A spiraling stone staircase descends from beneath the great statue in the museum above, leading into this fortified vault chamber. The room is cool and silent, carved directly into the stone, with sturdy tables, iron-bound cabinets, and chairs arranged with precision. Every detail here serves a purpose—whether for reviewing cargo, inspecting valuables, or regulating access to the deeper vault beyond.

This chamber serves a dual role as both a secure storage checkpoint and a guard post. A dwarven guard patrols the room on a tight schedule, arriving at the top of each hour to ensure everything remains in order. The dwarves do not leave the vault unguarded—even for a moment—and no item enters or leaves without passing inspection here.

This narrow, stone-cut corridor stretches between the Vault Entrance and the vault proper. At either end, imposing steel portcullises stand locked in place—formidable barriers designed to delay or trap intruders in the event of a breach.

The portcullises remain closed by default and can be operated from control levers located both in the Vault Entrance and within the Vault itself. Opening them causes a loud, metallic clatter that echoes through the chamber—anyone in the Vault will hear it immediately. A dwarven guard conducts a routine patrol every hour, moving from the Vault through the hallway and up to the entrance, opening and closing the gates as part of their route.

Set into a barely visible groove along the center of the floor, this pressure-activated trap lies dormant unless triggered. When stepped on by an unauthorized presence, razor-sharp blades spring forth from the groove in a sudden burst of whirling steel, slicing through the corridor in both directions. The trap is deadly, designed not just to wound, but to shred.

• Detection: DC 15 Perception to notice the groove

• Disarm: DC 16 Thieves’ Tools or Arcana (magical lock)

• Trigger: Stepping on the pressure plate (unless bypassed)

• Effect: 4d10 slashing damage, Dexterity save DC 15 for half

At the bottom of this narrow stone shaft, clear water collects in a quiet pool, disturbed only by the occasional ripple echoing from above. Natural light filters down from the well opening, refracting through the water and casting a soft, shifting glow across the surrounding stone. The effect is strangely serene, a rare moment of calm deep within the heart of the dwarven stronghold.

The earthen and stone walls around the well might suggest a possible route into the vault from below. However, such a plan would be neither quick nor quiet.

• The vault shares one wall with this chamber, but it is reinforced stone, deeply set and masterfully constructed.

• Tunneling through would require 24 continuous hours of labor with tools (or powerful magic), and

• Breaking through the final section of stone would require a DC 20 Strength check (with appropriate tools) or DC 20 Intelligence ( Mason’s Tools) to plan and reinforce the breach.

• Noise from the tunneling would very likely attract attention from the guards, especially near the end.

While possible, such an approach is an act of desperation, not strategy—and the dwarves have engineered the walls accordingly.

Beyond the final hallway, the chamber opens into a circular stone vault, its air heavy with silence and layered dust. At the far end, a massive circular vault door stands like a guardian of ancient secrets—etched with intricate dwarven runes and reinforced with steel and mithral bands. This is the heart of the Dwarven Mining Company’s wealth and secrets.

Four suits of ornate dwarven armor—bronze, broad-shouldered, and motionless—stand at attention along the room’s perimeter. Their eyes seem to follow any who enter, glinting faintly in the low light.

A richly woven rug lies at the center of the chamber, bearing the company’s crest in golden thread. The floor is smooth, well-maintained, and surprisingly clean—another quiet reminder that this place is watched, and it is ready.

Vault Door

Only a master thief—or someone with intimate knowledge of dwarven vault mechanisms—could hope to breach this door. Without specific information about its internal workings, the lock is considered functionally unpickable.

However, rumors persist of long-lost blueprints and engineering notes from the original Toran vaultwrights—documents detailing the locking system, failsafes, and bypass sequences. These schematics might be offered by an ambitious faction, such as Gellan Primewater or agents of the Sea Princes, or discovered through a quest tied to the company’s buried past.

Such knowledge would grant a critical edge. Without it, opening the vault is an act of desperation. With it, the dwarves’ greatest defense becomes merely difficult.

• Mechanics:
  The door is sealed with a heavy iron mechanism and a masterfully crafted dwarven lock.

  • DC 25 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools) check to pick

  • This is reduced to DC 15 if the party has acquired relevant blueprints or engineering notes

Only Manistrad Copperlocks, Dworic Ironbelly (Foreman), and Thorek Gemhand (Master Gem Cutter) know the proper method to open the vault.

• The four suits are Animated Armor constructs, enchanted to defend the vault.

• They do not attack dwarves, and will stand down for 10 minutes if the command word "Tatalot" is spoken aloud.

• Only Manistrad Copperlocks, Dworic Ironbelly (Foreman), and Thorek Gemhand (Master Gem Cutter) know the command word.

• The ornate rug in the center of the room is a Rug of Smothering, lying in wait.

• It activates the moment someone steps onto it without speaking the command word or lacking dwarf heritage.

• The rug animates silently, attempting to grapple and suffocate the intruder, acting as a final deterrent against greed or intrusion.

You are surrounded by a trove of wealth and history. Piles of gold coins, heavy chests, and sacks overflowing with raw and cut gemstones shimmer in the soft glow of enchanted lanterns. The air is cool and still, holding the weight of tradition and the quiet pressure of watchful enchantments.

Around the perimeter, stone slabs etched with ancient runes display fragments of the Mining Company’s most sacred history—founding oaths, lost bloodlines, and records of the deepest delves. Relics unearthed from forgotten halls and crumbled ruins are displayed with reverence, each one resting in a fitted alcove within the stonework.

Despite the room’s opulence, everything is precisely catalogued, carefully maintained, and unmistakably dwarven—this is not a hoard, but a fortress of heritage.

Treasure

• Currency & Trade Goods:

  • Approx. 1,000 gp in mixed gold and gems

  • Dwarven-mined emeralds, fire opals, and garnets

  • Stamped trade bars bearing the crest of the Toran Guild

• Magic Items (DMG Compatible):

  1. Belt of Dwarvenkind (Wondrous Item, Rare – DMG p.155)
     A prized heirloom passed down by the original Toran foreman who first broke ground in Saltmarsh. Grants resilience, strength, and a deeper connection to dwarven heritage.

  2. Stone of Good Luck (Luckstone) (Wondrous Item, Uncommon – DMG p.205)
     Kept in a small obsidian case beside the ledgers—used by the company's first gem appraiser, said to never have misvalued a stone. Grants +1 to ability checks and saving throws.