02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

108.1.141.197
88 Iron Kingdoms
rumor has it…
great Clan ghrd despises ousel for using their name for his
business. they believe he is profiting on their Clan reputation
and implying an affiliation. Clan ghrd is responsible for the
rhuliC treasury and looks after the finanCes of the moot as
Well as offering their oWn banking serviCes for the hundred
houses. this may simply be a Case of trying to disCourage
Competition, and the other stone lords do not seem to mind.
Whenever Clan ghrd has brought the matter before the
moot, it has alWays ruled in ousel’s favor.
Clan ghrd may have plans to strike against ousel While he
is aWay from ghord. someone With deep poCkets has been
reCruiting top safe CraCkers and master loCksmiths for a
speCial projeCt. it may be Clan ghrd is putting together a
team of Criminals to test ousel’s vaunted invulnerability. if
this Were ever proven, it Would be Considered a major breaCh
of the laWs of ghord and Would Create a huge sCandal.
Rhul Fur Company
The longstanding Rhul Fur Company is a collective
of dwarven hunters and trappers and is a primary
competitor for the many Czavyana fur traders in its
battle for dominance in the northern fur market.
Trading posts populated by dwarves can be found
here and there throughout Khador, and some of
these posts must be defended from attacks by rival
traders. The Rhul Fur Company has a strong presence
in the Burningfrost Plains and the Malgur Forest as
well as tight control over several mountain passes
into Llael and Ios. Unlike the Czavyana traders, the
Rhul Fur Company makes pacts with locals to ensure
a steady flow of furs and maintains its monopoly by
the customary practice of buying out or crushing any
upstarts. The Rhul Fur Company has prepared the way
for permanent settlement and opened Gravewater
Lake to commercial fishing, steamboat transportation,
and trade in lead.
Steelhead Coal
This small but reliable coal mining operation
runs out of Ulgar. Dwarves mine the coal hills close
to the city and transport goods by rail to Ghord. Their
recent prospecting deep within the Glass Peaks has
had problems with ancient ruins, encounters with
cephalyx, and a long streak of bad luck that has
crippled their expansion. Currently they are hiring
mercenaries and adventurers to help push into an
area they have dubbed the Shadowbed.
Stirnforge Craft and Trade
Dwarves are master craftsmen and Stirnforge is no
different from any other craft and trade house based
in Rhul. Pride in workmanship, tradition, and an
adherence to the rules and standards of manufacture
are their hallmarks. Where other Rhulic trade houses
produce goods of equal quality, it can be said that no
other takes as much pride in doing so. The famed
guarantee of Stirnforge is that if their goods fail in the
buyer’s lifetime, they will replace the wares for free.
Stirnforge makes everything from daggers and
arrowheads to greatswords and kettles. If it requires
precision ironworking or masterful folding of steel,
Stirnforge can do it with a signature style greatly
desired throughout the kingdoms. Because of the
craftsmanship and quality maintained by the house,
the wares they produce have become greatly valued
as proven and reliable. This success has made other
clans with similar interests quite unhappy, and some
problems have arisen.
Dwarven politics do complicate the progress
of trade in Rhul from time to time. Stirnforge has
recently begun to suffer from the maneuvers of
three competing trade houses. Clan Stirn has begun
to rely on human assistance to ship goods out of
Rhul to simplify the export process. The competing
clan houses have taken to hiring mercenaries to raid
Stirnforge caravans, but this has been met with the
iron resilience and determination that perhaps makes
Stirn craftsmanship so valued. It seems that Stirn is
quite happy to provide caravan’s carrying their goods
with firearms and ammunition to safeguard wares all
the way to delivery.
Clan Stirn and Stirnforge Craft and Trade are led
by Master Builder Hasevord Stirn (male dwarf Ftr12).
Through him, the clan and its trade business keep the
house’s foundries and ironworks in production year
round. Clan Stirn is based out of Ghord along with the
Stirnforge Foundries, and it could be said that separating
Stirnforge from the clan is impossible. The foundries
are part of the clan strongholds with only a few shops
and warehouses separate from the clan’s holdings.
The trade arm of Stirnforge controls coal mines
in Griddenguard as well as silver and iron mines in
the foothills of the Skybridge Mountains. These vital
resources are well-guarded by ogrun mercenaries and