Elessaria, Routunious, and Tick-a-Tick enter the passage that leads to the forge room. The center of dwarven work and religious life is often a smithy, and this outpost was no exception.
The anvil still rests here, with a warhammer lying upon it. Leather bellows stand unused beside the forge, and a small shrine sits in an alcove beside the anvil. The shrine has empty candle holders before it; the alcove itself is filled with an iron statue of a dwarven god holding up a hammer. All the blacksmithing tools are missing.
As the remaining members of the party enter the room, they hear a clattering clanging sound. Astonished, they realize that the warhammer on the anvil is jumping around. Suddenly, it flies up into the air and moves toward them menacingly.
The adventurers prepare to do battle with the guardian warhammer. Elessaria puts her bow aside in order to use her battle axe.
The warhammer attacks her twice in rapid succession, and Elessaria fends off both attacks. Routunious summons Tick-a-Tick and then retreats to a corner with knives drawn. Elessaria is struck by the hammer, taking minor damage, then she and the warforged fighter attack the hammer but it is able to dodge their blows. While Routunious watches from his corner, Elessaria lands a hit against the warhammer, although Tick-a-Tick misses again. The elf's strike on the hammer splits the haft...and if a warhammer could become angry, they feel certain that this one would be.
The hammer flies at Elessaria, missing on its first attack but landing a serious blow on its second. Tick-a-Tick hits the warhammer and the handle breaks into 2 pieces, falling away from the hammerhead which, in turn, wavers and drops inert to clatter on the floor.
Elessaria removes a bottle from her pack and takes one swallow of an extra-healing potion. With a warm tingle she is fully restored to health.
Routunious examines the head of warhammer, fascinated by this magical opponent they have defeated. Holding the hammerhead in his hands, he says, "This weapon is finely worked steel but otherwise unremarkable. I don't have the knowledge to identify it further."
Elessaria, in an effort to placate whatever angry dwarven spirits might be watching and to shed a little light into the alcove, places 4 candles in the empty holders in front of the statue in the shrine.
Routunious asks, "Are you sure you want to light those?""We've already defeated the guardian." Elessaria returns.
"What if that statue thing comes to life?"
"Then, we will defeat it, too."
Elessaria lights the candles and holds her breath. Nothing happens, except that from the movment of the flames it is clear that there is air moving in this room.
"Look," Elessaria says, "the flames are moving."
"Where is the breeze coming from, I wonder?" Routunious thought out loud. They search the room carefully but cannot locate any concealed or secret door.
Routunious determines that the fresh air is likely coming from the area of the forge.
"The chimney must still be clear all the way to the surface," he says.
Satisfied with the explanation, Elessaria returns her attention to the alcove to the side. In it, they see a cache of iron which has over time rusted into a single large lump of metal. There appears to be nothing of value or any longer even of use. There is nothing but snapped blades, broken tools and plow blades, pitted and cracked horseshoes, twisted lanterns, irreparable bits of armor, and bars and sheets of iron that were never fully worked.
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