Grug

*"Grug big hero. Bigger than others. Grug strong, Grug tough..."*

-Grug on being asked what he is.

## History

Born to a wandering tribe of orcs in the Londorwin Forest, Grug proved from an early age that he was not the brightest torch in the bunch, even for an orc. Growing up, he had difficulty learning even simple subjects such as speaking or counting, much less reading. However, he quickly grew into a massive brute that was nearly as strong as an ogre, towering over even adults before he had turned 10. The other orcs figured it was the gods' way of compensating for his mental difficulties and shrugged it off.

While his tribesmen wanted to put him in armor and send him to fight, his simple nature had caused him to never develop the malicious personality common to his more normal brethren and utterly refused to hurt anything that didn't hurt him first. Of course, there were those who tried to force the matter, though they were quickly disabused of such notions when Grug's raw strength proved too much to overcome, even with weapons and armor. While few wanted to accept this, they grudgingly acknowledged they couldn't do anything about it as none were stronger than him, though they quietly feared what would happen if Grug truly became enraged.

With few other options, Grug was instead used for menial labor instead of anything important and little was expected of him other than to pull his own weight.

This changed when he was 14, when his tribe was attacked by a rival group. Waking up in the dead of night, he found the camp burning and dead strewn everywhere.

Grug saw red. And soon, so did everyone else as he began tearing a bloody swath through the camp with his bare hands.

He woke up the next day miles away from the camp and covered in blood, little of it his. Though he managed to find a stream to wash himself in, he was still completely and utterly lost, having never been very far outside the camp. Picking a direction at random, he started wandering. Fortunately, he had little difficulty locating food along the way, foraging fruits and nuts and hunting small game.

Eventually, he came to a small house at the edge of a small town, inside of which was an old hedge mage and her blacksmith son. Though his immense size and bloodstained clothing scared them, they calmed down when it became apparent that Grug meant them no harm and didn't have a malicious bone in his body. Taking pity on the lost boy after hearing his story, they gave him a warm meal and a roof to sleep under for the night.

That night turned into another, then into a week. Then that week turned into a month, followed by a year and so on. The young orc performed similar tasks to the ones he had growing up with his people, such as moving heavy things and chopping firewood. In gratitude, the old woman and her son taught him useful things, no matter how long it took.

From the old woman, who he came to call "Gramma," he listened to stories told around the fire on cold nights. When he showed a strong fascination with dragons, she taught him to read and speak their tongue, though he had difficulty learning as always. However, though sheer stubbornness, he eventually succeeded.

From her son, who he came to call "Dad," he was taught to smith. He found the repetitive task easier and would often help in the forge. He was also taught to defend himself and to control his rage.

But as years passed, he became more and more restless. Now that his head was filled with stories of heroes, he wanted to go out and be one. This was different from when he was with his tribe, who only wanted to cause pain and shed blood. Now, he wanted to help.

Knowing they couldn't stop him, the hedge mage and her son gave him gifts to help him on his journey. From the son, he was give a suit of armor and a sword, both of fine quality. From his mother, he was given a shimmering cloak that would help protect the young orc from danger and a small kitten for company on the road.

So equipped, Grug set out to see what the world had to throw at him.

### That Time Grug Fought Something He Probably Shouldn't Have

Grug was hired to accompany a band of mercenaries new to the job to Wraithia, near where the strange wildfires had been ravaging the land. The job was supposed to be simple. According to the locals, vicious wolves had been preying on the livestock and the mercenaries had been hired to get rid of them.

While the rest of the party spoke to the townsfolk, Grug contented himself with trying to play with the one sheep left in the village, though he was quickly disappointed as the agitated animal tried to bite him before running away. However, he cheered up himself up later by buying a strangely nourishing apple from the orchard. As he ate, the farmer told the group about a monster that was *definitely not a wolf* that had torn up one of his apple trees.

Once the party departed the village, they were surprised (and a little chagrined) to find that Grug was the most experienced and skilled woodsman out of the bunch as he guided them around a number of hazards. Along the way, the party discovered a number of magical trinkets. Grug himself found a shiny beetle, though he had to be told what exactly it did.

Eventually, the party found the wolf pack and immediately engaged, with Grug taking the front line. Most of the animals were dispatched with little difficulty, though the arrival of something more terrifying scared the rest off.

A Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath crashed through the forest to confront the party. Of course, Grug had no idea what the monster was, only that it was big and evil. Despite that, he recognized that the rest of the party likely wasn't strong enough to face it, so he decided to hold it off to give them time to run.

What nobody had been expecting was that Grug actually managed to fight the creature without dying immediately. His stalwart, if fool-hardy, showing inspired the others to come back to support him. To the surprise of all, the party managed to take down the creature, with no one dying and only Grug and one other seriously injured.

Once again, Grug guided the party back to town, though on the way, they encountered a pond that hadn't been there before. With no way around, the party was forced to swim across. Though everyone managed it, two (including Grug) managed to swallow something as they crossed. Hours later, said objects turned out to be massive leeches, which were quickly killed.

Though they were paid for the wolf job, no one in the village believed them about the Dark Young. Harsh words and magic were exchanged.

In the end, Grug simply collected his reward and headed home.

## Appearance

Grug is a terrifyingly huge wall of muscles and scars that literally stands head and shoulders above most people. Because of his immense size, he often forgoes more restrictive clothing, namely shirts and pants, in favor of a simple kilt as they are usually not made to fit him. Despite his state of dress, he is usually not bothered by the weather, whether hot or cold.

Aside from his fine armor, he also wears a shimmering cloak, the result of a minor enchantment on the garment that helps protect him from harm.

## Personality

Despite Grug's large and quite frankly terrifying appearance, the orc is extremely friendly and doesn't have a malicious bone in his body, though he occasionally has trouble conveying this. Due to his simple nature, he cares very little for complicated things like politics and religion, either because he does not understand them or because they do not interest him, though he does understand some concepts like morality and, oddly enough, economics.

Animals, particularly small ones, can and will grab his attention almost immediately, to the point of interrupting conversations to go play with them. He is also fond of children, though it is usually a cold day in the Hells that any parents allow him to play with their children, much to his disappointment.

Unlike his more malicious kin, Grug will very rarely attack anything that didn't attack him or anything under his protection first. The only exception to this is what he can mentally categorize as "evil stuff," usually consisting of undead, evil outsiders, and bandits (at least the ones that don't try talking to him first).

## Friends

"Gramma": An elderly hedge mage living on the outskirts a town near the Haven side of the Londorwin Forest, she and her son were the first to encounter the young Grug after the attack on his tribe. Showing pity and kindness to the lost boy, she gave him a place to stay, taught him to read, and wove a magical cloak to aid him on his adventures. Her familiar is also the mother of the kitten that travels in Grug's pack.

"Dad": "Gramma's" son, he lives with his mother on the edge of town. While not nearly as taken with Grug as his mother, he nevertheless showed him the same level of kindness if only because he'd never hear the end of it. He taught the young orc how to fight and control his rage, as well as how to maintain his weapons and armor. When Grug left, he gifted a fine sword and armor of his own making to aid his journey.

Fluff: A small long-haired kitten that rides around in Grug's pack, though she occasionally takes up a perch on top of the enormous orc's head to get a better view.

## Enemies

You be evil, you be bad guy. Grug smash bad guy.

## Aspirations

Grug already be big Hero. Grug want become big BIG Hero. Do good stuff.