Bruehold

The home to Rundgrunnor Barleybeard.

## Clan Barleybeard

In the Southeast portion of the Yatil Mountains, where they meet the Clatspur Range, sit the adjacent summits of Mount Soral and Mount Sornal, nicknamed the Twin Maidens; known to the Dwarves as Mounts Kastra and Kilfryd - the pair are called Dulkel Fell in Dwarvish.

Deep within those twin peaks lies the Dwarf realm of Bruehold, and within that, the Abbey of Moradin - as storied and as ancient as Dwarven culture itself. The Abbey was built by Clan Altarstone and Clan Goldruut thousands of years ago, who were seeking a refuge where they could worship and study in peace. Like most Mountain Dwarf settlements, the Abbey is a sprawling city carved into the belly of the mountain; home to thousands of dwarves and complete with robust systems of commerce. While there’s no major seat of religious or political power there, the Abbey and it’s community are famous for being home to the most devout followers of the pantheon of Dwarven gods.

Their host of Clerics exemplify piety, and their legion of Paladins are the gold standard of discipline; however, the skills honed in the Abbey are rarely tested outside of those walls, as they keep themselves cloistered more often than not, in order to meditate and study. Not to say that all their training is in vain- they successfully defended their home against orc and goblin invasions countless times and marched to war with their Dwarf brethren when great evils threatened the existence of their race.

Right beside the Abbey lies the Spring of Hanseath; a seemingly never-ending underground lake that supplies the residents of Bruehold with pure mountain water year round. One of the smaller clans who helped build the Abbey, the Barleybeards, soon found that the incredible quality of the water made terrific beer. Over centuries, they perfected their recipes for meads and ales. Humans, halflings, and dwarves travelled from all over the world to try the greatest Dwarven brews. Eventually, they developed a distillery alongside the brewery and ventured into making a fine dark liquor known as Tunnel Tear; this liquor developed an equivalent notariety and reputation around the world.

After a while, the ever-enterprising Dwarves found that this high quality liquor could be a valuable source of income. They began producing more and more casks every year, shipping to all corners of the world, until the Abbey distillery could no longer needed to keep up with demand. At that time, Mount Kastra contained the whole of Bruehold, so they dug a massive tunnel into Mount Kilfryd, carving out another expanse to hold the new commercial breweries and the city required to support it, named Vergahull. Now, Vergahull is almost exclusively occupied and run by the Barleybeard clan; the exception, of course, is the brewmaster (Who is, usually, also the head of Clan Barleybeard) and his family, who live in the Abbey and monitor the spring, as well as keep the Abbey distillery running- which still distills the private casks for residents of Bruehold.

To this day, the beers and liquors that come from Vergahull are widely regarded as the best in the world.

Of course, the Dwarves at Bruehold also fashion high-quality goods - they’re most known for their stoneware, religious items, steins and chalices adorned with the precious metals and gems mined from the mountain walls.

While the Abbey of Moradin and Vergahull each have their own distinct identities as a religious community and commercial brewery and distillery, individual clan rules and customs are still the main law of the land. The founding clans: Altarstone, Goldruut, Barleybeard make up the majority of the population of Bruehold, but a few smaller clans: Rubyglint, Oakleg, and Redpikk came a few centuries after its creation, and now account for a significant portion of residents. In addition, each of the clan leaders form the Bruehold High Council which meets to rule on issues that affect all the Dwarves of Dulkel Fell. The highest authority in Bruehold, though, is a wise and powerful Paladin named Golbaern Goldruut, affectionately known as The Old Abbot. He’s a dwarf well over the age of 400- kept alive by the strength of his Paladin’s Oath.