An artisan’s knowledge of Phandalin and its hinterlands would likely be sourced from guild records, trade journals, oral histories from masters or guild elders, rumors among craftsmen about legendary techniques or lost workshops, or even fragments of old documents such as incomplete blueprints, ledgers, or shipping manifests from old trade routes.
Intelligence (History) – Artisan Background (Phandalin Lore)
| DC | Difficulty | What the Artisan Might Recall |
| 10 | Easy | Phandalin is a frontier town that’s seen a recent economic revival, thanks to nascent mining operations and trade. There’s talk of opportunities there for laborers and skilled tradesfolk, as well as ruined structures to claim and repair for use as a shop or home. |
| 15 | Medium | Half a millennium ago, Phandalin thrived during a mining boom, thanks to veins of precious metals and gems in the nearby hills and mountains. Its fall was tied to orc horde invasion, which devastated trade across the region. It’s thought by some that the area’s mineral wealth remains largely undiscovered. |
| 20 | Hard | Phandalin was supposedly situated close to the legendary Wave Echo Cave, where dwarves and gnomes operated advanced forges. A “Forge of Spells” was said to create finely enchanted items – masterwork tools, armor, weapons, and wondrous items. Though no one knows where the cave or the forge are located. |
| 25 | Very Hard | Artisans’ guild records, which are rare and guarded, tell of the Phandelver Pact, an alliance that fused magic and craftsmanship. The Forge of Spells was said to be powered by both arcane energy and elemental forces. Some claim it allowed smiths to imbue magic directly into metal, a technique lost to time in memoriam. |
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