Agthand’s Bastion

art by Andreas Rocha, source

 This stronghold in the north of Norwold is a collaboration between two people who would not normally work together: an Alphatian mage and a dwarf from Rockhome. Agthand's bastion is the closest haven to the legendary City of Madness. It was established 50 years ago when Agthand Nickelhelm, a dwarven prospector, found mithril bars in the possession of a barbarian from much further north than the Great Bay of Norwold. Further investigation led him north close to the City of Madness, where he found both a series of ancient mines first excavated by the Arvorians and their humanoid slaves and then Ulliza, an Alphatian mage who had come to this forsaken place to investigate the Arvorians. After an initial tense stand-off the dwarf and mage realised that neither was aggressive and that they could pool their resources. They established a temporary base inside what they named as Black Yeti Mine, clearing out the top level. Ulliza found evidence of the Arvorians civilization and Agthand found already-mined mithril ore in minecarts and some mithril scraps in the smelters. Ulliza sent magical messages to both her apprentices in Alphatia and Agthand’s colleagues in Rockhome and they gathered in Black Yeti Mine. Then construction of the bastion began on an icy hilltop not far from the mine, using both magic (Stone Shape and Wall of Stone) and dwarven craftsmanship.  

Frost giants, white dragons and other wandering monsters of the Everwinter Lands are constant threats and although the mages and dwarves can deal with such creatures when prepared, it does mean that vigilance must be constant. It was only 10 years ago that a pair of Remorhazes attacked the bastion, killing several defenders. The weather is at least as brutal as the monsters, and all residents of the bastion have to be careful not to be caught out in a blizzard or get lost while wandering the Everwinter Lands. The bastion has adequate insulation so those inside can stay warm, assisted by coal dug locally by the dwarves. 

Another threat is that the Arvorians of the City of Madness have become aware of the Bastion, and although most are not interested in the nearby presence of humans and dwarves, there are some that have started investigating whether the bastion represents a threat to Arvorian superiority over the region. 

There are now 25 dwarves and 10 mages in the bastion, and they have formed two distinct social groups. They are not yet rival factions, and most of the time get on fine, but there has been friction. 

Food is an important matter, and there are three main sources of sustenance: Firstly Ulliza has created a portal back to her home town of Sanaz north of Shiell. There are almost daily mule-loads of food travelling through this portal. Secondly the dwarves have become quite good at hunting the local wildlife including reindeer and muskoxen. This is risky on account of both the vicious weather and also other creatures that might be encountered - winter wolves are known to follow the herds on the tundra. Thirdly an enterprising dwarf has set up a fungus farm in a disused chamber in Black Yeti Mine. The dwarves are quite used to this sort of mushroom diet but the mages have not yet acquired the taste, and instead wait for the mule to come through the portal. It is worth noting that the portal to Sanaz can only be used twice per day, once in and once out, therefore it is not used frivilously. 

Trade in such an isolated outpost is limited unless one wishes to trade with Alphatians, in which case the portal to Sanaz is ideal. This leaves the dwarves in a bit of a quandary - many of the miners would like to sell the mithril and other precious minerals back to their fellow dwarves back in Rockhome, but that means a risky two month voyage by sea along the Sea of Dawn and overland through Soderfjord to Rockhome, and then back again to north-most Norwold. The less patriotic dwarves have travelled through the portal and sold their product in Sanaz, deciding that these wizards are not nearly as bad as the ones in Glantri. although all wizards are a bit peculiar and should be treated with caution. The inhabitants of Sanaz likewise appreciate this new source of precious metals. 

There is spare accomodation in the bastion, and adventurers wanting to stay here are welcome as long as they both pay for bed and board (10gp per person per night), and pull their weight when there are urgent tasks to be done or threats to be fended off. Similarly a basic level of good behaviour and respect is expected from any guests. Nonetheless, if adventurers heed these requirements, then Agthand's Bastion is an excellent base from which to venture out to explore Arvorian ruins. 

There are three known mines that the dwarves have discovered:

Black Yeti Mine is safe on the upper two levels, and has been in use since Agthand and Ulliza arrived here. There are known to be at least two more levels, both with infestation problems, particularly slimes and oozes on the fourth level and a band of orcs on the third, who may have a passage into a deeper network of caves. Nonetheless, there are profitable veins of both mithril and silver that the dwarves work, 

Odragg's Delve is another mine of Arvorian origin.  It has veins of silver and a coal seam that is useful to the bastion for staying warm, cooking food and smelting some of the easier metals. The first level is now safe but the second and lower levels are not, with both kobolds and giant rats pestering the miners. There also seem to be various items abandoned by the Arvorians, which the mages in the bastion find intriguing, 

Minotaur Maw is considered very dangerous, although the mithril found there still makes it tempting. A band of white-furred minotaurs attack anyone else who ventures in here and have killed two dwarf prospectors. Interestingly the dwarves have reported the severed heads of Arvorians mounted outside the entrance to the mine, so even the Arvorians occasionally fall prey to the minotaurs. 

NPCs of Agthand's Bastion

Agthand Nickelhelm: Dwarf leader and entrepreneur. Male dwarf Warrior 7th level, align Neutral, Str 15, Int 13, Wis 10, Dex 10, Con 16, Cha 14. Equipment: Banded armour +1, Shield +1 +2 vs normal missiles, Cloak of Cold Protection, Hand axe +2, Pick Axe of Speed (doubles rate of excavation of non-living matter). Agthand is the co-founder of Agthand’s Bastion and leader of the dwarves there. He is also the head of business and the treasurer, paying, hiring and firing the dwarves in his employment and also arranging business deals selling the metals and minerals extracted by his team. 

Ulliza of Sanaz: Alphatian mage leader, chief researcher, female human Magic User 16th level, align Neutral, Str 7, Int 17, Wis 12, Con 10, Cha 13, Equipment: Staff of Wizardry, Crystal Ball, Dagger +2, Ring of Spell Storing, Broom of Flying. Whereas Agthand views this situation as a business opportunity, Ulliza sees it as a research project. She became aware of the Arvorians after talking to some lupins outside of Barathmir and has had several encounters with the ancient race, none of which were friendly. She is putting together information about the history of the Arvorians and their current plans. To this end she has gathered a team of research assistants (Alphatian mages) to help her. She feels responsible for her team and will try to make sure they do not upset the dwarves or get into danger. Ulliza is the creator of the magic portal to Alphatia that has proved a lifeline and important trading route - one thing she has not told anyone else is that she has the ability to destroy the portal. She would only do this if the bastion was overrun and the enemy threatened to pour into Alphatia. 

Borddrad Marblehall: chief engineer. Male dwarf warrior 6th level, align Lawful, Str 14, Int 14, Wis 13, Dex 10, Con 13, Cha 10. Equipment: Chain mail +2, Warhammer +1 +2 vs goblinoids. Borddrad supervises all manner of engineering matters, including the construction of the Bastion, the safe  excavation of the mines and the forges and smelters that turn ore into metal. He is well respected by Agthand and the other dwarves and the mages certainly view him as an expert in his field.  One personal connection is that he is friends with  Orrinor Whitebeard of Ragnadir’s Air Transport Company. He has suggested to Agthand that the Rockhome based skyships could be used for either trade or emergency transport though this has not been acted on yet. 

Delzarrion of Shiell: head of security. Human male magic user 12th level, align Neutral, Str 10, Int 17, Wis 13, Dex 7, Con 7, Cha 12. Equipment: Robe of Protection +2, Amulet of ESP, Wand of Lightning, Wand of Illusion. Delzarrion has been placed by Ulliza as the head of security for the Bastion, which has not sat well with some dwarves who do not entirely trust Alphatian wizards. Nonetheless he has helped keep the bastion safe over the years. He is primarily focused on external threats such as frost giants and humanoid war bands and tends not to think about trouble from within the bastion. This means he has not paid much attention to Durth Heavyhammer. 

Thelmai Whiteshield: Chaplain & medic. Female Dwarf cleric 7th level, align Lawful, Str 13, Int 10, Wis 16, Dex 10, Con 16, Cha 12. Equipment: Warhammer +2, Shield +1, Banded Armour +1, Holy Symbol. Thelmai looks after the health and wellbeing of all within the Bastion, providing healing magic and spiritual solace. Thelmai does not know much about the Arvorians but from what she gathers from Ulliza and the other mages she has decided the Arvorians are trouble and should be dealt with.

Durth Heavyhammer/Akranthis. Spy. Male Arvorian Arcane Knight 5th level, align Chaotic, Str 12, Int 15, Wis 10, Dex 13, Con 10, Cha 12. Equipment: Ring of Disguise, banded armour, hand axe, Shortsword +2, Durth Heavyhammer is apparently a dwarf miner who prefers not to sleep in the bastion but in Black Yeti Mine instead. He is considered an odd fellow by the other dwarves but they accept that he is just like that. In actuality Durth Heavyhammer is a cover used by an Arvorian called Akranthis, a spy who is finding out about the bastion and its dwarves and mages. He has been tasked with finding out about the bastion’s defences and combat capabilities. However, Akranthis has become quite distracted by Alphatian magic and on various occasions has spent time talking to Alphatian mages about their spellcasting and magic items in a way that is quite unusual for a dwarf. Akranthis’s Ring of Disguise allows him to appear as Durth Heavyhammer for up to eight hours at a time, or for 10 minutes per day to appear as any small or medium humanoid as a Change Self spell. Akranthis has been infiltrating the Bastion for just over a year.