Enregard Brewer

The village brewery is a two-story stone structure built during the second age by dwarves. The original purpose of the building has been lost to time and the depradations of the third age, but at present is is the property of Bernard Smyth. As a dwarven building it is solid, cool, and timeless, with walls made from massive blocks of granite that have been shaven to fit seemlessly together. The back of the building is butting against a stone promentory that overlooks the village. Overall the building is the oldest and most solid building in the village, and could almost serve as a fortress if it didn't have so many openings.

Enregard was born the son of the village barrel maker, his father building the barrels that Bernard used to ship his finely brewed ale. His mother was Bernard's sister, making Enregard the nephew of the village brewer.

Enregard's father, Caldune, was smitten by his current wife Glorenna during his teen years, and their marriage broke the heart of the village locksmythe, who was a rival for her affections. This rival came up with a plan to rid hinself of Caldune, and take Glorenna for himself. He would frame Caldune for a crime, and the overlords would haul him off to a life of enslavement. Unfortunately the plan backfired when both Caldune and Glorenna were enslaved.

Enregard escaped this fiendish plot when Bernard claimed his nephew for his own son, and won his release despite the protestations of the locksmith due to Bernard's privileged position within the village. The brewer had a special relationship with the local lord, in which he would ship a substantial portion of his annual output to the lord and his troops, in exchange for light taxation and freedom from persecution. Bernard is the sole surviving owner of the family's secret recipe for brewing the village's ale, and even the dark, souless fiend of a lord would regret its loss.

As a result Enregard grew up under the care and supervision of Bernard. Enregard hatched endless plots to gain the freedom of his parents, as well as to get revenge upon the slave and the locksmith. The smithy knew of his hatred, and was constantly attempting to have him "taken care of". Only Bernard's influence had kept him alive.

The cellar of the brewet contained an expertly concealed door that repeated searches by the evil occupiers had always failed to uncover. Bernard and Enregard knew how to access and open this panel, and used it to hide refugees and hide illicit goods. The pair knew only of a safe room and a secret tunnel behind the panel; the other secrets of the ancient dwarven structure remained lost to them.

One of Enregard's contacts is a slimy dog of a man who plays both sides of the village power structure. He is a spy for the lords and feeds them interesting tidbits of information in exchange for allowing him to traffic in illicits goods. He is also a friend of certain villagers, including Bernard, and works to keep them safe from persecution. This smuggler has a relationship with Bernard, and knows the hidden back entrance of the secret tunnel. He uses this to carry goods into the village.

The spy also knows a hidden cave near the river where he stores transported goods. Once he took Enregard here and told him he could use the cave in case he ever needed to hide. Nearby are the docks where the river barges come to haul away the barrels of quality ale. Here it is that Enregard met his gnomish friend, an owner of one of the boats that ply the river. The two have spent much time together on the river and become good friends.

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Enregard Brewster grew up on the outskirts of the village, the son of a barrel maker. His mother was sister to Bernard Smythe, and so Enregard was closely linked to the brewery. He spent much of his youth carrying newly hooped and smoked barrels to the brewery, and enjoyed exploring every nook and cranny in the place.

At the age of 10, Enregard's parents were taken as slaves by a soulless scourge of a half-Oruk by the name of Kilsh the Unclean. Enregard fought to save his parents, and was brutally flogged for his efforts. Only later did he discover that his parents were selected for slavery by none other than old man Tuck, the village locksmith. Apparently Tuck had been deeply enamoured of Enregard's mother when he was younger, and thought to separate the two by arranging to betray Enregard's father. It came as a shock to him when the mother was taken away as well, in spite of the slaver's promise.

Enregard is now a young adult; a large, powerful man with a protruding ale-belly and huge biceps. He has a thick, wide, handle-bar moustache and a partly shaven head. He wears a braid of thick, black hair down his back.

Friends

• Bernard Smyth is a middle-aged master brewer of fine ales,

and a solid member of the village community. He is short, balding and has a paunch, but is kindly in demeanor and patient with others. Bernard has resigned himself to the bitter reality of the world, and seeks only to aid his village and carry on his craft. Due to his knowledge of the family secret to brewing the special ale for which his business is famed, Bernard enjoys a certain amount of influence and protection by the local lord. In return a large portion of his annual production is shipped to his lordship's hold.

• Ulgarash "The Iytch" is a gnomish trader who owns a river

barge named the Lost Dream. He carries Bernard's barrels of ale downriver, and is sometimes accompanied by Enregard. As a result the two have become friends, and Ulgarash has shared many a tall tale with Enregard.

• Sinthash, the lovely Carpenter's daughter, is a spirited

lass who shares a warm friendship with Enregard. Despite the later's long rapture with the lithe, raven-haired woman, the two have never been more than close friends. Enregard still holds a wistful longing for the woman, but has too much wanderlust to be the stable companion Sinthash seeks.

Contacts

• Greep is an itinerant smuggler who has a working relation

with Bernard. He uses the hidden passage in the cellar of the Rimaegel to carry illicit materials into the village, and to aid selected villages. However, Greep is a worm of a man who plays both sides of the occupation, providing much-needed items to the villagers while reporting as a spy to the occupiers. As a result of his information, the forces of the Old Kings have been kept well informed of events in the area. But Greep is cautious to protect the identities of his sources, and never betrays his friends. He has been known to stretch many a tall tale in order to please his masters, and is clever at talking his way out of difficult situations.

• Tinsel is the town story teller, and former wandering bard. He

has often entertained Enregard with his tales of the outside world and the days of yore. Tinsel was once widely known under a different alias, and has many friends and allies throughout the lands. Occasionally a complete stranger will appear in town to renew acquaintances with the old bard.

• Boran is a barkeep in the town pub, and a close friend of

Bernard. As a result Boran has known Enregard since he was a young whelp, and often employs his services in his trade. The barkeep has even employed Enregard as a bouncer on some occasions, relying on the young man's lean form to intimidate unruly clients during busy periods.

Enemies

• Kilsh the Unclean is the half-oruk slave-master who dragged

away Enregard's parents into slavery. As a result Enregard has a bitter emnity toward this large, intimidating figure. The two have even tussled, and Enregard was only saved from being hauled away when Bernard intervened.

• Old man Tuck is the town locksmith, and the man responsible

for sending Enregard's parents into bondage. He had a deep attraction for Enregard's mother, and was broken-hearted when she married another man. So he framed her husband for a crime he did not commit. The plan backfired when both the mother and father were hauled away. Enregard was rescued by Bernard when then later claimed the boy for his own son. Ever since Tuck has been venting his wrath against Enregard, and trying to get him imprisoned or killed.

• Gorsgk "One Eye" is a local half-oruk warrior turned farmer

who was maimed by Enregard's father in a bloody fight. He settled near the village after retiring from service in the ruling lord's horde, and has been a local bully to many of the villagers. he takes a particular delight in thrashing Enregard because of his father's actions, although lately he has been more wary due to the boy's increasing strength and physical stamina. It is fair to say that the fisticuffs with Grosgk have taught Enregard much about courage and "manly" combat.

Locations

• Near the river where Enregard carries the barrels of ale for

transport, Greep has shown him the location of a well-concealed cave high up on a butte along the river shore. This cave has a long history due to the smuggling trade, and has seen use as a bandit hideout, a place to store kidnap victims, and, of course, a storage grotto for illicit materials. The cave has been expanded into three separate chambers, and contains a limited quantity of supplies, containers, sleeping bunks, and lots of trash. It suffers from an unwholesome smell, but is a safe hideaway.

• To the south of the town is a small grotto. Inside is a tough,

gnarly ancient Oak tree that towers over the other growths. The trunk of the tree is hollow, although the bole is difficult to spot without a search. It climbs up to the remains of an old elven treehouse, now delapidated and fallen into ruin. Still something of the original form and magnificence can be seen by those who find it. The house is well-concealed by the massive tree, which is why it has never been destroyed.

• Rimaegel is a very old structure, easily the oldest in the

village. Legend holds that it was built during the second age by skilled dwarven artisans, and its sturdy old stone walls and deep foundation have survived the numerous depradations of the lands. After the dwarves were defeated and driven into their holdfasts, the Rimaegel came to be a home of men, as its high vaulted ceiling and roomy cellar were worthy of their stature.

This building was the founding structure of the village, and the remaining rustic structures sprang up about it. The cellars are used to brew a quality ale based on an old family recipe handed down from generation to generation. Indeed so valued is this brewery that it is suffered to prosper in spite of the aggregious taxations of the ruling tyrants. In exchange for a substantial shipment of ale to the overlord and his troops, the owner of the Rimaegel is granted license to sell its product without overburdensome taxes or fear of enslavement.

For this purpose the cellar of the Rimaegel has a safe room where those fleeing from the occupiers can hide. Despite repeated searches of the structure, this hiding place has never been discovered. Yet this safe room is just the tip of a hidden and forgotten complex built by the old dwarven clans. One secret tunnel leads to a well-concealed cave near a stream bank, and it is to here that the smuggler Greep journeys to store his goods and pass along information.

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Midnight: the SCROLL BARERS