Gruvelda Duskbelt

Summary

Gruvelda Duskbelt is a dwarven master smith and one of the only dwarves at the King’s Tourney. She is older, stout, and gruff, with reddish-tinged skin and a massive fur cloak she wears even while working the forge. She runs a high-demand smithing commission tent at the fair, preferred by noble houses, and takes on orders from a position of power—she turns away those who cannot meet her standards or pay. Source: 2026.05.12.

Current Status

Present at the King’s Tourney but keeping a very low profile. She was spotted at the Ragged Flagon by Azrith (natural 20) while hiding under a hood. She has delivered the reward for the ghost job. In session 2026.06.11, Odine Dunmere visited her smithing tent with the wooden straw doll—Gruvelda opened up and spoke at length about Mara, the hollowing, and her true purpose at the tournament. Source: 2026.05.12, 2026.05.19, 2026.06.11.

Notes

She is one of a very small number of dwarves at the King’s Tourney, which she explains by saying she sees humans purely as a source of gold.
She carries two hammers and works forging hot plate as standard labor while managing high-profile noble commissions.
Her clan is from an underground home she calls “the veil”—a separate place from the Thornwood Vale; her brother is responsible for protecting her clan from shadows and ghouls that infiltrate their home.
She survived the same corruption that afflicts Odine Dunmere and the Thornwood Vale by severing her own hand. She now wears a prosthetic on her right arm and keeps the dried, corrupted hand in a small wooden box on her shelf as a reminder or trophy.
She bears no ill will toward humans as a rule but has heard her clan’s stories about “sniveling humans” meddling with magic in the Everdale hamlet cemetery, which she finds distasteful.
When Azrith used Thaumaturgy to conjure ghostly sounds near her tent as a calling card, she was not startled—she recognized it as a pitch. She bought it, gave the party extra time, and struck a deal.
She told Odine bluntly: “None of these people here know what’s coming.”
She is at the King’s Tourney to observe—not to serve any of the noble houses, but to watch them fight over the Thornwood Vale deed and learn. Source: 2026.06.11.
She personally knew Mara, Odine Dunmere’s grandmother. They met when Gruvelda was young, by the river while she was collecting geodes. Mara was “kinder than I thought her people to be.” They became long friends. Mara “sacrificed herself—a sacrifice no longer remembered by most of these humans.” Source: 2026.06.11.
She gave Odine Dunmere a wooden straw doll to a seamstress at the tailor tent years prior (when the seamstress’s mother died); the doll was originally from Thornwood Vale and ~100 years old—likely connected to Mara. Source: 2026.06.11.
Her view of Duke Tristan Blackwood: “Backwood—slimy bastard. Stay away from him.” Source: 2026.06.11.
Aldrich accidentally called her “Griselda” once; she gave him a sharp eyebrow and a hard look. Source: 2026.06.11.

The Ghost Deal — Fulfilled

Gruvelda’s ghost-job deal is complete. She was persuaded of the party’s success (Cassian’s persuasion + Aldrich’s assistance, result 12; sealed when Cassian revealed his old-house signet ring). She delivered:

A Sentinel Shield for Aldrich: blue-painted dwarven craftsmanship with an eye emblem. Grants advantage on initiative rolls and perception checks. Requires an action to equip or stow.
4 gold coins each for all four party members.
A lead: her brother Grimhall Duskbelt in the dwarven veil, who may have work and coin for ghost hunters. She has passed word to him about the party.

Source: 2026.05.12, 2026.05.19.

Gifts to the Party (2026.06.11)

At her smithing tent, after Odine Dunmere produced the wooden straw doll (nat 20 persuasion), Gruvelda gave two items unprompted:

Elven Chain → Odine Dunmere: mithril chainmail undershirt of elven craftsmanship (not Gruvelda’s own making). “Wear it beneath your clothes. It will protect you.” She had been saving it for the right moment.
Chain of the Unbroken → Cassian: 10 feet of iron chain links, warm to the touch, held by Gruvelda for 250 years and described as having “a mind of its own.” Cassian cast Identify and learned the chain has four properties (not disclosed in session). Source: 2026.06.11.

Relationships

Aldrich: She sized him up as the strong one of the group and made her deal with him directly.
Azrith: His ghost-hunter pitch using Thaumaturgy caught her attention.
Cassian: She found his charm amusing but unconvincing on its own; she dragged him out of the tent when he overplayed it.
Odine Dunmere: Fellow bearer of the black vine corruption (though Gruvelda severed hers). She has significant knowledge about the pestilence and wants to speak with Odine privately.
Investigate the Pestilence: A key lead.