The characters will start in the hamlet of Steinbjorn (map). This settlement is located in the Hrim free-states, in the former Imperial province of Biarmia. Steinbjorn was originally a garrison and mining outpost, and now exists as an odd marriage of the original dwarven keep, mine, and buildings that exist under the mountain with a number of surrounding structures that have grown up around the gates into the original underground stronghold. The hamlet is home to around 400 dwarves, humans, halflings, and the occasional hobgoblin. The village is about five days south of the former provincial capital of Meadoros.
Steinbjorn is overseen by a council of three:
A very old dwarf, Egil, serves as the local magistrate, overseeing disputes and legal manners, aided by a local constable and a few guards; he originally hails from Haloga to the south. There is also an inn and a dwarven brewery in Steinbjorn. The mines are a major source of work and trade, and business supporting them exist as well (carpenter, stonecarver, blacksmith, wheelwright). There is also a pair of brothers who run a tannery offering both leatherworking and furrier services. The town also has an apothecary and a temple to Moradin.
The town is small due to the remote, mountainous location, but it is reasonably well-provisioned owing to three factors:
Many of older inhabitants fought in the Last War, helping to drive back the Eladrin; to some, that war went on too long, to others, not long (or far) enough, and to still others, it feels like it never ended...