Introduction
Grumbar, the Earthlord, embodies stone, soil, and the permanence of the ground beneath all mortal works. He is known as Etugen in the Hordelands and Grome among some distant duergar traditions. His priests describe him as both deity and elemental power, patient enough to outlast any kingdom.
The Grumbarryn organize their clergy into rigid Holds of priests, crusaders, and monks. They keep exact records of sworn agreements, resist sudden changes in law or custom, and carve temples directly into living rock. To break an oath witnessed by the Earthlord is to declare that one’s words have less substance than dust.
Grumbar sends an avatar when reckless magic scars the land, a planar breach displaces mountains, or intruders violate caverns claimed by his faith. He may also appear to enforce an ancient oath after every mortal witness has died.
Physical Appearance
The avatar stands as a mountain given limbs. Layers of granite, dark soil, crystal, and ore form a broad humanoid body large enough to look down upon fortress walls. Moss and roots cling to joints that grind without bending like flesh.
Amber light burns behind a cragged face. His voice arrives through the floor before it reaches the ear, and loose stones lift and settle with each word. Footprints remain as shallow depressions even on worked stone.
Roleplaying the Avatar
Grumbar speaks as though every sentence will become a permanent record. He does not debate a settled matter, but he will hear evidence that an oath was misunderstood or fraudulently obtained.
- Pause before each answer and never hurry the final word.
- Refer to promises by their exact terms.
- Treat rapid changes of subject as an attempt at evasion.
- Accept gems, carved records, and sworn labor as meaningful offerings.
- When angered, lower the voice and let the ground answer.
Use in a Campaign
The Buried Boundary
A royal mine crosses a border fixed by an oath no living ruler remembers. Grumbar seals the tunnels until the claim is proved or renewed.
Mountain out of Place
A planar engine has shifted a peak several miles. The avatar demands its return even though a town now occupies the mountain’s former path.
Witness beneath the City
Grumbar remembers the foundation oath of a capital whose rulers deny its conditions. The party must decide whether to expose the record or renegotiate it.
The Last Stable Road
During a region-wide earthquake, the avatar holds one route open for refugees but requires each traveler to swear what they will preserve on the other side.
Lairs
Grumbar’s lairs treat stone as a responsive body. Passages close behind oathbreakers, gemstones brighten near truthful speech, and any attempt to teleport or fly draws the weight of the earth.
The Root of the Mountain
Pressure changes open and close the only safe route while seismic pulses reveal creatures touching the stone.
Hall of Recorded Oaths
Vows carved into columns become physical barriers when their speakers or heirs violate them.
The Living Quarry
Every block removed from the walls reforms elsewhere, changing cover and sealing careless excavators into side chambers.
Gemheart Cathedral
Crystalline pillars redirect spells and tremors, forcing intruders to choose between shattering valuable wards and leaving them active.
Shared References
Open a reference for its canonical description and related entries.
