Gruugal

Grugaal the Goblin Augur

Personality
If you're looking for a strong hand, strong will, and a testy temper, then you don't need to look any further than this green ball of sunshine. Gruugal is very gruff and to the point regarding next-to-everything he does, as he was never properly taught how to be tactful in his approach to things. When it comes to being book-smart, you'd have a much better chance asking his younger brother, Gruudat, as he is one who is the intellectual between the two of them. This is due to Gruugal taking more after his father, Godris, and not having the ability to properly retain society-based knowledge, even on common things like what 'cities' are or properly speaking Common.

However, in the realms of understanding people and the world around him, Gruugal highly excels in this field. His "street smarts" far surpass anything he could ever learn in a book, making him believe that first-hand-know-how is several times more useful than reading books and writing papers. As one who has trouble doing things he's not familiar with, he would much rather resort to punching the problems away. Of course, he'll punch you if he doesn't like you, either.

Those biceps aren't for show.

Family-man at heart, he will do next to anything if it meant helping them in any way he can. Even if that something involves him doing very questionable or morally ambiguous things at times. A freedom lover too, he despises those who try to hold themselves above him, other people, or all of Goblin kind, such as all of the High Elves in Aswain. He tries to not let himself stereotype 'all' High Elves for acting that way but childhood trauma regarding their abuse to all Goblins in Aswain, especially to him, makes it that much harder for him to get over his views but he does his best.

Early Life
As a Goblin growing up on the edge of the High Elf-dominate land of Aswain, Gruugal's childhood was very trying. Rocky at best and that's being generous. Being the first-born out of his 7 siblings, he always tried to be the model big brother for his family and his parents, even if his father was usually hard on him. But in Aswain, he never felt reprieve due to his race. Goblins were nothing but outcasts and miners, and no one but themselves ever cared about their well-being.

He always struggled in school as he could never properly retain the material he was taught and any High Elf teachers gave him the time-of-day to learn at his own pace. He was constantly bullied by the other children and one time, a few drunken Elves attacked him when he was by himself, leaving scars on his back and traumatized about the event ever since.

It was after his little brother, Gruudat, who was 5 at the time, began to have the same bully issues at school that Gruugal began to exercise, every day, never stopping. He would fight off his brother's attackers, even if it got him in trouble. He decided that once he was able, he would get out of Aswain somehow. He would better himself as much as he could and then help his family his own way, not wanting them all to stay in that High Elf infested land any-longer than they had too.

Pre-Teen Life
Once Gruugal was 10 years old, his father took him out of school to have him work in the mines, which was the requirement for all Goblin children when they became 10. But they would work in the mines forever as it was the only way for them to get work and due to Goblins usually having 3 or more children, it was always booming with consistent workers. Gruugal hated the thought of grunt work for the rest of his life and his brother, Gruudat agreed, as he wanted to live in Bladal, where all races were equal.

This was also the time where Gruugal gained an interest in magic from his mother, who was always using magic tricks since he was young to cheer him or his siblings up or make general life around the house just a little easier. Even if his dad didn't really like it. He and Gruudat hatched a plan to leave for Bladal by train the next day after Gruugal was done in the mines and Gruudat was out of school. His mother that following morning told him of his and Druudat's magical potential. His brother had more noticeable magic in him, meaning he inherited being a Sorcerer from her while Guugal had some potential but not much.

Though working in the mines is where Gruugal learned two things. His curiosity for ores and their application and, after seeing how the High Elf running the mines didn't care that some Goblins potentially died in a cave-in, was that no one in Aswain would care about any work he did there. After a heartfelt talk with his parents, and his father putting the idea of him being a blacksmith in his head, he and Gruudat were on a train that following night to Bladal, to live with their grandfather, Sagut, who was so rich that he lived in the richest district in the city, with a butler even. From this point on, Gruugal would do his best to become a highly successful blacksmith and find proper work, as his dad wanted.

However, life is a very tricky thing to navigate. The next morning, he was woken by Omalar early in the morning so he could make his appointment with someone at the Oath Gold Blacksmith Emporium, even putting on some nice-looking dress-clothes for the first time in his life. The carriage arrived showing a strung-out grizzled human, named Ikabod, who looked like he was no good and it showed. Instead of driving to the emporium, he took Gruugal on a detour to the slums of the city, where he got some purchased some drugs, 'Unwind', from a crow Aarakocra. He then passed out before he could take Grugaal back across town, who failed to wake him up.

After the sleepy Ikabod kicked him out the carriage so he could sleep, tossing him a gold coin, he walked into a tavern called the 'Broken Shack' where he encountered a Dwarf named Daldir. After enforcing his anger to the Dwarf to not piss him off and his willingness to cave in someone's head from how mad he was, Daldir offered him a job, for ores. To steal from a man who stole money and a weapon from him, but never gave his name. Not seeing any other choice since he didn't know the way back to his house, he walked to a blue house on the curb that was down the street. For insurance, Daldir gave him a stiletto knife and said his enemy's location was on the 3rd floor of the house.

Using the knife to pick the door's lock, he slipped his way up to the third floor where a Goliath was guarding it. He managed to dupe the Goliath with some sneaky tricks and had him knock himself out as he entered the home, where he snuck by the man. He couldn't find the weapon OR the money in the bedroom and his rummaging got him caught. The man, a Drow named Zekerd gave Gruugal aa counter-deal compared to Daldir's one. Since Daldir was a pain in his side for a long time, he gave Gruugal a counter-deal. He would give the kid the money AND the weapon to give to the Dwarf but when he was celebrating, Gruugal would use the knife Daldir gave him to kill him. Slit his throat and to bring his throat back to Zekerd as proof.

He would then return with the throat, money, and weapon, which was a light hammer, and then he'd give Gruugal some of that money. Not to mention, a place in his gang...which was the only option he'd give him, else he'd kill the kid and he's killed children before. Though he seems to take no joy in it. Fearing for his life, he agreed, taking a mask just in case he had to hide his face. With the item, he returned to the Broken Shack, where Daldir took him to a back room so he could properly oogle over his loot. After a tense minute...Gruugal acted. Hopping on the Dwarf and slicing his throat open but not getting blood on him, thankfully. Shaken and scared, he bagged the throat and returned with all of the belongings to Zekerd who was very pleased, not noticing Gruugal's haunted expression at having to kill someone for the first time in his life.

As he agreed, he kept his word and gave Gruugal one platinum bill and said that he was to return to him at 10:00 AM the next day and he HATED people who weren't punctual. Gruugal was sure now.

His life, the life he wanted to build for himself, shattered to pieces that day and there was no way to recover it. Giving him the codename "Big G" since none of his underlings used their real names, Zekered got him to tell Ikabod to send him home afterward, which the druggy did. Even offered him some Unwind, which he took but only two pills. Four pills got one high but one to two pills just relaxed the muscles and Gruugal WANTED to relax. He made sure to keep what happened and what will KEEP happening a secret from his brother, grandfather, and Omalar but he was at least able to cope with his killing of someone. End of the day, Daldir more-than-likely was a bad person and he just took him out of the world to stop him from hurting others.

Was Zekered a better person? Hell no. Gruugal's street smarts told him that much. But with that jerk Ikabod having ruined his life forever, he would have to deal with it and the consequences in his own way. Gruugal promised that night that he would grow stronger, hardier, be even more than a man so that he could face these new evils he would be subjected too. As long as his brother, Gruudat, was getting his education and staying on the positive side of the world, Gruugal would be the opposite to keep Gruudat ignorant of the hidden evils.

Later Life
10 years had passed since Grugal was inducted in Zekered's gang, the Bronze Spider Syndicate, and he made a whole life for himself. Due to his assistance, Zekered had a ton of control over the Slums of Argenne and brought it up from the run-down piece of filth that it used to be into something a whole lot more hospitable Gruugal was a high-roller to being the left-hand of Zekered while the right hand went to the Goliath, Varagath. At 20 years old, Gruugal had more than he ever thought he'd have in his life. Money, influence, prestige, women (especially a High Elf and Air Genasi that were his main squeezes) and an even closer connection to his brother than he ever did. He still managed to get into a blacksmithing profession for the past 10 years as well, even if he had to pull some strings with the guy to fool his family into thinking he worked there full time.

Speaking of, Gruudat was studying extensively into the aspects of magic and learned a bunch and even wished to learn more about their heritage, such as why they were so large. He theorized they have descended from giants on his mother's side and wished to learn what kind of giants, which would help him direct his magical ability. Besides that, Gruugal bought him a Fire Kitsune scarf which Gruudat would use in his experiments and they went their separate ways, Gruugal and Sugut planning Gruudat's birthday later that night.

However, things would get complicated fast. Zekered expressed that Varagath found into regarding the Nine-Tailed Syndicate, who were trying to take Zekered's influence and power of the slums. They were recognized by their symbol, a ball with nine tails around it as tattoos. Gruugal and Varagath found some members at a bar and Gruugal tailed them while Varagath went back to the base Finding their hideout in the sewers, he learned they were planning an attack on the Bronze Spider's tonight, of all nights, and he was almost caught when they caught wind they were being spied on. Halting their progress with a dumpster pushed over a manhole, their entrance to their base, he told Zekered who got them all prepared to fight last that night.

Gruugal smithed all of the weapons that everyone used in the Bronze Spider's over the years. Iron, Steel, Silver, all of this which granted him, even more, pull in his gang and this allowed them to keep up with the Nine-Tailed Syndicate in terms of gear, even though the latter came from the Common part of town where they had better equipment. So, spending the remaining hours getting out of his nice clothes, banging his two girls, and getting his gear ready, it was time for a turf war.

Gruugal, Zekered, and Varagath dealt with most of the opposition with their own gang after the war started in a large alley and put in sever work. However, Varagath was the first to go down and Gurugal didn't check to see if he was dead or not, while all of the other people, theirs and the opposition was dead. It was just Gruugal, Zekered, and the leader of the Nine-Tailed Syndicate. The two duked it out until Zekered brought out a gun, which they fought over until a gunshot went off....Zekered shot in the heart. Outraged, Grugaal ran at the enemy with his greatsword, Ol' Faithfu,l and slicde him half. Zekered gave his dying words to Gruugal to lead the Bronze Spider's, even if he had to do it from jail. They heard the sirens and there was nowhere to run. He didn't even fight it as he was hauled off to jail.

He stayed there for 5 months, not wanting to see his brother or grandfather due to the shame he was feeling and not wanting them to see him like this, though he did send letters. But one day, he was approached in prison by the leader of the Augur's, Bartle Mathis and his Tabaxi companion, Rarestar. Bartle tried to explain that Gruugal was someone they were looking for and had a lot of capability to do good things with them, while Gruugal outright disregarded that he was a good person due to all of the horrible things he did over the years. Bartle, who went by Bart, disapproved that and told him he had a great destiny, which had Gruugal remember his mother telling him the same thing, but Gruugal rebutted that he couldn't perform magic.

Rarestar took the initiative and, after asking Bartle, unlocked Grugal's magic potential. Apparently, it was subconsciously locked due to him not believing in his own abilities and he now had magical power all of his own. His Sorcerer-like powers have come to light. Bartle made a deal with the chief of police and exchanged his original 20-year sentence for being taken into Augur custody while his brother and grandfather would be taken care of. Gruugal decided that he would go with the Augur's and would try to run business with the remaining Bronze Spiders through letters. So, after bagging his head since he couldn't know the location, they took him away afterward to begin his new life at the Bladalian Auger Temple.

Abilities
Goblin Abilities Feats
 * Darkvision
 * Fury of the Small
 * Nimble Escape
 * Lucky (Character Feat)