Rimehold (Mining Town)

“Stone endures. Frost tests.”

Distance: ~8 miles northeast of Duun-Kharag
Population: ~120 (swells to ~200 in peak mining season)
Demographics: ~40% Dwarf, ~35% Human (mostly Flan), ~20% Gnome, ~5% others
Province: Grimwold Marches
Barony: Baron Ghalder Veymar (High Haldleigh)
Role: Frontier mining town, border watch, supply hub

Overview

Rimehold is built directly into a rocky spur descending from the ridge-peaks of the Griff Mountains, three miles northeast of the main range and curving southeast-east like a hooked blade. The mountains here form a great grey wall—jagged, wind-scoured, and perpetually cold. Even in summer, frost clings to shaded stone, and winter snow often lingers in glazed sheets across mine entrances and switchback roads.

Cold air spills down from the peaks, bringing sudden rain, sleet, and dense fog, especially at dawn and dusk. Stone structures dominate; timber is too scarce and too precious to waste.

Rimehold exists because the mountains yield wealth:

- Platinum veins
- Iron and silver
- Occasional gems pulled from deep seams

But that wealth comes at a cost. Rimehold is armed, alert, and never entirely at ease.

Humanoid forces—hobgoblins, gnolls, and worse—probe the high valleys north and west, testing patrol routes and watch schedules. To the east, the land slopes downward into wet bogs and half-sunken ground, feared for trolls, ruin-haunts, and things that do not leave tracks.

Character of the Town

Heavy stone buildings with angled roofs to shed snow
Mine entrances reinforced with rune-marked lintels
Iron braziers burn day and night near watch posts
Wind horns mounted on towers to signal alarms
The soundscape is picks on stone, clanking chains, and distant thunder-like echoes from the peaks

On clear days—rare and prized—locals swear they can see a white peak summit far above, and on rarer days still, a shadow moving against the clouds.

Places to Go

The Frostvein Hall (Inn & Tavern)

A broad, stone-vaulted hall built partly into the spur itself.

Patrons: Miners, caravan guards, soldiers, prospectors
Food: Root stews, smoked goat, stonebread, mushroom mash
Drink: Sharp spirits, dark stout, “Rime Ale” served barely above freezing
Rumors: Clouded giants, lost mines, patrols that never returned

Private booths are carved into the rock, allowing quiet deals or tense negotiations.

Rimehold Delves

The lifeblood of the town.

Multiple active shafts, some descending deep beneath frost-glazed rock
Platinum veins carefully guarded
Old shafts sealed with stone and iron — not all collapses were natural

Access is tightly controlled, especially for outsiders.

The Spur Market

A hard-packed stone square sheltered from prevailing winds.

Ore buyers, toolmakers, gem-cutters
Dwarven and gnomish artisans dominate
Food from southern fields arrives twice weekly, weather permitting

Prices are high, but quality is reliable.

The Rimehold

A fortified stone structure overlooking the northern approaches.

Houses a small garrison of foot soldiers and mounted riders
Patrols range north and west into the high valleys
Signal fires can be lit within minutes

This is the barony’s last hard line before the deep mountains.

Southern Fields

A roughly 5-mile square stretch of marginal farmland between Rimehold and Dryvale.

Hardy grains, turnips, grazing goats
Constantly threatened by cold snaps and raids
Guarded more fiercely than their yield would suggest

Without these fields, Rimehold could not survive winter.

People to See

Reeve-Captain Rurik Halvmar

Human, Border Garrison Commander

A scarred veteran with little patience for politics.

Focused on patrols and readiness
Knows something is organizing beyond the border
Will work with adventurers who prove discipline

Thane Borika Frostmantle

Dwarf, Master of the Delves

Oversees mining operations and worker safety.

Grim, meticulous, deeply traditional
Concerned about deep tremors and strange echoes
Believes some veins should never be reopened

Nella Quickwhistle

Gnome, Gem-Cutter & Appraiser

Runs a respected (and well-guarded) workshop.

Cheerful, sharp-eyed, dangerously curious
Has seen gems that “held warmth” or “clouded light”
May quietly seek protection for a risky discovery

Brother Alwen of Pelor

Human, Frontier Cleric

Assigned to Rimehold to tend miners and soldiers.

Practical faith, little patience for dogma
Blesses patrols, treats frostbite and fear
Uneasy about rumors of sky-borne fortresses

Ygra Stone-Ear

Dwarf, Tunnel Listener

An odd but respected figure.

Claims to hear the mountain “speak”
Predicts collapses and bad delves with unsettling accuracy
Refuses to go near certain sealed shafts

Rimehold