Berek Beetleslayer¶
"I'm the real boss round here and I tell it like it is. I may not be an upstanding Proturas citizen and I am guilty of all kinds of shady shit … but at the end 'o the day, Im working to bring order to the Warrens and look after these people." — Berek, to a captive smith (S062)
Berek Beetleslayer is the dwarf who leads the Stone Syndicate, the gang that runs the Pale Pit and "openly runs the southern parts" of the Warrens of Proturas (S028, S105). He is a veteran of the Araxian wars and a showman who "loves making an example of rivals" (S028). The Berek the Warrens knows is not the original: he is a simulacrum, and the Syndicate has been run from the shadows by the witch Isador since the real Berek died (S038). After the Warrens was annexed as the County of Claydun, Berek was imprisoned and put on trial (S051).
Also called: Berrick (in Veldin's letter, S042); Berek Bettleslayer (S068).
Character¶
The cast list describes him as an "overweight" dwarf, "Head of the Stone Syndicate. (controlled by Isador)" (S068). He "fought in the Southern campaigns in the Araxian wars" and is "a tough, pragmatic showman" (S028). He presides over the fights in the Pale Pit himself and "likes to cast the die (a giant six-sided die) to determine the fate of the condemned", each face marked with a different ordeal, from the minotaur Taun to a brawl with stone clubs (S061). His crowd-work is preserved: "Here we have some Spillwater troublemakers trying to assassinate some of our beloved citizens … This is our chance to re-educate them … what fate would you choose for them?" and, to survivors hauled out on ropes, "Perhaps if you ever return to the Warrens you will remember to bring your manners!" (S061).
He presents himself as the honest power in the Warrens: "I have no hidden patrons ner agendas, and I'm no worshipper of demons and dark gods" (S062). He had no interest in slavery and set a captured smith free in exchange for repairing his forge and making a sample dagger, then offered him and his friends a crew of their own in the Syndicate (S062). Isador herself judges that "the populace of the Warrens will fundamentally be better with BEREK than ISADOR. A witch vs a war veteran" (S039).
Through his seer he knew that the White Hand "are dangerous and connected to an Teneb'Urat" and that the Cutters' leadership "is controlled by someone (he assumes its warlocks)" (S028). The Syndicate keeps an old dwarven gate below the Warrens that stops the giant rhinobeetles of the deep from coming up in force, and "carries out occasional raids to capture some" for the Pit (S061).
The simulacrum¶
Berek "was a simulacrum … a version of the original Berek, who died some time ago. A Mystic named ISADOR has controlled things from the shadows. She took over when the original Berek died" (S038). Isador keeps two simulacra, one of Berek and one of herself (S039).
When the Crimson Watch assassinated the simulacrum, "His head sits on a spike outside the Pale Pit. Widely spread that Dunstan killed him, but most insiders know that he was killed by the Crimson Watch" (S038). The crew bosses met to elect a successor, and Dunstan won by a slim majority (S038, S040). Isador built a new Berek, who "returned and killed most of the traitorous crew bosses. The rest are imprisoned below the Pit" (S040). Word of his return reached the Silver Moon: "Berrick is still alive somehow" (S042).
Fall¶
When the Proturan Council declared war on the Boreal Elves, part of the articles of war annexed the Warrens as the County of Claydun. "The Stone Syndicate and Drowned Ring have been dismantled. Many of its bosses are captured and a few in hiding." Berek "has been imprisoned and is on trial for murder, racketeering and extortion", held "in the Steps at Sharpstone Prison", and the Pale Pit is being torn down for a Claydun Hall and courthouse (S051). The Cutters' master guildsman Lysellion "is sorry to hear about Berek and the Warrens" (S051).
Gap
The sources never say how or when the original Berek died, whether the imprisoned Berek is the simulacrum or something else, or what became of him at trial. His clan, age and life before the Araxian wars are not given.
Lieutenants¶
Turek¶
Turek is Berek's lieutenant and the jailer who kept a captured dwarven smith at work in the Syndicate's forge (S068, S062). He is "the son of one of Berek's war buddies (who is now dead)". He grew up in Spillwater and came to the Warrens with his mother after his father died of a fever; Berek "took him and his mother in and gave them a place to stay", trained him to fight, and Turek joined the gang as an enforcer. "He doesn't really get into the shady side of things … he is not a thief, but he says Berek is good for the Warrens." He "has never joined or run a crew … he works directly for Berek", spends his off-time training, and is laconic and laid back (S062). He bristled when others talked of replacing Berek (S062).
After the first Berek's death Isador "will eventually contact the group via Turek", and Turek carries her orders (S038, S039). He appears in the roster of the Syndicate's crew bosses at the election (S038), although S062 says he never ran a crew.
Also called: Torak (S061).
Taruk¶
Taruk is the Syndicate man who hid a stolen Proturan Bank token in Taun's cage "while Taun was fighting", on Berek's orders (S029, S062). He may be Turek under another spelling; the sources do not say.
Crew bosses¶
The Syndicate is a federation of crews, "22 crews" at the time of Berek's first death (S038). At the meet to choose a new overboss, the large-crew boss Adros took control of the Pit, the bosses nominated Dunstan and Adros, and Dunstan won seven of the thirteen votes cast; three bosses who refused to swear to him were killed outright (S038).
Adros¶
The boss of a large crew, Adros held the Pale Pit after Berek's death and ran the nomination (S038). He stood against Dunstan as the loyalist candidate. His speech: "Yes, you all know the coward, Dunstan. He wants you to believe he killed BEREK, but most of you know he couldn't fight Berek's left foot and win … Sure, he wants to sell the PIT … the symbol of our dominion, our keep, our stronghold … what exactly is a lord without his keep?" (S038). He lost the vote.
Luca¶
A crew boss who sided with Dunstan. When the new Berek hunted down the traitors, he killed all of them but Dunstan and Luca, who fled the city to a fortified country estate (S039). Luca died there: "LUCA tried to flee, but was killed" (S040); "DUNSTAN, LUCA died" (S041).
Charose and Ereck¶
Charose was one of the Syndicate's men taken by "a pair of giant snakes" in the Warrens, the third attack in two weeks; Ereck was killed by Berek "on the spot" for letting an escaped half-giant get away (S062). Both are known only from gang gossip.
The roster¶
The bosses who could attend the election in S038 are listed by name: Adros, Castine, Clemens, Dunstan, Emil, Felix, Gell, Hannis, Jonas, Liam, Luca, Lukas, Lumir, Marc, Martin, Nico, Peshelia, Petr, Simon, Stefan, Theo and Turek, with one place left blank. Castine, Hannis and Peshelia are women. Nothing more is said of most of them. The Martin of this list is not the digger Martin of the earlier Proturan expedition (S073).
Gap
The roster gives names only. Which bosses died, swore to Dunstan, or were imprisoned below the Pit is not recorded, beyond Dunstan, Luca and Adros.
In the chronicle¶
What the party did with and against Berek, in the Pit, the gang war and the election, is told in the Proturan Campaign.