Description
A sweet stench reaches your nostrils while you look at this duergar.
It smells like a foul mixture of putrid flesh, urin and old sweat.
Looking closer you notice that he has several trophies of skin hanging
down from his belt. On some of the skinpieces there is flesh attached.
His heavy armor looks expencive and is ornated with darkened mithril.
A large symbol, perhaps a clansign, is painted on his bodyshield.
Several axes are strapped to his back, and two large sacks are clipped
to his belt.
Role
Grunlath Kvite
Added Sat Oct 29 09:22:52 2005 at level 11:
The mines beneath Aran Gird was filled with slaves captured from various wars the duergars had
won. The slaves worked until their death, so the clans could have their precious dark mithril.
King Grenlath and his loyal mageslave Ordran used the mithril as a tool to obtain obedience from
the strongest clans. The powerstruggle among the duergars was not an issue as long as the city
prospered. And it had been a good decade for Aran Gird and King Grenlath.
Many families belonged to a clan just in the name. They served as guards, soldiers, servants and
breeders in the same way as slaves did. Grunlaths family belonged to one of the lesser clans, and
had no position to speak of. The men had served as prisonguards and slavers for generations.
Grunlath had been assigned to the mines as well, but a sharp eyed lieutenant had sensed something
about the young duergar. So instead he was sent into service among the priests as an acolyte.
Years passed and he had been assigned to the inquisitors among the priests. It was the selected few
among the priests and soldiers that should extract information from prisoners in any way possible.
Grunlath showed a special gift for his trade and found creative ways to make the prisoners say
whatever he wanted. When the victim had nothing more to say its life was ended in different ways,
all depending on Grunlath`s mood. For a whole month he had tried out several ways to kick a
person to death. From brutal kicks to the head or just bodykicks to cause some internal bleeding.
It became an obsession to perfect the torture.
Not once during his years among the priests had he visited his family. Nor had they ever sent for
him. Among the less fortunate duergars blood meant little, and Grunlath did not wish it any other
way. Greed, ambitions and wisdom gave no room for others in his life. His plans for future could
not come through in Aran Gird. Through the tales of the prisoners he knew well the lay out of the
underdark and the surface. He could achieve more in a year on the surface than in a lifetime as a
servant for the king he was named in honor of.
Order and the first task.
Added Wed Nov 16 14:41:48 2005 at level 28:
A wise leader will obtain order by enforcing his laws with a strict hand. Order should be
based upon strength and upheld by the strongest. This is the fundament for lasting order.
Laws are one of many ways for a society to obtain order. However the protection of the law
should only be granted to those who has a value to the society. In Aran Gird only true blood
duergars who has a place in a clan will be covered by King Grenlath's laws. On the surface
the laws of the Spire is created by weakwilled men under the influence by elvish spells.
Thus the laws of the Spire are made by the weak for the weak. No order will ever come
from following such nonsense. How can you achieve total victory if you let your enemies be
protected by your own laws. As the king once said: Order comes from strength and blood
from dead enemies.
On his second visit to the gallery Grunlath had received flattering words from his Lady, but
also received his first task . Punishing the storm giant Stran was his assignment.
Stran had interferred when Grunlath was doing the skin ritual on an elvish invoker on the
trade road in Galadon. Attacked by older warrior Stran and exhausted from previous battles
Grunlath had to retreat from the dead elf. Several times Grunlath attacked Stran just to see
him teleport away. However Stran soon ran out of potions, gold and luck. Grunlath managed
to blind and plague the giant. And with clever use of summoning the giant ended up unable
to move in the riverbed south of eastern road. Stran was as usual without courage and called
for aid from other lightwalkers, and suddenly the riverbed was crowded with healers and
paladins from the Fortress. Faced with such opposition Grunlath had to withdraw and leave
Stran allive with his older friends.
A day later Grunlath found Stran in Hamsah. Summoning him into the river, and pursuing
him onto the eastern road where the priest finally ended the giants life. Cutting out the skin
from just above the heart region on Stran was a most pleasing ritual for Grunlath. Another
one of his enemies was dead, and his task was done.
The new era.
Added Tue Feb 14 11:28:35 2006 at level 51:
The council vote on the new Emperor had been prepared since the mad priest in Arboria slew Niaz.
Actually i had already asked Lord Khasotholas for such a vote years earlier, but he declined. This time
he was unable to block my path to the Throne. Cuucqa and Dulmissa both had ambitions, but mistrusted
each other deeply. I fed their insecurity with a few selected lies, and played both of them easily.
What are a few lies when the prize is so grand. I needed the Throne to make good of a promise to my Lady
and to start the creation of a new Thera. My spies intercepted a letter from Cuucqa to Lord Grurk, and
with the knowledge of its content i persuaded the cow to vote for me.
A few weeks after the death of the spectre, Lord Khasotholas summoned the shadow lord and me to the
throneroom. He promoted Strouth to dread lord, and said it was time for the council to vote for a new
Emperor. I had previously received a missive addressed to the imperial lords where Cuucqa voted for me. He
could have changed the vote later, but i doubted it. I casted my vote for Strouth as i knew he would
receive no other votes, newly promoted as he was. Lord Khasotholas had then no choice but to declare me as
the new Emperor of Thera. The result of the election was never said, but i think i received all the votes
except my own. It was the beginning of a new era when i sat down on my Throne and ordered my Empire to
listen to my first decree.
In the first months of my reign the imperial army broke the back of all our enemies. We showed such
strength that for a moment i was lured to believe that we could drive the marans off the main continent.
As Emperor i answered to no mortal, but the Lords of Asgaard had powers strong enough to delay our
conquest. Lord Shokai and Lord Aarn weakened themselves by granting the Watcher some of their power.
This gave hope to the lightwalkers, and they flocked to the Fortress like flies are attracted to shit.
Around this time I was painfully informed that the High Priest Zevsa and the War Master Sylus had not
impressed the imperial lords. Since i wished to keep my head attached to my body i had to punish them.
I thought they had served at the best of their ability and shown blind loyalty to me. I dislike punishing
faithful dogs, especially when i know that i have use for them later. None of them could take the
punishment and faded from history. Lord Khasotholas remarked that if you can not take punishment you
never were a true imperial.
My Lady Eshval was pleased when i delivered the Empire to her. She honored me greatly by marking my
shoulder with her sign. I was also granted the gift to send a selected few of my enemies straight to her
temple. My Lady has protected me from the wrath of Lord Khasotholas to such a degree that he now
acknowledges the power and strength of my young Lady. A few centuries more and there shall only be churches
for my Lady here on Thera. All i am and all i ever will be comes from the guidance, power and inspiration
my Lady grants me. I owe it all to her.