Cold Forge of Moradin

has no other duration limits—the recipient can hold onto her remaining uses of these feats for years if she so chooses. She cannot gain the benefits of an athenaeum of Boccob again, however, until she has discharged all available uses of both feats.

Aura: Strong (no school).

Ability Value: 2, 000 gp.

Adaptation: Any deity who is a patron of spellcasters and interested in the accumulation of knowledge could be associated with one of these sites.

A cold forge of Moradin is a holy site touched by the dwarf deity of smithcrafting. Worshipers of the Soul Forger claim that Moradin visits every forge in the world, and when he finds one that has been abandoned and desecrated by the enemies of the dwarves, he touches it with his own hammer and imbues it with his power. He then sends dreams and visions of it to his true followers, hoping to awaken the spirit of vengeance and justice in their hearts.

When recovered by good characters or non-evil dwarves, these smithies imbue their rescuers' weapons with new properties. According to legend, when Moradin awakens many cold forges in close proximity, characters who visit several of them can gain additional benefits.

Lore: Characters can gain the following pieces of information about a cold forge of Moradin by making Knowledge (religion) or Knowledge (history) checks at the appropriate DCs, as given below.

DC 15: A cold forge of Moradin is a holy site imbued with secrets of blacksmithing known only to the dwarf god.

DC 20: Coldforges of Moradin can be found only in areas that were once occupied by dwarves but are now abandoned.

DC 25: To gain the benefits of a cold forge of Moradin, a character or group of characters must clear the immediate area of enemies and hold the site against the foes of the dwarves for a short period of time.

Description: The dark, underground hall surrounding a cold forge of Moradin is often filled with dust, smashed stones, and broken weaponry. Somewhere amid the rubbish lies an old anvil, possibly covered with the shattered bits of armor and weapons of its last defenders. Near the anvil is a forge that seems ice cold at first but rekindles of its own volition and heats up over time.

Non-evil characters who discover such a site are overtaken by a sense of melancholy at first. This effect results from the leftover emotions of the long-dead dwarf smiths that have become ingrained in the rubble. But when the forge awakens and the walls begin to reflect the light and shadows from the fire, visitors find the room welcoming and somehow bolstering.

Prerequisite: A cold forge of Moradin confers its special ability only on the weapons of intelligent, non-evil creatures.

Site Activation: To awaken the forge, a character or group must defeat any evil creatures in the immediate vicinity (usually the room housing the forge and any neighboring rooms) and hold the area against other evil creatures for 24 hours. Any evil creatures that enter during this period must be slain or driven off; otherwise the defenders must start the