D20 SYSTEM✦ Normal

The Anvil Lock: Shards of the Warhammer

# Dungeon# Intrigue# Combat# Investigation

The party is drawn to the infamous Anvil Lock, a colossal, dormant Dwarven forge-prison carved into the heart of a mountain. It once held the kingdom's most dangerous criminals and political prisoners, but fell silent a decade ago after a catastrophic magical surge. Now, whispers claim the legendary Warhammer of Anvilmar, shattered in a final rebellion, lies within. Two desperate factions seek the shards, each convinced their survival depends on reassembling it. The players must navigate the haunted, mechanical labyrinth, uncover the truth of the prison's fall, and decide who is worthy—or desperate enough—to wield the weapon's immense, unstable power.

Chronicle Prelude

The players arrive at the Rusting Gate, the outer bailey of the Anvil Lock. It is a grim, functional slum town built from prison refuse, inhabited by ex-wardens, escaped prisoners' descendants, and opportunistic scavengers. The air smells of rust and old coal. Here, they can gather rumors, gear up, and meet the two factions vying for entry.

Environmental Traits

The Warhammer of Anvilmar, a weapon of mythic power, was shattered during the Prison Break of '78. Its shards, imbued with volatile arcane energy, are said to be hidden in the deepest, most dangerous sections of the now-monster-infested forge. Two groups believe reassembling it is the key to saving their people, but their methods and visions for the future are irreconcilable. The players' choices will determine which faction gains the weapon, potentially unleashing a new age of war, tyranny, or a desperate, unstable peace.

Legendary Archetypes

Rayan

HP:45

STR:16

WIS: 12

CHA:11

Key Factions & Autonomous Nodes (8)

Keeper Quartermaster
A gaunt, weary woman in a patched uniform bearing the Keeper's seal. Her eyes are shadowed with fatigue, but her posture is rigid with duty. She carries a ledger and a ring of keys, constantly counting supplies.
Descendant Scout
A wiry, furtive figure in ragged clothing, armed with a crude blade. Their eyes dart constantly, and they bear the brand of a broken chain on their forearm. They move with the silent desperation of someone used to hiding.
Trapped Engineer
A middle-aged man in a tattered engineer's jumpsuit, covered in grime and chemical burns. He is shackled by a broken pipe to a wall near the Toxic Sluice, looking frail and terrified. His eyes are wide with knowledge of the horrors within.
Forgemaster Golem
A towering automaton of black iron and brass pistons, shaped like a hulking humanoid. Its chest cavity glows with a dim, orange furnace light. One arm ends in a massive hammer-head, the other in a claw. It moves with ponderous, grinding steps, guarding the Grand Forge Door.
Head Smith's Spirit
A translucent, shimmering figure of a burly man in a smith's apron. He paces restlessly near the Grand Forge Door, his form flickering like a dying candle. He does not speak, but gestures mournfully at his empty hands and the sealed door.
Keeper Ritualist
An elderly man draped in heavy robes embroidered with arcane symbols of containment. He moves with solemn purpose, arranging candles and shards in a complex pattern around the central anvil. His face is set in grim determination.
Descendant Warlord
A charismatic, scarred woman in scavenged plate armor, her cloak adorned with broken chain links. She wields a massive, crude axe and stands defiantly, flanked by a few loyal followers. Her eyes burn with righteous fire.
Warhammer Spirit
A swirling vortex of smoke, ember, and shattered metal that coalesces into a vaguely humanoid shape above the crucible. Two points of white-hot light serve as its eyes. It speaks in a chorus of clanging metal and whispered promises, its form unstable and threatening.

Chronicle Prelude

Environmental Traits

Legendary Archetypes

✦ Related Cases ✦

The Gauntlet of the Shamed Champion

The Goblin Plight of Rivervale and the Cryptic Mine