Bram Barrelbalde

Bram lives in a grand, high-fantasy realm woven together by ancient, cosmic ley-lines—the physical roots of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, which burst through the Material Plane in subtle, magic-rich nexuses.

Long before borders were drawn by human empires, the region was merely a wild, overgrown expanse of hills fed by the hidden, pulsing ley-roots of Yggdrasil. The history of Skarn-Khrag began when a faction of hill dwarf clans broke away from the traditional, isolationist Mountain Holds of the High Peaks. Rejecting the rigid caste system, the endless obsession with deep gold mines, and the claustrophobic underground vaults, these clans ventured out into the sunlit foothills. Led by a legendary stonemason named Thrumdir Skarn, they swore a collective oath: No dwarf would ever wear a crown over them, and no king would claim their labor. They named the land Skarn-Khrag ("The Unbroken Stones" or "The Free Valleys") and cleared the wilderness alongside native gnome enclaves and human settlers, turning wild forests into fertile orchards and pastures. II. The War of the Two Crowns and The Great Neutrality As the human realms to the north and south expanded into what would become the Sun-Dominion of Aethelgard and the March-Barony of Vaelrost, the strategic value of Skarn-Khrag became impossible to ignore. Situated right between the two fledgling empires, the Valleys became a prime target for conquest. Aethelgard marched its holy legions north to "claim the sacred soil," while Vaelrost sent iron-clad warbands south to secure a southern buffer zone. Instead of surrendering, the scattered settlements of Skarn-Khrag formed the Alderman’s Moot and mobilized their homestead milices. Utilizing their intimate knowledge of the rugged terrain and fortified stone farmsteads, the Valleys fought both empires to a bloody standstill. Realizing that a prolonged war for the hills would leave either empire vulnerable to the other, both Aethelgard and Vaelrost signed the Peace of Sylvan-Forge. Skarn-Khrag was recognized as an independent, neutral buffer state—a breadbasket meant to feed the neutral trade hub of Sylvan-Forge rather than fund a war machine. III. The Century of the Quiet Harvest For over a hundred years, Skarn-Khrag enjoyed a golden era of peace and prosperity. The soil produced harvests of legendary quality. It was during this quiet era that families like the Barrelblades settled down, trading the weapons of past conscriptions for woodplanes, cider presses, and sheep shears. The Valleys became a sanctuary for veterans, craftsmen, and refugees looking to escape the political games of the great kingdoms. It was a simple, hard-working society where a dwarf's word was his bond, and a good harvest was worth more than a chest of dragon-stamped gold. IV. The Bitter Decay (Recent Decades) The peace of Skarn-Khrag began to crumble with the resurgence of cold war tensions between Aethelgard and Vaelrost. Rather than engaging in open warfare, both empires began fighting in the shadows of the Valleys: Aethelgard infiltrated the southern hamlets with fanatical missionaries and "missionary knights," slowly eroding local laws and demanding tithes for their cathedrals. Vaelrost quietly disbanded entire regiments of ruthless mercenaries and conscripts directly on the northern border of Skarn-Khrag. They even legalise piracy under the inner sea.