The gist of this book is as
follows:
History of the Forge of Spells
More than 500 years
ago, clans of dwarves, gnomes, humans and elves made an agreement known as the
Pact of Phandelver, by which they would share a rich mine in a wondrous cavern
known as the Wave Echo Cave. In addition to the great mineral wealth, the mine
contained a great magical power. Human and Elvish spellcasters allied
themselves with the mining gnomes and dwarves to channel and bind the energy
into a great forge, known as the Forge of Spells, where magical items could be
crafted.
Disaster struck when orcs swept through the north and laid waste to all in
their path. The orcs, along with dark wizards, attacked the caves to try to
take its wealth and powers for themselves. All the allied races fought to
protect the Forge and the ensuing battle destroyed much of the cave system.
Few survived, but the raiders were driven away. To protect the Forge, each of
the allied races provided their own protective barriers to the cave, and it was
sealed off, until the evil hordes were finally vanquished. In the years of
battle to follow, however, the mine’s location was lost to history.
The town of Phandalin grew up in the area, initially frequented by treasure
hunters keen to discover the mine’s location, but eventually the rumours of the
mine faded, and the town became a prospector’s settlement, as the surrounding
hills were, and still are, rich in minerals, though the most valuable of which
have long since been mined.
The exact nature of
each of the protective barriers have been lost in time, as has the location of
the entrance, but it is know that each barrier could be bypassed, or removed,
by the use of a key of some kind. It is likely that the keys are all different
in their nature, and the whereabouts of the keys is currently unknown.
Scribbled in the margins
are some hand-written notes:
Dwarven key -
Key. Rockseekers. Opens entrance door.
Elvish key - Command Word. B.S.
Dispells initial barrier.
Gnomish key - ?. ?. ?
Human key - ?. ?. ?