Halls
of Hammer / Hammer Hall
| Halls
of Hammer / Hammer Hall |
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West of Mount Hlim, near the shores of Highstar Lake, is a pit half full of loose, sharp rubble. An opening cut in its rock walls leads into the Halls of the Hammer, a long-abandoned dwarfhold. Nearby stands Hammer Hall, a log house and stables encircled by a stout wooden palisade. Hammer Hall was built by an adventuring group called the Men of Hammer Hall as a base to explore the dwarfhold. As is common for adventuring companies working for long periods in a particular area, the Men of Hammer Hall used the stockade as a place to retire to between sorties into the dwarfhold.
On several occasions, the adventurers, who hailed from Waterdeep, fought off trolls, orcs, and bugbears from this fortified home. After exploring the ruins for several seasons, the adventurers are said to have set off north - and have not been heard from since. The fate of their treasure, and the treasure that may remain in the Halls of Hammer, is unknown. This area is a true wilderness, traveled by people but seldom settled, and the question remains open.
Hammer Hall has been broken into many times. It's now deserted, with stones dug in a corner to reveal a storage niche (empty, of course). It remains, however, a stout building offering shelter to travelers in this rugged wilderness. Stacked firewood even waits beside its main chimney.
The humanoids roaming the High Moor know its location and can be expected to attack anyone seen traveling to it. Wood smoke draws them, of course, but in a blizzard or blinding rainstorm, Hammer Hall may prove a refuge worth the harrying. The design of its entrance forces intruders to make a sharp turn down a wooden hall, or chute, fitted with ports for archers or spearmen to attack from. A lone swordsman can hold the narrow entryway beyond.
Inevitably, rumors have spread of treasure buried by the adventurers in Hammer Hall and not recovered. The dug-over state of the grounds suggests that many have come looking. Rich treasure may well lie in the dwarfhold. The Men of Hammer Hall told a bard of their adventures once, and the tale he recounts has been echoed by later adventuring groups.
The Halls of the Hammer is said to have a large central chamber wherein a hundred human corpses dangle from the ceiling in a forest of chains - an illusion that vanishes and reappears from time to time, for no known reason. At least five watchghosts (powerful, wraithlike spirits) roam the halls beyond, guarding a glowing magical war hammer that floats by itself in a chamber guarded by helmed horrors and magical defenses.
What powers the awesome-looking hammer possesses, who put it there and why, and how to win past its defenses are all mysteries as yet unsolved. Seeking the answers has killed at least 20 daring women and men thus far.