungeon of all, a dragon's lair.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Arundil, Durgeddin's court mage, attempted to rebuild the defenses using his magic after his kinsmen perished. One of those attempts involved summoning the fiend Idalla, who killed him soon after.
- Lone Wolf Boss: Every level of the dungeon is technically inhabited by creatures independent of the others, but the Roper in the sinkhole and Nightscale the dragon stand out as bosses with no connection to anyone else.
- Schmuck Bait: In the Glitterhame, there's an exquisite magical sword bearing Durgeddin's mark, certain to interest any melee figher, or fetch a nice price on the open market. The sword is also held by a skeleton covered in yellow mold, which will poison anyone nearby if it is disturbed.
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Spiritual Successor: The Mountain Doors level is often considered one to the classic Against the Giants series of modules. - Ultimate Blacksmith: Durgeddin's craft was legendary. Some of the weapons bearing his mark can be found within Khundrukar, and they're all +1 magical.
