Chapter 4: Gracklstugh - Out of the Abyss

Chapter 4: Gracklstugh. Visitors to the duergar city of Gracklstugh are greeted by its hot and acrid air, followed by the angry red glare of the eternally burning smelters fueling the city's metal works, its clanging heart, and the forges kept alive by the flames of Themberchaud, the red dragon that holds the title of Wyrmsmith. Gracklstugh toils endlessly, its smiths churning out the best armor and weapons among the Underdark races. Those who do business here refer to Gracklstugh as "the City of Blades." As merciless as it can be, Gracklstugh is a major bastion of civilization in the Underdark with active trade routes. For the characters, this means a potential chance to find a way back to the surface world-and just as importantly, to shake off the drow that pursue them. However, the adventurers will quickly realize that the power of the demon lords is a threat even here, getting an even closer glimpse of the Underdark's decay as the madness of the Abyss continues to spread. Built within the walls of a deep cavern southwest of the Darklake, Gracklstugh is the commercial, political, and spiritual center of the duergar, all of whom look to the Deepking with respect. The city has an open shore along the Darklake, while several caverns and passages connect Gracklstugh to other parts of the Underdark to facilitate travel and trade. The characters have a chance to witness and shape events in the city that point toward the danger Gracklstugh faces-and how unprepared the city is for it. But with each moment the characters spend in the City of Blades, they run the risk of having escaped the drow only to be enslaved by the duergar. Going to Gracklstugh Despite its dangers, Gracklstugh does have a few things to offer... or at least that's what some of the characters' fellow escapees tell them. Buppido (see chapter 1) and Hemeth (see chapter 3) are the only NPCs who actively suggest going to Gracklstugh. They know that duergar have no love for the drow, and their draconian...