Editing 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.


----

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.

I. 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.

II. 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.

III. 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.

IV. 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]]