Xaeyruudh's Index

Grunwald

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This information is intended for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.


At a Glance

Population 200

Grunwald is a clearing in the Lurkwood, dotted with mostly-subterranean stone buildings. The residents are Uthgardt of the Thunderbeast tribe, considered by most of their neighbors to be the most civilized among the tribes. Logging and trapping are the main occupations here; they bring furs and carvings to the barter table and look for fabric, garments, and good steel weaponry and tools in exchange. They will also sell their wares to those who bring nothing to barter. Visitors should take note that it’s not wise to request carvings resembling any Uthgardt totem beast.

Given their dependence on the wood of the western Lurkwood for income, and the reverence for living trees shared by all Uthgardt, it should come as no surprise that the warriors of Grunwald will attack outlander woodcutters within three days of the village. Shanut wood, in particular, is sold to carvers —primarily in Sundabar and Waterdeep— year-round. Logs and lumber of other varieties are sold mostly to Mirabar and Longsaddle.

Homes in Grunwald resemble barrows. The long mounds are constructed of stone blocks, covered with stout timbers and topped with mud, moss, and grass. In some cases, a chimney is the only obvious clue that there’s any sort of building there.

The stones of Grunwald were once part of a long-abandoned dwarven fortification. The dwarves dwelt, for the most part, in tunnels beneath the forest. The Uthgardt know about the tunnels, and shun them. The tunnels are strictly taboo; to enter them is to invite the destructive wrath of the vague “shadows” that dwell therein. The sick are often dumped down a shaft, and children who willfully play in the tunnels are disowned and exiled from the settlement for the good of the tribe. Only the name Thornhammer survives from this hold, and now even the dwarves cannot remember whether it was the name of the realm, a clan, or an individual.

The Uthgardt here are constantly alert for spies sent by the orcs or other Uthgardt tribes — the latter are termed darkhearts. Consequently, lingering in Grunwald without a firm and known reason will quickly result in suspicion, forcible expulsion from the village, or attack with the intent to slay. Victims of this sort of misunderstanding may find, to their chagrin, that many defenders of the village coat their weapons with a sleep-inducing substance of their own make, known as haedrar.


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