Wave Echo Cave
The legendary lost dwarven mine of the Phandelver’s Pact. Hidden in the hills somewhere northeast of Phandalin. Lost for five centuries.
The Legend
Five hundred years ago, a coalition of dwarves and gnomes of the Phandelver’s Pact mined a rich vein of magical mithral and other rare ores in a cave system in the hills near what was then Phandalin. Deep within the cave, at the source of the magic, they built the Forge of Spells — an enchanted forge capable of imbuing weapons, armor, and wondrous items with permanent magical properties.
For a generation, the Pact prospered and Phandalin thrived. Then, in a single brutal week:
- Orcs swept south from the Sword Mountains and destroyed Phandalin.
- A force of something else — accounts disagree; the surviving songs say “creatures of the deep dark” — struck the Forge of Spells itself, killing every dwarf and gnome inside.
- The entrance to the cave collapsed.
The cave has been lost ever since. Generations of prospectors have searched. None have found it. Until — perhaps — now.
What Gundren Rockseeker Found
Gundren and his brothers Tharden and Nundro spent years following old family records and survey notes, and recently believe they have located the entrance. Gundren was riding to Phandalin to begin operations when he was ambushed and captured. The map to the cave was on his person.
His brothers Tharden and Nundro are reportedly camped near the cave entrance, waiting for Gundren. They do not yet know what has become of him.
Why It Matters
The Forge of Spells, if it still works, would be a standing magical capability — the kind of thing that has not existed on the western Sword Coast for generations. Whoever controls it controls the ability to craft real magical items. That alone is worth a great deal of trouble.