Balber

"Portage in this town requires one thing: a vessel of any sort for drink be it tankard, skin, or belly." -Veldrock Hammerstrum

The town of Balber is most famous as a town of beer, ale, and spirits. From their economy to their traditions, they bathe their culture in drink.

Demographics

The populace of Balber can be split into three categories; the brew house owners, the workers, and their families. Those who operate a distillery or brewery often make the most coin in the town. Their reputation extends beyond the town walls and often than not these positions are held by dwarves, humans, half-orcs, and half elves. The workers are comprised of similar races, but their coin extends as far as their purse and rarely do they save up enough to purchase lavishly. Lastly, the families of these workers often hold varying trades, with income fluctuating from the well to do to the almost poor. Beggars and vagabonds who are caught loitering are given the option of working and living in a dorm or expelled from the town outright. While harsh, it keeps dissenters away and would be Armenas spies from lurking about.

Government

The town is run by The Hop Drowners; the top five brewing companies whose total sales and quality of drink determines their seat. As of 1291AL, those companies are:

• Brandford Brewery - Currently the one brewery in Balber with the highest profit, the brewery is owned by Lord Ramizaz and benefits from its owner's expenditures.
• Sziszorog and Sons - Owned by a nearby Orc settlement, this brewery delights those with more... interesting tastes.
• Balber Lagermasters - The owners of the oldest brewery in Balber, they've fallen on harsh times, but still manage to hold a candle to stay on the council.
• Broken Wand Brewery - Branching out into Balfor in 1249AL, these magical brewers delight in the random magical qualities of their secretive brew.
• Tactant's Stock and Pour - Begrudgingly accepted on the council, these brewers value quantity over quality.

Defences

The vale in which the town sits is a natural defensive enclosure. The two methods out of the town are the river and the main path to the south. There is a town militia called the Gürtelträger who keep the peace. These belt carriers use utility belts with an assortment of tools to deal with anything from disorderly conduct to wild magic.

Infrastructure

Bordering a river, the longyard river boats keep ale flowing outward and business pouring inward from the main road. They invest in geothermal energies to heat their water and to warm their home. Watermills sift through and provide access to a grindstone while open squares are intermittent per district to provide a storefront to any Festhaus willing to keep up appearances.

Guilds and Factions

While the Hop Drowners manage the town through trade, the Guilds run their business their own way. A few prominent guilds include:

• The Glockenmänner: These 'bell men' are the town's fighters guild and pride themselves in their abilities in pugilism.
• The Brewmasters Guild: Second in power to the Hop Drowners, they control the guilds rather than the trade produced by them.
• Jackovall Guild: This guild comprises workers of various trades as large representation would be impossible otherwise.
• The Devil's Take Trade Union: The unions of those working for the larger brewhouses.

History

The town of Balber started with three boats of settlers escaping persecution from Armenas in 866AL. The few survivors thought that they had brought with them wheat to survive the Winter, but in their haste they had taken with them satchels of hops. Without many other options, they set to work distilling some for drink and the rest for food. They used hops in bruschetta, sautéing the shoots like asparagus, or stuffing hops leaves with hops flowers, cheese, and herbs, similar to the way zucchini blossoms are usually cooked. Known as the Bitter Winter, this time of turmoil would soon cease as towns around the area welcomed the Armenas refugees with open arms; a gesture not wholly common in Balfor. The town would then continue to grow, with facets of it's history left in the brew halls and towering stuctures.

The A&A Barrel Rolling Tradition

In 917AL, during the 50th anniversary of the town, two travelers by the name of Artyom and Arklaw took an empty barrel and made a show of balancing on the edge of a nearby ridge. As the wind picked up, the barrel began rolling with Artyom in it which prompted Arklaw to jump on top in an attempt to 'outrun' the barrel in reverse before it hit the gap at the edge of the cliff. They managed to stop at quite a safe distance and were offered ale to fill the barrel to the brim, but the town thought this to be a hilarious occurrence that should be done each year for travelers looking to make a show of themselves. While no longer done on the original ridge, there is still a danger of rolling into the river and catching hypothermia in the new location much further down. 

The King Ulf Incident

In 1245AL, on a particularly cold night before the Spring melt, the rathskeller at the town hall was honored to welcome an already inebriated dignitary by the name of King Ulf. His overall temper was plain until he met a man who had a disrespectful tone and cadence. In a heated debate about his participation in the failed upperdark campaign that took from him his dragon Stanley, he told the disrespectful fellow that if he could climb the stack of kegs in the middle of the room with one arm behind his back and his legs tucked in, that he could elbow drop the man from that height. The man agreed, on the condition that he bound his free arm with a single hand axe. As King Ulf began the climb however, it became apparent how difficult the task truly was. Using his upper arm strength, he would pull himself up one crack of the axe at a time. But each new hole shot forth high pressured foam and ale the like of which would burn a man's skin red. That was when King Ulf slid, but not before catching himself a moment before falling to the ground. With cheers and awe, King Ulf finally rose to the top of the kegs with foam popping in his beard and suds dripping from the crown of his head. Unwrapped from his hand, he tossed the axe into the nearest beam, looked down upon the man, and jumped. For the witnesses on the bar floor, they swore he dropped the man so hard that he plane shifted away. For those beneath, they knew he broke through three sub floors before having half his body jammed into a barrel of lard. They dropped the broken man, barrel and all, into the river to see if the gods would take pity on him or perhaps the next town over.

To this day, the Balber Rathskeller holds the Lowrean Knighting Challenge for this hero of Urukon to any brave enough to attempt it. Those who win get 500g and those who lose pay for every keg they broke along the climb. Only one other has completed the challenge, that being the Goliath Roshan.

Type

Town

Population

7000~

Inhabitant Demonym

Alefolk, Drin-kin

Owning Organization

The Hop Drowners