Kraggodan

KRAGGODAN

“Remember that we are a people apart from our cousins of the Five Kings Mountains. We are isolated from our kin in the other great Sky Citadels of antiquity, though we all shared the same ordeal of completing the Quest for Sky. Remember that their failings are their own, and that our successes are, indeed, our successes. While most of us live within the bosom of the mountain, we’re as much a part of the surface world as any nation beyond. We proved this when we marched alongside humans and elves against the orcs and the unliving legions of the Whispering Tyrant so many ages ago. Let history remember our deeds as our own, and let it never be said that we were anything but the architects of our own destiny!” 

—Queen Karagar Greathammer, coronation speech following the destruction of clan Dar-Ain 

KRAGGODAN

LG large city Corruption +2; Crime +1; Economy +1; Law +4; Lore +4; Society +9 Qualities adventure site, insular, magically attuned, racially intolerant (Molthuni humans), Sky Citadel Danger +5; Disadvantage besieged DEMOGRAPHICS Government Council (Evenhanded Synod) Population 24,000 (22,565 dwarves, 1,023 humans, 207 halflings, 180 oreads, 25 other) NOTABLE NPCS Exemplar Thramirra Greathammer, former second princess of Kraggodan (LG female dwarf paladin of Trudd 11) King Borom Greathammer, self-secluded king of Kraggodan (LN male dwarf fghter 10/stalwart defenderAPG 4) Marshal Rhenso, military commander of the Upper Fastness (NG female oreadARG cavalierAPG 7) Prince Gorm Greathammer, third prince of Kraggodan (LN male dwarf bard 7/Pathfnder chronicler 2) Royal Archivist Karburtin Lightbrand, keeper of Kraggodan’s history (LN male dwarf wizard 10) MARKETPLACE Base Value 9,600 gp; Purchase Limit 75,000 gp; Spellcasting 9th Minor Items 4d4; Medium Items 3d4; Major Items 2d4 SPECIAL QUALITIES Adventure Site Kraggodan’s numerous connections to the Darklands and association with the Pathfnder Society has long attracted curious adventurers from across the land. (Society +2, increase purchase limit by 50%) Besieged The armies of Molthune maintain an ongoing siege of Kraggodan’s Upper Fastness. The citizens of the upper levels of the Sky Citadel are accustomed to frequent relocations between the upper and lower levels as the Molthuni army attacks. (Economy –1, decrease purchase limit by 20%; Note: To illustrate a Kraggodan prior to the siege, this disadvantage and the racially intolerant quality should be removed from the city stat block.) Sky Citadel Kraggodan’s Mountain Hold is built within the mountain, granting it a defensive position and sheltering it from surface-dwelling enemies. It also has one of the few caches of ancient dwarven lore dating back to the time before the Quest for Sky.

(Law +2, Lore +4, Danger –5) .

Introduction

The Sky Citadel of Kraggodan stands atop the peaks of the Mindspin Mountains in southern Nirmathas. One of only 10 such marvels of dwarven engineering in existence, Kraggodan also bears the mantle of being one of but fve Sky Citadels to still rest in dwarven hands. The soaring architecture wrought by Kraggodan’s masons is visible from across the southern hills of Nirmathas and well into the plains of northern Molthune. Stern visages of long-dead dwarven monarchs stare out across the lands, a mere sampling of Kraggodan’s unmatched dwarven engineering, which has only grown more impressive since the initial completion of the Sky Citadel millennia ago.

Kraggodan exists as a bastion of dwarven culture and society, separate from the strife-prone dwarven holds in the Five Kings Mountains. The Sky Citadel is ofen remembered for its contribution to the Shining Crusade, when its soldiers took up arms beside the armies of Avistan’s humans to defy the depredations of the Whispering Tyrant. Today, Kraggodan bears the brunt of an ongoing siege from the nearby nation of Molthune. The conflict consists of numerous forays in which the Molthuni forces march into the upper peaks of Kraggodan, only to break apart when the dwarves retreat into the mountain. Kraggodan’s stubborn citizens show no sign of acquiescing; in the afermath of every Molthuni attack, it takes only days before the dwarves once again return to their Upper Fastness and reopen their closed markets.

APPEARANCE

Built both atop and within a peak of the Mindspin Mountains, Kraggodan consists of two major sections: the external Upper Fastness, exposed to the sun and stars, and the Mountain Hold, secure within the mountain’s living stone.

The Upper Fastness is equal parts market and military fortress. Large mechanical lifs connect the depths of the Mountain Hold to the Upper Fastness, ceaselessly moving in times of peace and locked in place in times of war. Checkpoints and small forts outside the few bottleneck entryways to the interior caverns are built into the rock of the mountain. These military holdouts stand as bulwarks against invaders, as well as temporary lodgings for the merchants who populate mercantile stalls in times of peace. Both foreign and citadel-born merchants occupy the numerous market stalls lining the ascending walkways of the Upper Fastness. These basic stone stands serve as places of business when the Upper Fastness is secure, but function as choke points to slow invaders should invaders attack.

The Mountain Hold stands in a large, open cavern of iron-rich stone that rises impossibly from a roiling lake of lava hundreds of feet below the city. Both metal and stone are prominent in the architecture of Kraggodan’s interior city, with the two materials ofen interwoven in unique displays that highlight the dwarven acumen for such crafsmanship. Immense bronze braziers hang from the cavern’s ceiling on great iron chains, burning with a bright but warm glow. This light reflects off a multitude of grain-sized quartz gems embedded into the stone above, providing the cavern with the same illumination as a distant sun. Even were these braziers to be quenched, the lambent glow of the lava far below the city is enough for those with normal vision to see by, though it provides only dim lighting.

The constant illumination is a more a concession to dwarven vanity than it is for outsiders, as the light allows the populace to marvel at the myriad architectural feats of the Mountain Hold without being subjected to the aesthetic limitations of darkvision.

HISTORY

While most dwarves pushed ever upward against a tide of orcs to reach greater heights during the legendary Quest for Sky, not all clans partook in the initial endeavor. Some made fell pacts with dark gods and eventually evolved into the duergar (who still make their homes in the Darklands), while other dwarven clans simply embarked on their exodus later. Among the dwarves who remained in the Darklands was Kraggodan, who not only didn’t climb to the surface, but actively traveled in the other direction. Religion, including the Toragdan prophecies that had precipitated the Quest for Sky, was never as important to Kraggodan as the opportunity to build his own legend as one of his people’s greatest explorers.

In the ancient tradition of his dwarven forebears, Kraggodan hoped to reach a greater depth in the Vaults of Orv than any previous expedition. It was this drive that led him to the Midnight Mountains beneath the heart of Avistan, and there, an artifact that would forever change his path—the Onyx Key.

Initially bafed by the otherworldly relic, Kraggodan spent months translating the strange glyphs covering the ruins in which he found the treasure. Eventually, this gave him the knowledge of how to operate the Onyx Key, which allowed for travel across great distances via a shortcut through the Plane of Earth. Though the Quest for Sky had not previously interested Kraggodan, he realized the potential the artifact held for his kin’s quest. Were he to use the Onyx Key to lead his clan efciently and safely on its own, late-embarking exodus, he could earn renown far beyond anything gained by simply plumbing an unexplored cave in the earth’s gut.

He used the artifact to quickly return to his clanhold far above the Midnight Mountains, and by the end of the year (–4982 ar), the clan had set out for its prophesied new home on Golarion’s surface.

The relocation was complete in a mere fraction of the time other clans needed to complete their Quest for Sky, thanks in no small part to the Onyx Key and the Stone Road it unlocked. While not the frst dwarves to see the surface, Kraggodan’s followers moved at a pace unmatched by their kin.

Though efcient, the journey was not devoid of conflict, and Kraggodan’s clan encountered the same hostile orcs who had so plagued the other dwarves’ journey. On the eve of their breaching the surface, the fnal battle between the dwarves and their orc nemeses took place, during which Kraggodan himself fought the orc chiefain who had tormented his people. While the dwarves won the day, the orcs exacted a high price: among the bodies strewn across the floor of the massive, lava-illuminated cavern that served as the battlefeld was that of Kraggodan. History laments that Kraggodan died mere minutes from the frst openings to the surface sun he’d been so driven to fnd. However, the dwarves pressed on, driving the orcs out of the mountains and naming their new home in honor of the martyred leader who’d led them to it.

For the following half-decade, as construction of the great Sky Citadel commenced, the dwarves of Kraggodan studied the mysterious Onyx Key lef to them by their former leader. Several forays were made to the end of the Stone Road—an action Kraggodan never dared to undertake—but the efforts ended with disaster.

During one such research expedition, numerous frenzied elemental creatures emerged into the nascent Sky Citadel. Hundreds of dwarven lives were lost in containing the rampaging creatures, and in the end, the dwarves of Kraggodan sealed the Onyx Key into what would be their frst vault.

In –4901 ar, the construction of Kraggodan’s primary districts was complete. The people of the completed Sky Citadel expanded out into the territories of what would one day become Nirmathas, while keeping close to the Mindspin Mountains. During this time, their greatest allies were the similarly nascent settlement of Glimmerhold and the Sky Citadel of Koldukar in the land now known as the Hold of Belkzen. By –3708 ar, however, the orcs of Belkzen had organized sufciently to besiege and capture Koldukar. The few dwarven survivors of the catastrophic defeat retreated to Kraggodan; to this day, their descendants bitterly wait for a chance to retake their ancestral home. The intervening millennia saw the dwarves of Kraggodan remain vigilant against an orc invasion that never came—their military prepared but never found itself called upon. The dwarves had long had good if erratic relations with the local Kellid tribes; when Taldor’s Armies of Exploration arrived, particularly around 499 ar, the dwarves forged peaceful treaties with the newcomers. The lands of modern Nirmathas were ceded to these new humans, as the dwarves of Kraggodan found the idea of a buffer between them and Belkzen appealing.

Many other dwarves resented Kraggodan’s aloof nature and the distance its inhabitants maintained from the rest of dwarven affairs, but nevertheless Kraggodan kept itself apart from its distant kin for fear of suffering the infghting that befell the Five Kings Mountains.

Kraggodan readied for war again in 3203 ar, when the orcs of Belkzen aligned themselves with the Whispering Tyrant. All were surprised when Kraggodan pledged its support to the Shining Crusade, joining the fght against the undead and their orc allies. The armies of Kraggodan proved instrumental in the fnal defeat of Tar-Baphon’s armies, despite reducing the Sky Citadel’s population to almost a third of its previous numbers.

Having suffered incredible losses in achieving victory—a bitter reminder of Kraggodan’s own sacrifce millennia earlier—the dwarves of Kraggodan removed themselves from most surface-world politics.

Less than 200 years afer the end of the Shining Crusade, the dwarves of the nearby Five Kings Mountains were devastated by an event known as the Rending.

Kraggodan hoped to avoid a similar fate, eventually seeking out powerful fey allies in the nearby Fangwood forest, who the dwarves believed could help prevent other natural disasters. The dwarves and fey reached an accord, though the specifcs remained a secret closely guarded by both parties. Eventually, a force known as the Darkblight corrupted the fey, and all the dwarves could do was staunch the flow of maligned fey out of the Fangwood, erecting a series of runestones before returning to Kraggodan.

In 4665 ar, an unexplained magical incident lef King Borom Greathammer’s eldest child, the scholar-warrior Darund, encased in a prison of impenetrable crystal.

Unable to free Darund and restore his heir to life, the king had the crystal hidden in the citadel’s deepest, most secure vault and removed himself from governance in a period of extended mourning. Since that day, governance of Kraggodan has fallen to a select group of representatives known as the Evenhanded Synod.

In just the last 2 years, events took an even more calamitous turn, as evidence came to light of Molthuni intrusion into Kraggodan’s vaults (including that which held Prince Darund). While the full extent of damage has yet to be fully cataloged, the audacity of such an attack prompted Kraggodan’s diplomats to demand an explanation. The Molthuni government escalated matters by imprisoning the diplomats, leading to an illfated sortie by a punitive army from Kraggodan. Unable to retrieve their diplomats, the dwarves returned to their mountain fortress with the Molthuni army at their backs. Since then, Molthuni forces have besieged Kraggodan, and a sizable army remains camped in Nirmathi territory in the eastern foothills at the base of the Mindspin Mountains.

GOVERNMENT AND LAW

A monarchy based around ruling clans has traditionally ruled Kraggodan. Ascendant clans made up the frst rulers of the Sky Citadel, providing a king or queen to manage governance. The succession of these clans has been tumultuous in the past, with some dying off, fnding themselves evicted from their ruling position in the afermath of scandal, or simply desiring to move away from governance. In the past 300 years, Kraggodan had one of its deadliest changes in leadership, when clan Greathammer deposed clan Dar-Ain following the shocking discovery of Dar-Ain allying with Droskarans from the Five Kings Mountains.

The more recent and unexpected loss of King Borom Greathammer’s frst son has muddled Kraggodan’s line of succession. By right, Borom’s second child, Thramirra Greathammer, is in line to become queen of the Sky Citadel. She’s refused the position as part of her paladin’s oath to Trudd, whose local church and sizable armed militia she leads with the title of Exemplar. Gorm Greathammer, Borom’s third child, also refuses to take the title, believing that his father will one day return from his self-imposed isolation to once again rule his people.

In light of this, the leaders of Kraggodan formed the Evenhanded Synod, a temporary governing body made up of several prominent political, military, and religious leaders within Kraggodan.

While the Evenhanded Synod dispenses new edicts and presides over judgment of accused criminals, it falls to the armies of Kraggodan to enforce the law.

Kraggodan’s military has existed since before the Quest for Sky in one form or another, and for the dwarves, there is no difference between the role of a battlefeld veteran and a seasoned keeper of the peace—to Kraggodan’s citizens, the army is the city guard. Warriors bedecked in iron breastplates patrol the streets with rigid efciency, while those encased in intricate sets of stoneplate are summoned only to deal with the few threats arising within the Mountain Hold. As the adherence to law is an important cultural element of Kraggodan’s dwarves, the Sky Citadel’s defenders spend far more time repelling the occasional Darklands intruder than they do suppressing insurrection among the populace.

The churches of Dranngvit and Kols are routinely summoned when subtler means are necessary to keep the peace. Inquisitors of both churches are dispatched—ofen by direct order of the Evenhanded Synod—to prevent the escalation of tensions between Kraggodan’s many clans. Servants of Kols call upon the noble aspirations of clans, helping them see the error of their ways before matters of internal strife escalate to the point of violence. The grim-faced interrogators of Dranngvit are far less forgiving, and their appearance is ofen sufcient to curtail growing tensions between families. In the extremely rare cases where clans or other entities ignore the entreaties of these churches, more direct (and ofen violent) action is taken to maintain order within the Sky Citadel.

SOCIETY

Clans compose much of Kraggodan’s social structure, with their total numbers always close to 100. The number of Kraggodan’s clans was once far higher, swollen by clans fleeing from the fall of Koldukar, but dropped precipitously in the afermath of the Shining Crusade.

Each clan is a familial unit, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, though many clans include only a few dozen members. Clans are responsible for various duties and ofen bear longstanding ancestral charges, such as maintaining sections of the Sky Citadel or administering certain services within the settlement.

Kraggodan’s desire for foreign commerce and trade began when explorers from expansionist Taldor made their way to the base of the Mindspin Mountains. The arrival of non-nomadic peoples (unlike the indigenous Kellids, with whom the dwarves had conducted genial but inconsistent business) necessitated the conversion of the Upper Fastness into as much a trade market as it was a series of defensible military choke points.

Foreigners making brief stops at the Sky Citadel could sell their wares in the looming shadow of the mountains, while only those with longer-term interests would be admitted to the Mountain Hold. Even today, while enduring an ongoing Molthuni siege, the stubborn dwarves of Kraggodan do their utmost to maintain their trade agreements with outside parties.

A number of the Sky Citadel’s institutions are guided by religion, even those without direct afliation to a specifc temple. In addition to their faithful devotion to Torag, the dwarves of Kraggodan also revere several other deities.

Angradd the Forge-Fire, the dwarven god of war, is believed to have had a direct hand in influencing Kraggodan to join the Shining Crusade against the Whispering Tyrant, but nearly all of his faithful were lost in the war, and his worship has since fallen out of favor. As Kraggodan is now more determined to protect its holdings than to send crusaders out into the wider world, the militant faith of Trudd has largely supplanted that of Angradd.

The deities Dranngvit, Grundinnar, and Kols are equally revered for fostering business and community within Kraggodan, and each maintain sizable churches within the Mountain Hold.

GAZETTEER

The following section presents information on key locations found throughout Kraggodan, including areas in the Mountain Hold and Upper Fastness. Many more sites of interest exist in the city than are listed here; these brief overviews are merely representative examples of the unique locales that await discovery in the Sky Citadel.

Upper Fastness Fortresses and outposts appear for miles along the northern and southern paths of the Mindspin Mountains, but only the Upper Fastness is considered truly connected to Kraggodan. This area is partially within the uppermost peaks of the mountains, but it also spills out in arterial paths leading down to the nearby foothills. Mostly soldiers and merchants live in these areas, but such lodgings are ofen temporary. In times of war—such as the ongoing Molthuni siege— this exterior section of the Sky Citadel becomes a mass of military strongpoints and holdouts against attacking armies.

1. Dirt Mart: No writs or permission are necessary to set up shop amid Kraggodan’s unofcial third market, Dirt Mart. The land technically lies beyond the territory claimed by the Sky Citadel, allowing a certain amount of lenience regarding the actions that take place here. Illicit trade is as common as honest trade among those without the sought-afer documents to allow commerce in the Path or Peak Markets.

2. Honorwall: The military fortress of Honorwall is the most distant piece of architecture considered part of the Sky Citadel. It marks the location where the orc armies fnally broke against Kraggodan’s forces in the fnal hours of their Quest for Sky. To commemorate the victory, as well as to honor the brutal orcs they’d fought for decades to reach the surface, the dwarves built this fortress.

Strong, stone walls expand around the ascending paths to the Sky Citadel, forming the frst proper redoubt against invasion. Pristine orc skulls line the outer edges of the Honorwall, kept safe behind reinforced walls of force. This macabre display was meant to signify the dwarves’ respect for their former enemy, but now doubles as a threat to any who would dare test the mettle of Kraggodan’s warriors.

3. Path Market: The gravel path between the Honorwall and Sky Home is a community unto itself.

The Path Market is home to numerous business enterprises, particularly those unable to attain the privilege of setting up among the arcades of Peak Market. Unlike the Dirt Mart, this area of business requires some form of certifcate to operate within; the administration of its stalls and land plots is dictated by the burgomaster of Sky Home.

4. Sky Home: The tightly clustered architecture of Sky Home is a self-contained settlement in its own right—at least by the standards of most surface races. Inhabitants of the Sky Citadel who frequently conduct trade in the Upper Fastness, as well as visiting foreigners with no need to enter the Mountain Hold, fnd lodging within the tenements of Sky Home. These squat stone and metal buildings form a structured grid atop a flattened plane of stone carved from the surface of the mountain.

A business-minded dwarf, Burgomaster Hrayden (LN female dwarf aristocrat 3/expert 4), manages the affairs of Sky Home. Her leadership of the upper settlement has effectively made her its monarch in all but name, though she still swears fealty to the Greathammer clan and the Evenhanded Synod.

5. Crown Lights: The giant visages of Kraggodan’s former monarchs and influential citizens are carved in great reliefs across the mountains looking out over the switchback path along the Upper Fastness. The smallest of these faces are over 20 feet tall, while the largest measure in the hundreds of feet. Each inscribed visage is enchanted with spells similar to continual flame, though they activate only as the sun sets. Most of the stone faces bear these magical light sources atop their crowns, leading to the term “crown lights” being used by outsiders to describe the night lights of the mountain path. Other faces, particularly those of Kraggodan’s most renowned spellcasters, instead have glowing eyes that shine out for incredible distances.

6. Peak Market: All along the winding upper paths of the Upper Fastness are sturdy stone arcades meant to display merchants’ goods to those passing by. During times of peace, foreign and local merchants alike covet these booths, as those making the trip to Kraggodan are eager to see the apex of the outer reaches of the Sky Citadel. Strict protocols determine which merchants and clans are afforded the luxury of space within the booths of Peak Market, as the prime locale almost always ensures a constant influx of gold, ofen regardless of the actual quality of the goods being sold there.

7. The Fist: A vast visage of Kraggodan stares out from the peak of the Sky Citadel’s mountain home.

Under the face emerge several paths that converge together before winding down the mountainside.

A titanic clenched stone fst looms out of the mountainside here. Referred to as “The Fist,” this architectural feat is also the largest single fortress atop the Upper Fastness. Viewing ports open out from engraved rings on two of the fst’s fngers. From these vantage points, military commanders can see the entire eastern expanse of Kraggodan’s domain, including the lower hills at the mountain’s base.

Surprisingly, instead of a dwarf, the oread Rhenso leads Kraggodan’s military forces from within this fortress. Once a pilgrim, Rhenso offered herself to the defense forces when she learned of the Sky Citadel’s long history. Her unmatched skill and understanding of surface-world tactics made her the best choice for coordinating the ongoing defense against Molthune.

Frequently forsaking a normal mount, Rhenso ofen strides across the battlefeld atop a mass of moving earth—in actuality an allied Large earth elemental.

Thus far, the ongoing Molthuni siege has yet to penetrate the Fist, though Rhenso remains well aware that she may one day need to abandon her fortress and join the retreating citizens in their flight to the Mountain Hold. MoUntain Hold Kraggodan’s oldest edifces occupy a wide cavern over a vast body of molten lava, referred to as Mountain Hold.

The area houses the majority of Kraggodan’s permanent population, and connects to the surface by a series of lifs that lead up to the surface entrances of the Upper Fastness. Stone aqueducts connect to the interior walls of the mountain, providing both the Mountain Hold and the Upper Fastness sub-settlement of Sky Home with fresh water.

8. Vault Way: A series of seven reinforced adamantine doors bar the path between the Mountain Hold and the lowest vaults of Kraggodan. Each of the immense metal doors is inscribed with dozens of runic glyphs, empowering them against attack and unleashing terrible dwarven magic against any would-be destroyers. Between each set of doors is a wide hall, connecting to numerous storage vaults located throughout the mountain. The furthest vaults bear the items of greatest import, with the fnal door barring passage to Kraggodan’s greatest charge, the crystal-encased body of Prince Darund.

The brown- and gray-clad wardens of the church of Trudd stand alongside honored members of Kraggodan’s formal military in defense of the passage. All such guardians are permanently sealed into their stoneplate armor. These guards are each provided with a ring of sustenance to ensure their bodies do not wither, and have special training that enables them to sleep while standing in their ornate armor.

9. Trudd’s Stronghold: The sound of weapons clashing and armor deflecting assaults echoes from the halls of Trudd’s Stronghold. The dwarven servants of the Mighty honor their deity by constantly engaging in defensive drills, preparing for any future assaults on the citadel.

With the Molthuni army at the Upper Fastness’s gates, the faithful have increased the frequency and intensity of this training, and veteran followers take it upon themselves to train both neophytes and lay citizens of Kraggodan for the impending conflict.

Exemplar Thramirra Greathammer directs the operations of the stronghold and satellite churches when not fulflling her responsibilities to the Evenhanded Synod. Her devotion to the church of Trudd is such that she makes no claim to the throne of Kraggodan. Like her father, she mourns the loss of Kraggodan’s former heir apparent, her brother Darund, but she believes she can honor him best by ensuring no dwarf ever succumbs to the same fate.

10. Edge Mines: Kraggodan’s frst settlers feared that the iron-rich stone that made up the Sky Citadel’s primary cavern would foster resentment and greed among the city’s inhabitants, as ravenous clans might turn on one another to claim the resource-rich deposits.

Even in the face of such temptation, however, the city’s founders trusted that the people would never wish to live in a mine, but rather the artfully constructed city that would rise from the stone. To slake any conflict over the cavern’s resources, the founders established iron mines (as well as many dedicated to other ores, gems, and precious metals) deep beneath the cavern, in the bowels of the mountain. These mines are accessible via intricate systems of scaffolding scaling the high rock face overlooking the great lava lake deep beneath the city.

Clan Gilmholm currently holds the warrants necessary to perform mining in these hard-to-reach locations, a task which it does with great care. Miners bedecked in spelunking equipment rappel off the edge of the iron cavern floor in search of new veins to claim. When authorized to do so, mining operations begin with the creation of a horizontal tunnel into the edifce, which is later accessible by semi-permanent stairs or, in rare cases, mechanical lifs and conveyors.

Prospector Dhuzra (NG female dwarf expert 5/ fghter 2) oversees Clan Gilmholm’s mining efforts, just as she’s overseen the past half-dozen houses to earn Kraggodan’s mining rights. Unlike with other mining endeavors, she’s considered temporarily halting the current operation afer reports of at least a dozen miners going missing. The cause for these disappearances remains unknown, but some point to a marked increase of earth elemental activity in the caverns surrounding Kraggodan.

11. Igneous Prison: This inward-facing fortress is built atop a perfectly cylindrical hole in the floor of Kraggodan’s Mountain Hold. With a diameter of almost 60 feet, the blemish is reputedly the work of numerous dwarven spellcasters working together to intentionally create a disposal chute for the Sky Citadel’s waste. The chute eventually opens into a vast cavern located below Kraggodan, its floor a lake bed of molten lava.

While the lower levels of the chute do connect to numerous waste disposal tunnels, the edges of the upper levels are instead scored with hundreds of open cells. Here, the worst of Kraggodan’s few criminals are held to await judgment, or serve time as determined by the Evenhanded Synod. Wardens move among the cells with the help of magical floating platforms keyed to their identities, thus preventing the inmates from using them to escape. Even if an inmate manages to escape his cell, the upper fortress of the Igneous Prison contains almost a hundred skilled dwarven soldiers in service to the deity Kols.

12. Kraggodan’s Fall: A silver likeness of the Sky Citadel’s namesake stands here, defantly facing down an iron statue of an orc. The scene represents Kraggodan’s death, and marks the spot where the fnal great battle to decide the fate of Kraggodan’s expedition occurred.

A circular base of gold-capped stone bears the twin statues, along with memorials to every monarch to rule Kraggodan since that defning battle. Even fallen rulers or those with ignominious legacies, such as the monarchs of clan Dar-Ain, are listed, as the church of Dranngvit believes any sort of perversion of knowledge is a sin against the goddess.

13. Clan Dar-Ain’s Seat: Almost 300 years ago, clan Dar-Ain bore the crown of Kraggodan. Its king seeded his clan’s downfall when he secretly married a daughter of Ordrik Talhrik, former ruler of the Five Kings Mountains. The Talhrik clan was fervently devoted to Droskar, and the marriage led clan Dar-Ain down a similar path. Before the whole of Kraggodan fell to the Dark Smith’s pervasive toil, clan Greathammer besieged the ancestral seat of Dar-Ain and ended that clan’s rule.

The abandoned halls of the destroyed clan Dar-Ain remain sealed to the people of Kraggodan. Warders from both Kraggodan’s army and the church of Trudd patrol the outer edges of the vast fortress, preventing inquisitive citizens or visitors from entering the haunted halls.

A multitude of corrupt elementals, demons, dwarven traps, and even undead retainers of clan Dar-Ain infest the sprawling compound. Thus far, all attempts to cleanse the fortress have failed, and a policy of containment has kept all but the foul memory of the former ruling clan from seeping out. Some members of the Evenhanded Synod are interested in seeing this stain in Kraggodan’s midst fully cleansed, though thus far, the only parties interested in exploring the charred iron keep are agents of the Pathfnder Society. Gorm Greathammer is eager to let the Pathfnders in, but other members of the Synod are less willing to allow outsiders a glimpse of such a blemish on their history.

14. Greathammer Bastion: The seat of clan Greathammer was considered one of the great clan halls, even prior to its ascension to Kraggodan’s throne.

The Greathammer clan took the reins of power when it prevented the previous ruling clan, Dar-Ain, from converting the Sky Citadel to the worship of Droskar. No other clan opposed the change, and the Greathammers have ruled Kraggodan ever since that tumultuous point in history.

The outer walls of the fortress are covered in great adamantine sheets embossed with the clan emblem— the eponymous greathammer. Once the home of the former king, the fortress now houses only Borom’s loyal descendants, most notably his third son, Gorm Greathammer. A storied Pathfnder faced with the burdens of leadership, Gorm has accepted a prominent position among the Evenhanded Synod as a concession for his refusal to take the mantle of king. When not dealing with political matters, Gorm invites foreigners (especially Pathfnders) to his familial hold, treating them to a fne dwarven meal in exchange for tales of adventure and happenings outside of Kraggodan.

Though no sanctioned Pathfnder Lodge exists in Kraggodan, Greathammer Bastion is the closest to one, and some members of the Society believe Greathammer will soon be promoted to venture-captain and make the clan hall’s role in the organization ofcial.

15. Runesmith Alley: A handful of smiths and arcane spellcasters maintain shared shops in this unique district. Each smith crafs masterwork arms and armor, while the spellcasters offer enhancement services at reasonable rates. Such practices are performed by dwarves currently unafliated with any of Kraggodan’s clans, RHENSO as clan spellcasters and smiths are ofen required to provide their services only to clan members. This area is one of the most highly visited sections of the city by outsiders; both mercenaries and nobles clamor for the fnely wrought equipment that dwarves are renowned for producing.

16. Delvers’ Lodge: The fast-talking Pate (NE male human rogue 7) operates the Delvers’ Lodge, capitalizing on Gorm Greathammer’s open association with and encouragement of the Pathfnder Society’s activities in Kraggodan and the surrounding areas. He offers “missions” to those not afliated with the Society, spinning these endeavors as a way of fast-tracking individuals interested in joining the Pathfnder Society or as opportunities for those who have, for whatever reason, gotten into the Decemvirate’s poor graces.

Masquerading as a street cafe, the Delvers’ Lodge is nothing more than a front for Pate’s impromptu mercenary operations. He takes a sizable fnder’s fee, and frequently offers missions that take interested parties down into the Darklands. Pate also maintains many contacts among the guards maintaining Kraggodan’s lower vaults, and can gain adventurers entry into the frst three gates of Vault Way, a level of access he maintains through a mix of bravado, bribery, and extortion. Despite creating unwanted competition for the Pathfnder Society, Pate has thus far done a good job of avoiding the Society’s attention, largely by keeping his expeditions limited to less scrupulous missions than the Pathfnders undertake in the region under the guidance of a member of the Evenhanded Synod, Gorm Greathammer.

SKY CITADEL BESIEGED

Much of the information presented in this article details Kraggodan as it would be found during times of peace. However, at the onset of the Ironfang Invasion Adventure Path, Kraggodan is a place under siege. In 4715 ar, approximately 2 years prior to the expected start of the Adventure Path, the nation of Molthune assaulted Kraggodan. The following provides important information relating to the siege, as well as potential future perils of the Sky Citadel specifcally tailored to GMs running the Ironfang Invasion.

Dwarves in Their Mountain: Perhaps the most important tactical element to understand about the ongoing Molthuni siege is that it has yet to break past Kraggodan’s uppermost fortress of the Upper Fastness, the Fist. The implacable defense of Marshal Rhenso ensures that enemy soldiers have yet to enter the mountain. Molthune’s armies continually blunt themselves against the dwarven defenses, unable to fully dismantle the sturdy stone bulwarks set against them.

The sub-settlement of Sky Home has repeatedly fallen to Molthuni aggression, but most times it has already been abandoned by the time the army marches up its wide entry stairs. Rhenso sees the eventual need to retreat to the Mountain Hold as a foregone conclusion, but she enjoys harrying her Molthuni counterparts, who she assumes realize that the battle of the Upper Fastness is just a preview of the hardship to come in assaulting the mountain’s interior.

Inside the Mountain Hold, the Evenhanded Synod holds routine discussions on how to proceed should the Upper Fastness fall. Ample food stores and underground farming ensure the dwarves can last for centuries before worrying about starvation. While much of Kraggodan’s armed forces are engaged on the surface, there is no doubt that should the Mountain Hold come under threat, the divine defenders of Trudd will lead the active defense against the human aggressors. Even then, the mechanics of the elevators connecting Mountain Hold to the Upper Fastness are such that Kraggodan could easily lower the elevators and prevent them from returning to the surface, effectively isolating the interior city from a traditional siege.

All of these considerations, when combined with Kraggodan’s ongoing successes, mean that the dwarves feel little active pressure regarding the human siege.

They view the assault as a reafrmation of their martial prowess and the pigheaded nature of Molthune. Afer all, 2 years is a short span in the life of a dwarf, and thus far Molthune has—in most dwarves’ eyes—only managed to displace and inconvenience a number of merchants.

Molthune’s Advance: The determined General Cadmius Ortho (LG male human bard 4/cavalierAPG 7/ battle heraldAPG 3) leads Molthune’s siege armies, and has come to equally loathe and respect his foes. Orders from his political superiors demand that the Sky Citadel’s architecture remain as undamaged as possible—a feat that effectively hobbles the ongoing attempts to claim the dwarven bastion. Every time a signifcant advance is made against the dwarves, Ortho is forced to recall his forces to regroup in light of concentrated dwarven fre from within their numerous guard posts and fortresses along the mountain pass.

As though to mock Ortho, each time the Molthuni army regroups at the base of the mountain, the elevators of the Sky Citadel activate and disgorge previously sheltered civilians back to the upper markets. The sudden influx of noncombatants necessitates a slow advance by the Molthuni, as Ortho is diligent to ensure that no innocent blood falls by his troops’ hands.

This process has repeated itself fve times since the commencement of the siege, and many in the Molthuni army now urge their commander to dismantle the various markets leading to the mountain’s summit and permanently claim Sky Home as a forward base of operations .