Grimgolir

Grimgolir is a dwarven stronghold city on the far eastern side of the Marrow Valley, within the Dunrock Mountains. The mountain dwarves of Grimgolir are prized for their soldiers and their mines, so much so that they were granted unprecedented autonomy when they were inducted into the Dwendalian Empire.

Description
Grimgolir is built into the Dunrock Mountains. From the outside, it is a series of battlements connected by granite staircases and bridges. Inside the mountain, Grimgolir is divided into two massive caverns, one built atop the other an a slope.

Cage Ward
The top ward is known as the Cage Ward, and resembles a giant angled ribcage. The cavern is built into several layers of structures, which contains businesses, homes, and posts for the city's guard, known as the Monoliths, to keep watch.

Heart Ward
Following sloping tunnels from the ward above leads to the Heart Ward, a massive spherical cavern crisscrossed with layers of elevated walkways. The Heart Ward acts as the central hub for all mining operations in the city, with many of the elevated paths leading to tunnels that open into the mountain. Monolith barracks surround the ward, which connect to tunnels leading to the surface. These tunnels are covered in illusions to prevent discovery.

Society
The dwarves of Grimgolir are a hardy people, having lived and fought against armies of the Betrayer Gods and the evils that lingered beneath the surface. Everyone born in the city are taught from a young age to fight, in both armed and unarmed combat. This culture leads to many living in the city joining the Monoliths, Grimgolir's military. Crime is somewhat rare in the city, as citizens believe that those who struggle should be helped until they can help themselves. Most of the small amount of crime that does exist is carried out by outsiders.

Government
Grimgolir is the only autonomous city-state within the Dwendalian Empire. The city is ruled by an Underbaron, who is counseled by several lords and ladies. The city does have a starosta appointed by the Crown, but they act only as an advisor to the Underbaron.

Demographics
In 835 PD, Grimgolir has a population of 19,090. The racial makeup of the city is 81% dwarves, 8% humans, 6% halflings, 5% other races.

Factions

 * Monoliths: Grimgolir's military and guard force.
 * Bleeding Stone Syndicate: A massive guild that controls all mining and smelting in the city.

The Grimgol clan
During the Calamity, the dwarven Grimgol clan who lived in the center of the Ashkeeper Peaks were nearly wiped out. The remaining families dug deep beneath the earth and collapsed their tunnels behind them. There they waited out the destruction for centuries, isolated from the rest of Exandria. When the dust settled after the Divergence, the Grimgol clan dug their way to the surface and found that their mountain home had been reduced to dust and transformed into the Brokenveil Bluffs.

Undeterred, the Grimgol clan traveled north and found a new mountain to build their home within the Dunrock Mountains, naming their stronghold Grimgolir. Some of the Grimgol clan continued north, over the mountains and into the Greying Wildlands, where they settled in the Flotket Alps and established the city of Uthodurn.

Induction to the Empire
Following the Dwendalian Empire's conquest of the Julous Dominion in the Marrow War, the nation sought to expand their reach and protect the now conquered Marrow Valley from threats to the east. King Alfwin Dwendal brokered a deal with Grimgolir, inducting the dwarven city into the Empire, while guaranteeing city and unprecedented amount of autonomy. In return, Grimgolir's soldiers would fight for the Empire to defend the eastern border against the monstrous threats from Xhorhas and the Kryn Dynasty. The Rockguard Garrison was jointly constructed by Grimgolir and the Empire to mark this union.

When Grimgolir was brought into the Empire, jealousy developed between it and Pride's Call as Grimgolir took over military activities and Pride's Call began to fall out of favor.

Explorer's Guide to Wildemount
In the adventure hook Mimics in the Mine, a group of adventurers were hired to investigate the mines of Grimgolir after monsters began killing miners and the city's soldiers were unable to find the cause. The adventurers discovered that the mines were infested with mimics, who were disguising themselves as railcars, tools, and other mining equipment.

During the War of Ash and Light, in the adventure hook Rise of the Worms, the Kryn Dynasty launched an attack on Grimgolir, using several purple worms to tunnel their way into the stronghold city, followed by Aurora Watch soldiers to raze and capture military outposts while the city dealt with the worms.

Trivia

 * The "Encounter of the Week" article expands on the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount adventure hook of the same name. The article is however non-canonical.