Stonekeep was a sanctuary fortification, the home to a large Dwarf colony living in the New Age. Stonekeep was embedded within the northern part of the Swordedge Mountains and was said to be impregnable to outsiders. Entirely underground (some of it extending even to the inside of the mountaintops), Stonekeep was completely shielded from outside influences and was not governed by the changing seasons or the effects of the Sun.
Stonekeep was the center of Dwarf mining operations; they dug up gems used for trade as well as raw ore to melt down into weapons and armor. Operations were managed from a central control hub. Stonekeep was an exercise in contrasts; while its industrial center was uncomfortably hot, due to the superheated molten ore being carried to and from the Dwarf foundry, the remaining undeveloped depths were frigid and uninhabitable.
The closest human settlement to Stonekeep was a former trading post named Altus Rock; Men and Dwarves conducted barter and trade between both locations until relations between the two races deteriorated and the Dwarves went into seclusion.
Stonekeep consisted of a network of multiple interconnected caverns. The caverns were lined with gemstones that had yet to be mined; one estimate put the existing Dwarf gem inventory as taking eleven years to count.
Facilities at Stonekeep included a trading post as well as a tavern. The bar at the Stonekeep tavern never closed, and offered such Dwarven drinks as shiitake fizzy tea and Hakk Strokk.
History[]
Several hundred years ago, the Dwarves and Elves conspired to trap the Ancient One inside Stonekeep, the Dwarves trapping him in a slab of granite and the Elves using a magic seal to trap him there.
At some point, construction on the Giant began, a tremendous war machine that took hundreds of years to design and assemble.
In unctual year 3889, a piece of the World-Breaker was discovered beneath Stonekeep during a Dwarf drilling operation.
In unctual year 3891, the Ancient One was freed, and went on a rampage before escaping Stonekeep. Believing the Elves to be responsible for his release, the Dwarves launched the Giant from Stonekeep.
There remained countless gems still embedded within the rock to be mined; one estimate put the existing Dwarf gem inventory as taking eleven years to count.
Embarrassment of Riches[]
Mirabel Miller showed Brian Devonhyre a promissory note good for one kajillion thousand gold sovereigns, supposedly from Stonekeep, as a way of demonstrating her ability to make people believe her falsehoods.
The Veil of Souls[]
Jessyka wanted to return to Stonekeep following her escape from the Forgotten Basin, so she could warn her Dwarf compatriots about the threat of Deorwynn. She and Mirabel Miller eventually visited the bar in Stonekeep and proceeded to get very drunk.