Grunwald

Grunwald was a small, yet civilized Uthgardt village in the North.

Geography
Grunwald was located in the Lurkwood of northwest Faerûn.

Government
As of the Year of the Staff, 1366 DR, the king of the Thunderbeast tribe was Gundar Brontoskin.

Architecture
The homes in Grunwald were family halls, long and ovaloid mounds, said to resemble burial mounds overgrown with bushes and scrub. They were constructed of heaped stone, topped with timber roofs spread by mud, which often had grass and moss growing atop them. Some were known to have chimneys.

The stones of these houses were sourced from the above-ground ruins of the ancient dwarfhold, while their timber was harvested from the surrounding forest.

Trade
The primary product of Grunwald was timber from the Lurkwood, which was primarily traded in the wintertime with Mirabar and Longsaddle. Dark shanut wood was also a valuable commodity that was in demand in Waterdeep and Sundabar, often for the purposes of wood carving.

On an individual level, the inhabitants of Grunwald sold wares to any passing merchant regardless of whether or not they had anything to barter. These wares often included the pelts of polar bears, the furred skins of glacier snakes, as well as various forms of wood carvings that ranged from small statuettes and rings to life-size statues.

Defenses
Grunwald had a standing patrol of twelve veteran barbarian warriors that were skilled in the use of slings, spears, and various sorts of blades. Their weapons were often laced with a sleep-inducing substance, known as haedrar.

History
Grunwald was built upon the ruins of a dwarfhold,  which was referred to by the dwarven name Thornhammer, though no one knew its true name.

Notable Locations

 * Clearing of the Rock: An area of land with a huge boulder in its center that was designated spot to light a signal fire in times of danger. Traders were often known to camp here.


 * Hand of Justice: A pavilion shrine to Tyr that was in the eastern section of the village, south of the grove. The upright gauntlet of a giant stood there and it was regularly attended by six warrior-priests of the deity. Here they held court cases, acting as the village's lawyers and jury.


 * King's Lodge: A three-story tall, crumbling keep in the eastern section of the village. It had a throne room, feast hall, as well as a dungeon in the lower levels. The stairs leading up to the lodge notably lacked any handrail. Above the steps were hung on iron hooks the heads of slain village foes. These were mostly the old skulls of orcs, though occasionally the head of a thief or dishonest merchant would be added to the lineup.


 * Sacred Grove of Silvanus: A grove dedicated to the god Silvanus that was in the forest east of the village, beneath the shadows of the King's Lodge.


 * The Stone Bow: A large inn, nearly as big as the King's Lodge, on the southwestern edge of the village. This housed Grunwald's various mounts and pack animals, as well as acted as a place for travelers to rest and eat.


 * The Tunnels: The ruins of the dwarfhold upon which Grunwald was built, a vast and intricate network of tunnels with multiple entrances. These were used by the villagers as cesspits and bonepits. Villagers considered the area extremely taboo, off-limits to both outsiders and themselves. Villagers often told grandiose stories about it at the local inn, speculating about what monsters might be down there. Whenever children were caught playing in the tunnels they were banished from the village.

Inhabitants
Grunwald was the headquarters of the Thunderbeast tribe of Uthgardt barbarians. Compared to other Uthgardt tribes, the people of Grunwald were fairly welcoming to outsiders, though they did not appreciate loiterers. People who loitered for too long without any clear reason were often imprisoned, run out of town, or killed on the grounds that they could be a spy for orcs or rival tribes.

The resident priests of Tyr would often go out on patrols with the Thunderbeasts, guide wayward adventurers, and helped to maintain overall peace in the village. The resident druids of Silvanus would heal the townsfolk for no cost, though charged outsiders a steep fee.

Religion
Though the Uthgardt maintained their ancestral religion, over time they tolerated the presence of priests from other religions, primarily the druids of Silvanus and the clerics of Tyr. These groups had a grove and shrine respectively that were dedicated to their god, close to the king's lodge.

Rumors & Legends
The inhabitants of Grunwald believed that anyone who willfully entered the tunnels beneath their village would awaken the spirits that dwelled within them and bring misfortune upon Grunwald.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Son of Thunder