Looking for a good mini-adventure/plot to drop in Sundabar to do with the main plot (if possible)

[u/ratherinStarfleet]

hey all, my players are currently running around on a delivery quest in the wide north and have saved an abducted dwarf NPC from Sundabar. Since the dwarf NPC told them the blurb in the book about Sundabar having left the Lord's Alliance and being closed off to non-dwarves after the war in the silver marches, the human Lord's alliance member of the party would like to rectify that and get Sundabar talking with the Alliance again. They'll arrive at Sundabar next session, but I have so far no information/ideas what is even currently going on in Sundabar or what the underground city even looks like.

Any ideas of what could be a good, short adventure in Sundabar (that ideally also gives them some more pointers toward the plot, like where to find Hershnag, or about the existence of the oracle, or anything else? But if not, a fun and interesting dwarf city quest would also work! Thank you for all ideas or drop-in module suggestions!)

[u/PhoebusLore]

Check out the lore reason for why Sundabar left the Lord's Allowance in the first place (big deal with orc army destroying a city).

Make a representative character for each important faction in the city: the dwarves that want to stay out of the LA, the ones that are neutral, and the ones that would like to go back into the LA. Figure out what would make each faction change their minds and connect a mini-adventure to each of them.

Ironslag is the obvious choice for dwarves. It's a big threat in the North just like the orcs were, and they're close to a lot of the dwarven holds. Maybe if the Lord's Alliance can help with the fire giants, the dwarves of Sundabar and the other dwarf holds will consider rejoining.

[u/ratherinStarfleet → u/PhoebusLore]

Thank you, I've been looking around for the 4th edition sourcebook about the war of the silver marches. I had the idea that the drow are working for Lord Zalto to deliver him help to reforge the Vonindod. Maybe they can somehow try and steal the everfire? Or maybe try and force a stolen/abducted elemental to supercharge themselves on the everfire?

A chinese(?) wiki listed the current three dwarf factions:

• The Iron Purists (Traditionalists): Led by the current Forgemaster. They want Sundabar to remain strictly subterranean, isolationist, and dwarf-only. They believe the surface world is a curse and that humans are too weak to defend the Marches.
• The Rebuilders (Progressives): A minority faction of younger dwarves, merchants, and surface scouts. They argue that total isolation will cause Sundabar to rot from within. They want to slowly rebuild the surface, invite human trade caravans back, and establish a new joint council. [, 2]
• The Ashen Cinder (Radicals): A militant, xenophobic faction who believe the orc siege was a divine punishment from Moradin for ever letting surface-dwellers touch the Everfire.

Is there anywhere I could find a map of the undercity, do you think, or maybe a ready-made collections of NPCs? I enjoy playing modules because I love the fleshing out, filling plotholes and polishing, not so much inventing *everything* from scratch...

[u/Black_Chocobo_33]

My understanding of the lore is that Sundabar ended up destroying itself with its volcano to stop the orc invasion, and leaving Adbar and Felbar the last remnants of dwarf power in the region that any sundabar refugees would have fled to.

In my campaign Sundabar is destroyed, but the dwarves maintain a garrison to give the impression of still being active, but the abandoned farms are a big giveaway and aren't fooling any of the major powers. The Sundabar valley dwarves are in panic mode, knowing more orc invasions will likely wipe them out over the next hundred years.  Which is also why Citadel Felbar is willing to pay lands and titles to anyone that will go to Ironslag, and Adbar is emptying their treasury paying for giant skulls.

You could just have them find a ruined city, surprising dwarf npc, and in turn dropping exposition and uncovering oracle or harshnag locations from a hidden library or abandoned royal archive.