“Two hundred years ago, the great dwarf smith Durgeddin the Black built Khundrukar, a hidden stronghold for his war of vengeance against all orckind.  For years, Durgeddin labored, until the orcs discovered Khundrukar and stormed the citadel, slaying all within.  Legends say that Durgeddin’s masterful blades and glistening treasures were never found.” 

The Forge of Fury, written by Richard Baker, is the second adventure in the series of adventures strategically designed to hit the "highlights" of the Third Edition rules and bring characters from 1st through 20th level. The basics of this adventure are similar to the first adventure, The Sunless Citadel, in which both are considered ‘dungeon crawls.”  However, the types of encounters here present more of a challenge to the players in terms of difficulty of encounters and changes in tactics to achieve success. 

The beginning of the book presents some background history about the story as well as a few ideas on how to get the players involved.  One of the possible scenarios comprises the discovery of a map of the stronghold layout that, conveniently, was presented in the previous adventure.  However, the first adventure in the series does not have to be used since that’s the only tie-in that the characters might have been faced with.  I consider that a plus since most DM’s usually like to write their own adventures or modify previous ones.  By introducing only a small part from the previous story, it gives him or her a chance to be flexible with the campaign’s history. 

Khundrkar, the story’s main setting, is unique in that each of the different areas have a variety of different creatures inhabiting the area.  Within the five different areas, the players will be presented with opponents who can be overcome by sheer force or in some cases, stealth will provide a better opportunity for success.  The monsters in this adventure are much more dangerous, and if the players play their cards right, will come face to face with the dungeon’s most dangerous opponent, a young black dragon. 

Unlike the first adventure, the DM is not encouraged to put on ‘kid gloves’ to keep the party alive.  Rather, the book suggests on more than one occasion to make sure that the monsters they encounter are using realistic tactics.  Additionally, it’s encouraged to allow the creatures to make full use of their abilities.  This presents more of a challenge to the party, and gives it a more exciting edge.  Based upon the creatures presented in the book, the adventure will provide the players with some scary moments. 

To make full use of the adventure, it’s highly recommended that the DM read both the Player’s Handbook and Monster Manual before running this adventure.  Although the named NPC’s and creatures are detailed in the back of the adventure, the other books will provide more insight into the adventure.

--Gary Reynolds, Wizard's Keep staff