Gorald Jirvi

**Gorald Jirvi** (ゴラルド ジルヴィー, *Jiruvu~i Gorarudo)* is one of the main protagonists in the on-going series. *Sin & Virtue: Rise of the Runelords.* He was introduced in Chapter 11 and serves as the de-facto leader of The Spears of Septimus. He has the combined DNA of Stone Thrower and Zangthrum Grintovec.

## Appearance

In the events of Rise of the Runelords. Gorald undergoes drastic changes to his appearance, starting as the tallest known member of the cast with a thick head of locks that trailed down to his neck. However, after falling in battle against one of the Stone Giant generals, the magic used to return life to him came at a price, losing all hair on his body entirely and shedding his skin as a snake would every fortnight.

After his battle with self-styled Lord Mokmurian, Gorald underwent another change in the loss of his vision. Using Sorcery to bend the laws of reality severed his optic chiasma and replaced it with an artifical connection that feeds itself on Gorald's circuits, forever giving his eyes a deep glow of blue like the sky.

He often dresses ascetically, giving no regards to his personal comfort as he adorns his wrist with shackles and chains as a material conceptualization of his burden of his quest.

## Personality

Gorald is significantly larger than those around him in height and heart. He feels as if he’s become more human in time, stating that starting out as a monk may not have been the best introduction to society as other lifestyles. Gorald has pushed himself to be as strong as he can in order to protect the people he holds dear, knowing that they can be swept away as quickly as they walked into his life. Having been pushed further than any other hobgoblin by magic and enhancements, Gorald’s appearance has changed significantly over time. Gorald is growing to be less tolerant of the insults thrown at his team mates more than what is said to him. Gorald wants to see the people around him grow for the better, and he’s not going to let just anyone stand in the way of the improvement of his friends.

Gorald is weak when it comes to punishing those he surrounds himself with, often passing by things that should be dealt with the moment they are done. Over time Gorald has allowed himself to be swayed by the moral compass of the people who’ve been by his side for a long time, this has led to good and bad situations. Due to the amount of people who have come and gone through the party, Gorald has become too welcoming of random strangers that show even the least bit of interest in helping the party. Gorald has lost a substantial amount of calm composure over the campaign, losing a piece of what a monk is supposed to be along with what a leader is supposed to be.

Gorald has tried and failed to find specific pastimes that don’t relate to his martial art. Gorald has resorted to fishing using his anima instead of a fishing rod he was supposed to craft about a month ago. After the introduction of an enemy that has been working non stop to impede the party’s progress, Gorald has decided to think of ways to move them away from evil for various reasons. Subsequently, Gorald's patience has started to come back to him through long days and nights of thinking about how to convince anyone to see the good in virtue.

## Biography

To pull apart and find the differences between one hobgoblin from another would be a task fit for the highest scholars of varisia, as goblinoid society has shaped itself around common actions or behaviors that make the race seem more like a hivemind than a race equal to others. Stark contrasts in nature and actions will usually come from an outside force directly affecting the goblinoid who would eventually become an outsider to both man and monster, a life that would only allow interaction from those who desire to see you hang in the town square or others who try to distance themselves as far away from them as possible. Nevertheless, Monsters do have the capacity to retain a sense of morals the same way any other man can. This story is about one who would eventually be given one tainted by the standards of society they agreed upon due to the lack of options, and creating one for their own heart and soul. The story of a goblinoids redemption will usually start with one thing, a conflict between man and monster that would eventually end with the death of every other Goblin or Hobgoblin in the area.

Gorald didn’t know many things from his childhood as there wasn’t much room for creativity or pastimes outside of combat and honor that persisted in the minds of Hobgoblins. This strong sense of Honor would ultimately be one of the key details that led to his survival on the day of his clan's destruction. Gorald didn’t focus on names or ranks when it came to who he shared a sleeping area with or who he was assigned to find food for the clan with, in his eyes they all felt like the same person. Because of his tendency to see every other warrior in the clan as a copy of the last that he had seen, Gorald never made a close connection to those in his clan. The appointed leader was the only one he ever found any interest in as there had to be a striking difference from the rest that made a monster into someone who led the masses of monsters. Gorald picked up on what made others listen, how someone commanded another to do what they wanted them to do, what made people respect an individual. He didn’t learn a great amount from his time in the cave but it shaped him into who he was on the day of its destruction. In a matter of moments he had watched as the ones who were ordered to stay inside of the cave that night were crushed, left with no way of escaping the inside of that cave. And from that moment his eyes moved from his old home to the man responsible for its destruction, Aliir Franklin. Gorald never figured out what his name was or who he was commanded to fight for, but he was someone who he had never seen before. When Gorald stood face to face with Aliir he saw a man who had no quarrels with killing him nor anyone else he found at the camp. Aliir pulled his arm back and sent a flash of light directly into Goralds chest, putting him on his hands and knees. With blood pooling on the ground under his own body he stared into the eyes of the man he would be giving his life to. In that moment he learned something, Gorald was always in the moment in his thoughts and actions. He never thought ahead when it came to his actions or what he wanted to do in life. In his final moments he stared Aliir in the eyes and asked him how things could have gone differently. This startled Aliir, having only known warfare and aggression from goblinoids he’s faced in the past and present. Aliir pointed his hand away from Gorald and decided to take a different approach to his mission, he had already succeeded in doing what he was sent to do.

Aliir desired to be Goralds mentor, nothing more and nothing less than someone who would supply advice and tasks for Gorald to accomplish in hopes of a lesson being learned. There was an underlying issue that Aliir would realize during the end of their time together, he may have not been the best influence on Gorald. What Gorald was told had gone against almost everything he had known from up to this point, except for ideas relating to emotion. Aliir had taught Gorald these specific lessons with the idea that Gorald wasn’t capable of any real morals on his own. Blame could not be placed on anyone in this situation, as these ideas were kept in the hearts of every person Aliir had ever met, it was only through circumstance that Aliir would even consider having a hobgoblin as a student of his line of thinking. In the end of their travels Aliir had felt as if his efforts had been wasted during their time together due to Gorald feeling more confusion than change coming from each lesson. It was only from the last thing that Gorald ever said to him that Aliir realized where things went wrong. “I feel as if I owe so much to you for every bit of wisdom you’ve given me, it just feels like there's something that I was supposed to take away from it all”. In Aliir’s inability to see past who he believed Gorald was, he forgot what made him whole. Gorald would have to find compassion from his own travels.

Gorald would wander far from anything he had ever known on that day, knowing no real sense of direction after walking away from one of the only points of wisdom he had ever known. The only thing keeping him safe in any way would be the martial arts he was taught from his old master. Gorald would have to make his life his own from this point, knowing there was no real other place he could call a home. In his wandering he would see many other camps, clans, and groups of monsters scraping up anything they could find in order to survive. Gorald would see conflict between cities and clans as the two fight over common resources in the corner of his eyes, he would find shelter from humans tasked to rid areas of any kind of goblin or kobold. His travels would eventually lead him to be captured by a roaming band of ogres focused on taking over a fort he had seen sparingly. Gorald would submit due to the vast amount of ogres concentrated in the area, leaving him stuck in a cage under the fort. As he lay there in his cell he would continue to think about his future, any future that involves something besides wandering the land he lived on aimlessly. A series of noises that sounded like anger and combat would lead to Gorald being approached by a group of people he had never met in his life. This group would lead to Gorald realizing his true emotions towards the world, for better or for worse and with it, the ideology that law and chaos are not directly connected to good and evil.

## Abilities

* Powers
* Skills
* Magecraft
* Creedence Clearwater Revival

* **Earth and Sky Evolution: Plantasia (A++ Rank):** - Over the course of the story, Gorald has undergone mutliple forms of change to the point that he has become incomparable to what he originally looked like when his journey began, both due to physical and emotional changes. While Gorald was capable of tapping into his full potential for moments at a time with the use of his magic, his assimilation with the belt of the living hurricane has permanently altered his biology in order to achieve this peak at all times. The spores within Gorald's body react to magical lightning differently, when struck by attacks of pure lightning Gorald's body is capable of growing layers of thick mushrooms over his body which acts as natural armor. While covered in this thick membrane small floating spores can be seen floating around Gorald's body while cascading lightning between each other and back into Gorald's body.
	+ **Thigmonasty (A Rank):**  - Gorald's evolution has tapped into biological aspects of his own anatomy, allowing him to react to outside stimuli faster than before. Through a combination of body control and extreme contortion, Gorald is able to manipulate kinetic energy in his own body in order to lessen or cancel out incoming force from attacks. Through this maneuver, Gorald may perform multiple flips, pirouette's, or leaps in order to return the kinetic energy to the opponent through an attack that maintains Gorald's momentum.
		- **COLOSSAL SOUL (B Rank):**  - Gorald's flurry of blows transcends that which other martial artists are able to achieve, capable of delivering twelve attacks in a single second. Gorald unconsciously simulates the fighting style of Zangthrum when utilizing a Colossal flurry of blows, trading accuracy for pure potential damage. Colossal soul raises the damage potential of Anatomic fist exponentially, as each focused attack creates more micro-fractures before the final attack causes a full comminuted fracture within the affected bone.
* **Fractal Burial: SOUL THAT KNOWS LOVE(A rank):**  - No matter how many times he may die, Gorald will fight for the memories of those he cared for.
* **Love, Brother (A rank):**  - A trade off created by a meeting with Phineas during Gorald's death at the hand of an incubus, Gorald's mental fortitude against magic has been greatly weakened in exchange for true defense against corruption. While Gorald is permanently unable to attain a strong level of defense against mind attacking magic, he has been able to hold off corruption of the mind from opponents as strong as suijin for extended periods of time.
* **Anatomic Fist (B rank):**  - Gorald's knowledge of anatomy has permanently altered his jabbing style, wherein the delayed damage caused by the original attack originated from magical wind, Gorald's anatomic fist focuses on creating as many weaknesses as possible in the opponents skeletal structure before setting off a chain reaction of breaks and fractures with a finishing blow. The drawback of the change in technique comes from the many creatures of Goreo that Gorald is not familiar with, decreasing the effectiveness of the technique until he's fully identified what he's fighting.

- **Martial Arts *(A++ Rank)*:** - Having reached the peak of Martial arts right before ascension, Gorald has completed the path of the all mortal monks. Such mastery only being feasible through tireless training against foes that have proved stronger every time. Gorald has spent many lives in order to reach the pinnacle of Martial knowledge, and has proven that he is capable of continuing the legacy left behind by the riverwind temple.
	* **Seinaru Burin *(A++ Rank)*:** - A martial art Gorald was seemingly destined to create, Seinaru Burin involves a physical communion with the aspects of water and air. Seinaru Burin is unique in the way that it cannot be mastered unless the user is capable of incredible feats of dexterity, as many of the techniques of the martial art involve generating wind through the individuals movement instead of magic. For Gorald, mastering such a martial art entails the creation of new techniques through his greater understanding of these natural forces. It is expected that Gorald will some day add to the list of legendary techniques that Greebo had left behind in order to pave the way for the next student of Seinaru Burin.
	* **Pneumatic Vault *(A Rank)*:** - Gorald's form of ascension in his own martial art, Pneumatic Vault prevents Gorald from being attacked in the midst of any action that he is performing. In practice, Gorald returns to his stance as quickly as he exited it when attacking his opponent, making it appear as if Gorald never moved whilst the perceived form of Gorald fades out of vision after delivering a blow. Pneumatic Vault is limited in that it can only be performed within Gorald's reach.
		+ **Fungal Extension *(A Rank)*:** - A technique unique to Gorald due to his goblin anatomy, Fungal Extension allows Gorald to extend the range of his attack by multiple feet in front of him. The fundamentals of extending one's range involves using the turning force of a punch in order to move forward in the midst of an attack. Anyone is capable of learning a limited form of Fungal Extension due to the lack of magical requirements in Seinaru Burin, but usage of the technique beyond 10 feet requires the use of limb extending magic or an anatomical structure capable of stretching ones limbs.
		+ **Titan Trip *(B Rank)*:**  - Gorald is capable of simulating the leg of a giant when sweeping opponents. While adequately strong on its own, Titan sweep and many other of Gorald's abilities can be improved through the use of Fungal Extension, allowing it to hit a singular target from far away or multiple targets closer to Gorald.

- **Weapon Proficiency *(C Rank)*:** - Gorald is only proficient with a few weapons in his arsenal, alongside some unorthodox weapons that he is capable of conjuring through the usage of Creedence Clearwater. Outside of the use of short swords and staffs, Gorald prefers to keep his hands empty of any sort of weapon in combat.
	* **Swordplay*(C Rank)*:** - Gorald's old favored weapon, In the time that Gorald has been traveling he has forgotten parts of what made Greebo as deadly as he was when given a short sword. Gorald is still capable of utilizing short swords alongside his martial art, it lacks in comparison to his skill with staffs.
	* **Axes*(E Rank)*:** - Gorald has never used an axe in combat.
	* **Bōjutsu *(A Rank)*:** - Gorald is very familiar with the use of staffs in combat, capable of melding the weapon into his martial art through his mastering of seinaru burin and his past experience using bo staffs. In particular, Augus's staff has proved to be a weapon that not only accentuates the versatility of using a staff, but has allowed Gorald to remember some of his older weapon proficiencies.
	* **Lances *(E Rank)*:** - Gorald has never used a lance in combat
	* **Hammers *(E Rank)*:** - Gorald has never used a hammer in combat.
	* **Marksmanship *(E Rank)*:** - Gorald has the build for using larger bows, but Gorald has never used a bow in any combat scenario.

- **Acrobatics *(A+ Rank)*:** - Gorald is capable of super human acrobatic feats in environments harmful to all forms of life. Gorald has performed jumps, leaps, and falls on the level of air elementals and Balor due to his incredible level of dexterity.

- **BELT OF THE LIVING HURRICANE *(A++ Rank)*:** - The result of Gorald's victory over Suijin, The belt of the living hurricane is a magical item forged directly from Gorald's body. In comparison to the belt of dexterity, Gorald's current belt enhances all three of his physical attributes significantly. While a magic item of such power could potentially pose a threat to Gorald's health in his current state, the belt has formed a sort of symbioses with Gorald's body as a result of his more powerful constitution. If one were to take a closer look at the belt they would notice that roots have taken hold and burrowed within parts of the belt that come in contact with Gorald's skin, flowing energy to and from the magical item as if it were a separate organ.

- **White Law *(S Rank)*:** - A quarterstaff that belonged to Augus miyazawa, White law was coveted for the controversial advantage it gave within the sport Bhaal'Meral'Ruun. originating from a genetically modified species of Prunus Pendula, psychics within the miyazawa clan infused the tree's with kinetic energy until a specimen of the right durability and magical potential was discovered. From this tree White Law was created, its ability to produce force assisting in both sport and combat. For other competitors within Bhaal'Meral'Ruun, to miss one's target would prove to be detrimental as changing directions with the supplied flying equipment required long turns or stopping entirely in order to change direction, White Law's special ability to produce Kinetic energy circumvented this flaw as quick bursts of force could allow Augus to change the direction he was heading in almost immediately while maintaining speed. Augus's talent alongside the miraculous abilities of White Law would lead him to fame, fortune, and critique over whether the quarterstaff's unwieldy nature was truly a justification for Augus being allowed to use it. Ultimately Augus would leave behind the sport altogether as he had gathered enough money to assist his brothers underground medical center while keeping the two afloat. Augus would wander for a short time before he became aware of Tatsuya's attempts at destroying thassilonian civilization, leading him to collect his staff and make preparations for those that might be motivated to carry out Tatsuya's will. Augus permanently engraved five spells within his quarterstaff, the combination of both Lawful and Kinetic energy reawakening White Law and giving the quarterstaff it's distinct white color.

Being a weapon from thassilon, White Law boasts considerably powerful damage output alongside an overpowering magic aura even after its long hibernation within the riverwind temple. The kinetic energy residing within White Law allows it to bypass the hardness of inanimate objects, alongside causing considerable damage to an opponents skeletal structure if the user knows where to attack. White Law's ability to bend while maintaining its durability also affords the user flexibility with how they want to go about attacking with the staff or using it for movement. Gorald feels a strange connection to White Law as when the quarterstaff is held close to the belt of the living hurricane, pink flowers can be seen blossoming on its ends.

* **The Nimbus *(A Rank)*:** - After defeating Suijin and ridding him from the world with the help of Phineas, Gorald has lost all access to his magic permanently. What energy that remained magnetized to the nearest magical item it could, transforming his belt of dexterity into an entirely new magical item much more powerful than before.

- **Anima Act 3: Creedence Clearwater Revival *(B Rank)*:** - One of the two only animas in the hands of the main heroes, Creedence Clearwater is the name of Gorald's Anima that he inherited from Phineas. Gorald was given Creedence through Phineas last cry of hope in the hour of his death. In it's infancy, the ability served to extend Gorald's reach with what water he had available, along with simulating the destructive power of adamantite. Gorald used this early ability to take on opponents he didn't have a chance to contest before, such as a dire battle against the groups first encounter with scanner kind through an undead who could change his size at will. After the fight against Mokmurian and the Spears started their voyage to Ashina, Gorald's ability had undergone an evolution due to the sheer amount of water surrounding him. Due to his determination to practice peace instead of wrath, Gorald's ability had evolved into a style that emulates Gorald's soul. Creedence Clearwater allows for Gorald to control water with mythical precision, Casting spells that could only be dreamed of through the grasp of water elementals. While immense in power, the burden of performing more theatrical feats weighs into the amount of time Gorald has left to live. This negative is softened by the power of Gorald's Seikatsu, an energy in nature that could be used in tandem with Seikatsu to channel such energy into large bodies of water, fog, or ice. While his current skills are powerful, Creedence still has a significant amount of time to improve in order to be on par with the likes of the enemy party.

## Relationships

Despite Gorald's species, he has gone on to make allies of various backgrounds in his journey. However, Gorald holds a special place in his heart for the more important of his associates.

Phineas B. Ritchie
Phineas is the closest a human has ever been to Gorald, looking past his horrid visage and seeing him as a brother in arms. Phineas has put nearly everything on the line to help Gorald complete his quest of tracking down and defeating the enemy party. This has led to the strongest relationship Gorald has ever had with another person, the two understanding each other on a different level compared to others. This understanding originates from Gorald's first opponent who showed compassion in even the darkest of fight's he's ever experienced, so much so that Gorald vowed that he would save Phineas's family from whoever that captured them. Gorald watching Phineas's family die in front of him hit Gorald where he was most sensitive, reminding him of how he can be swayed by others when in reality he has to follow his heart to achieve what he needs to do. His inability to save Phineas's family without the use of the limited wish scroll has made Gorald much less keen on listening to others who he feels may sway him from doing what he has to do. It's hard to think about where Gorald would be if he ever lost or had to part ways with Phineas in the near future, he tries not to think about that possibility. Secretly, Gorald hopes that when they're done with this adventure and he escorts Phineas back home to his family, that Phineas accepts him into his abode and he can serve as a protector for the rest of his days.
Mose Miniri
Gorald has watched Mose fight and toil against human society, more so than Gorald has in many aspects. Gorald has met many other nonhumans that have stated their hatred towards the way that other humans and beasts treat them based on their appearance more so than their character, but the folly of all these party member were that they didn't feel or seem as real as other people Gorald had met along the way. Mose is one of the exceptions to this trend that Gorald has seen in both man and monster, his plights and experience feel real, as if it's an atmosphere that surrounds the being through their mannerisms. This feeling of reality makes Gorald feel awkward when he talks to Mose, as he's never really had someone else who felt as close to his situation before. There have been a few moments where Gorald has tried to breathe in and try to relate to Mose on a personal level through conversation. Above everything else, Gorald see's Mose as a potential student who he could teach the worldview he finds himself sharing and what he can do to find whatever else he can in his life.
Aliir
The closest thing Gorald has had to a father figure, Gorald's vision of who Aliir was and his own recreation in his mind are two different people. Aliir outside of Goralds mind was more a teacher than anything else, trying to give Gorald insight on what is right and wrong in the world while still being affected by his own beliefs of what monster races are and their place in the world. Aliir cannot be blamed for this, as the majority of humans will share this belief from early life after conception. Aliir tried his best to give Gorald a view of the world he deemed to be a vast improvement from his old visions of life, a development on Gorald's humanity that would have gotten him ostracized from his old community if it still existed. Aliir was one of the first people to realize that Gorald would be a social alien to both man and monster, in that regard there was nothing Aliir could do to help Gorald but to prepare him for the harsh world that awaited him in his travels. From this point on Gorald would subconsciously develop a version of Aliir who would give him advice on what he may do in the future if Gorald were stuck or conflicted. This voice in his mind would help him grow as a person, finally leaving him when Gorald was ready to grip his decisions with his own
Akira Taketora
A shadow in the darkness that crept itself into reality, Gorald equates Taketora's presence to that of a nightmare given form. Gorald has pieced together few things about who Taketora is and what people he had relations with in the past, what he knows for sure is how much of a danger Taketora is to his surrounding friends. What other information Gorald has pieced together involves Taketora, his relation to Ido, and his connections to the other band of strange beings that send wave after wave of mercenaries and hunters to stop Gorald and his party in their tracks. Taketora's mannerisms and his connection to these people lead Gorald to believe that Taketora has sinister plans waiting for Gorald in the near future, preparations for more than just one fight. These people have shown disregard for the lives of those Gorald chooses to surround himself with, as such Gorald will do all he can to get in the way of whatever these people are trying to achieve in their mission.
Ida Mitsunari
A testament to Gorald's misplacement of trust, having been aware of what was happening to Ianus but struggling to hold onto any form of redemption or purification. In his inability to look past his own desire to see Ianus whole once more, Gorald had put everyone that Ida could put his hands on in danger. In this sense, Gorald sees himself as responsible for many of the things that Ianus had went ahead and planned from the very beginning, thinking of how he stood by and watched as Ianus slowly tried to wrangle the lives of all he hated. It had taken Ianus sapping away at his soul for Gorald to finally shut out what hopes he had to save Ianus in any way. When Gorald was finally rid of the demon, he could only look at what had happened as a result of his inability to act, more and more stories of how Ianus had tried something that had put good people in danger. In his current state Gorald is reluctant to become closer with those that he travels with, fearing that those who follow in his direction might meet the same fate as his other allies.
Nuno Dias
"It has been many days and nights that I've spent with the somber and quiet, those who had toiled against the world and had lost their determination amongst the waves of pain and torment. Humor isn't something that I have been very familiar with, everything that could have been seen as funny has been at my expense towards an invisible audience that I am unable to see. The bard is different, I see how he lights up the eyes of the people around him, how he cares for his friends in a manner that could be considered heroic. For a long time I worried for the fates of the people that we had split off with in the past, seeing that they had met Nuno gives me a form of closure on what might have happened. I see how quickly he is able to mend the breaking bonds between him and his allies even if he had done something equivalent to spitting in the face of their pain. In the end I see how his allies look at me, and I can understand when a line has been too far crossed. If you were to ask me what I thought about our path together I would say enjoyed the time that I had spent with Nuno, a part of me hopes that he isn't roped into what is waiting for me at the old monestary."