Dryvale

Hamlet of Stone and Dust

Dryvale sits among the rough hills of the Grimwold Marches, where thin soils and stony ground make farming difficult and mining uncertain. The settlement survives through stubborn labor rather than abundance.

Rough fields of barley, root vegetables, and hardy grains lie between rocky outcroppings. Small flocks of sheep and goats graze the sparse grasslands, while pigs root along the edges of the settlement. An ox farm outside the village supplies the strong teams needed to haul ore wagons across the hills.

Water is scarce. Many wells have been dug over the years, but nearly half have run dry. Rain catchers—barrels fed by rooftop troughs—stand beside most buildings. A local water-finder, sometimes called a “water shaman,” is often seen walking the hills with forked rods in search of new underground veins.

Dryvale is not unfriendly, but it is practical. People come here with a purpose—usually work.

Places to Go

The Dusty Trough Caravanserai

Inn, tavern, and wagon yard

This U-shaped stone building surrounds a packed-earth courtyard where wagons and ox teams can be secured. The place smells of wood smoke, leather harness, and strong ale.

Drivers traveling between Rimehold, Duun-Kharag, and the southern trade roads stop here to rest before tackling the hill routes. Food is simple but filling: onion bread, goat stew, barley mash, ale, and for the discerning customer a few choice wines from dealings with merchants from the south.

A large hearth dominates the common room, and long tables host miners, traders, and wagon crews each evening. This is where travelers hear the latest rumors of the hills.

Stonehand Forge & Smelter

Blacksmith and ore works

The clang of hammer on metal echoes through the settlement from dawn until late evening.

Berrik Stonehand, a broad-shouldered dwarf, runs the forge. He refines copper and iron brought in from the surrounding hills and occasionally processes low-grade platinum ore.

Most of his work involves:

• tool repair
• wagon fittings
• armor patching
• reinforcing mining gear

His weapons are not elegant—but they are durable and dependable.

Clear-Eye Assay House

Gem polishing and ore grading

A modest stone building with large shuttered windows. Inside, trays of stones and ore samples sit beneath magnifying lenses and polishing wheels. Lessa of the Clear Eye examines gemstones, evaluates mining finds, and certifies claims.
Miners often bring her strange stones discovered in the hills. She has a reputation for knowing when a “lucky find” might be something more unusual.

Lessa can exchange gems for coin at a surcharge of 10%. She also can cut gems up to 1,000 gp value. Gemstones of 5,000 gp or higher usually involve a discreet appointment and a courier to a jewelcrafter in Nevond Nevnend.

Shrine of Earth and Hammer

Shrines to Beory and Moradin

Two simple shrines share a common stone square building. The altar of Beory is an uncarved standing stone worn smooth by weather and touch. The altar of Moradin is a dwarven anvil carved directly from the bedrock. Miners and farmers alike come here before beginning dangerous work, asking for:

• endurance
• strength
• safe return from the pits

Offerings are usually practical: tools, stone fragments, or small ore samples.

Delve-Divers Mining Company

The Delve-Divers Mining Company maintains its charter hall at the edge of the Dwarven District, a stout stone structure whose walls are reinforced with iron struts and old mining braces. The hall serves as both guildhouse and counting office for the miners working the nearby hills.

The company is led by Durro Stonevein, a seasoned dwarf whose beard is streaked with iron gray and whose reputation for honest dealings has earned the trust of both dwarven clans and human settlers alike. Durro keeps meticulous records of claims, ore yields, and equipment, and the company charter hangs framed behind his desk.

The Delve-Divers operate several small mining claims along the rocky ridges north of town, seeking platinum, iron, and lesser gemstones washed down from the Griff Mountains. Though none of the workings are large enough to be called a true mine yet, the company believes richer veins may lie deeper beneath the hills.

Within the hall one may find:

• Claim maps of nearby hills and old dwarven survey sketches
• Racks of mining picks, lanterns, rope, mauls and wedges
• A small assayer’s table used to test ore samples
• Locked chests containing the company’s latest finds

Durro employs a mixture of dwarven miners, human laborers, and the occasional gnomish engineer, paying fair wages but expecting hard work in return.

When new prospectors arrive in town, they are often directed here first — for the Delve-Divers control most of the legal mining claims in the district, and Durro has little patience for unregistered diggers.

The Tempered Tankard

A squat, stone-fronted tavern with a low lintel and thick oak doors banded in iron, the Tempered Tankard was built to the comfort of dwarves but welcomes halflings, gnomes, and other smallfolk who find its warm hearth and sturdy tables agreeable. Humans are welcome as well, though taller patrons must mind their heads on the rafters.

The interior smells of roasted pork, onion bread, wood smoke, and dark ale. Lanterns fashioned from old mining lamps hang from chains overhead, their warm glow reflecting off polished iron tankards stacked behind the bar.

The house fare is simple but hearty: strong stone-ale, pulled pork braised in dark stout, thick root stews, and dense black onion bread baked in iron pans. A bowl of pickled cave mushrooms is often passed among the tables for those who favor sharper flavors.

Miners from the nearby workings and members of the Delve-Divers Company gather here most evenings. Talk often turns to new veins of ore, broken picks, stubborn rock faces, and the occasional boast of striking something valuable beneath the hills.

The tavern’s sign depicts a dwarven tankard resting on an anvil, steam curling upward like forge smoke.

Rumor holds that if one wishes to hear news from the mines before it reaches the Baron’s ears, the Tempered Tankard is the place to listen.

Notable Folk in the Tempered Tankard

• Bruunja Steinklufvir: Dwarven proprietor and cook
  • A broad-shouldered dwarf with copper-red braids tied in iron rings, Brunnja runs the Tempered Tankard with a firm hand and a loud laugh. Once a cook for a caravan company that traveled the Thunder Pass, she settled here when the mining company began expanding its claims.
  • Brunnja prides herself on serving food that can “stick to a miner’s ribs and keep him swinging a pick.” Her pulled pork stew and black onion bread are widely considered the best meals in the district.
  • Though jovial, she has keen instincts and keeps an eye on her patrons. Trouble rarely lasts long in the Tankard before she quietly has it escorted outside.
• Kellen ‘Stonehand’ Marrik :Human miner and Delve-Divers shift boss
  • A burly human of about 5’8″ with scarred knuckles and a permanently dusty beard, Kellen Marrik is one of the few humans Durro trusts to supervise crews in the mines. He earned the nickname Stonehand after surviving a cave-in that crushed the fingers of his left hand; he now wears an iron brace forged at the smeltery.
  • Kellen spends most evenings nursing a heavy mug of stout while sketching rough maps of the mine tunnels in charcoal.
  • He respects dwarven mining discipline and has adopted many of their customs, though the dwarves still tease him for drinking too slowly.
• Tibbik “Tibbs” Whistlefizz: Gnomish engineer and occasional nuisance
  • A bright-eyed rock gnome with soot-stained sleeves, “Tibbs”, assists the Delve-Divers as an engineer and tinkerer. His inventions range from clever lantern rigs to devices that explode with alarming enthusiasm.
  • He’s usually found at a corner table surrounded by sketches, gears, and small brass tools while he excitedly explains ideas no one fully understands.
  • Though Durro tolerates him, Brunnja insists that no experimental devices be activated inside the tavern after an unfortunate incident involving a self-turning stew pot.

The Ox Pens (northern fence of the Dusty Trough)

Teamsters and wagon animals

Large fenced fields outside the settlement house Dryvale’s prized ox teams. These animals pull the heavy ore wagons that move between the mining towns of the region.

The ox farm also supports livestock such as goats, sheep, and pigs, whose wool, meat, and manure help sustain the settlement. Travelers sometimes hire teams here when heading deeper into the hills.

The Wells of Dryvale

Water sources of uncertain reliability

Several stone wells stand throughout the settlement, though many have long since dried. Rain catchers and cisterns supplement the water supply. During dry seasons, water becomes a precious commodity. Locals still dig new wells from time to time under the guidance of Dryvale’s resident water-finder.

People to See

Harn Oldridge

Keeper of the Dust & Trough

Harn was a miner for a time and after a close call with a cave-in decided to turn to driving wagons for several years for expanding to provide a waystop for the town. To most visitors he is simply an experienced innkeeper who keeps wagons safe and meals warm.

Among certain traders, however, Harn is quietly known as someone who can arrange introductions through a loose but dependable network of merchants and caravan connections. Harn can occasionally connect travelers with buyers or sellers of goods that are uncommon in frontier markets provided sufficent time and coin.

These transactions are never advertised openly and rarely discussed within the common room. Those seeking such assistance must first prove they are discreet, reliable, and unlikely to bring trouble.

Harn himself rarely asks too many questions. His interest lies mainly in keeping the caravans moving and the yard peaceful.

Duurgo Stonevein

Dwarven charter holder

Recently inherited the mining charter for the abandoned Gnóttbrunr mine, once known as the Fountain of Wealth. Determined to reopen the mine despite its dark reputation.

Currently searching for adventurers willing to investigate the old mine to the far north known as Gnottbrunr supposedly haunted.

Barlo Basaltson

Chief miner

A stout, quiet dwarf carrying a well-worn mattock.

Barlo understands how dwarven mines were constructed and can guide explorers through them and identify any hazards—though even he admits every mountain has a personality and it’s not always welcoming.

He currently is one of the officers of the Delve-Divers Company, a mining charter of dwarves going back a century and works for Duurgo.

Berrik Stonehand

Smith of Dryvale

Berrik respects hard work and practical skill. He distrusts treasure hunters and adventurers, whom he sees as reckless, but has a soft spot for those willing to face danger in the mines.

Lessa of the Clear Eye

Gem grader

Lessa is a female dwarf with her beard braided usually with a blood red ruby clasp in it. She often hears unusual mining rumors before anyone else in town. She may be curious about strange crystals or stones recovered as well as evaluating any gemstones the party comes across. She is also handy for reagents requiring gemstones (more exquisite ones may require a hefty deposit and some time to establish a source).

Kel-Olasha the Water-Finder

A seeker of hidden springs, Kel-Olasha maintains an ancient practice of ‘water hunting’ from the Flan people of old as the migrated across the Flanaess. She is a quiet soul who roams the hills with forked rods and simple charms.

Some call her a “water shaman.” Others say she simply understands the land better than most. She knows the hills surrounding Dryvale better than anyone.

“Kel” as she is known has, on occasion, been instrumental with her druidic profession to find water in the driest spells and has more than once, saved the town from disaster.