Gub

**Gub** was an adventurer from the Age of the Gods. Once a simple farmer, he turned to adventuring and contacted a dangerous entity in a foolish pursuit of power. He was previously associated with the Fallen Heroes of Io, and their headquarters, Gubwater Keep, is named after him. He was played by Sputtacus.

## Description

### Appearance

Gub was depicted as a half-orc with a buzzcut and a goatee. He usually wore a pair of rounded glasses and a set of plain farmer's clothes. Perhaps the most noticable feature is the word "Gub" emblazoned across his forehead.

### Personality

Gub was somewhat of an enigma to his allies. He was unable to say anything other than the word "Gub", which did not reveal much. It is evident that his mindset was a simple one, as he often fought with a rake despite having access to magical powers, and was shown to be reading a book upside down in Sterling's picture. Beneath this apparent simple-mindedness, Gub also had a darker side, as he recklessly reached out to a mysterious entity that eventually claimed his life when he lost control of it. However, as seen in the naming of Gubwater, the Fallen Heroes still had a great deal of fondness for him.

## History

### Background

Gub was a originally a farmer from a village from Gullwater in Northern Qethos. Like most people on Io at the time, he was Balanced, possessing essentially equal measues of Radiance and Void within himself. The place had fallen upon hard times after the nearby lake, called the Gull, had dried up significantly. As a result, Gub's time farming came to a close and he took to adventuring to make ends meet. At some point, Gub came in contact with a powerful being, a patron that offered him power over dark magics. Gub, perhaps unwisely, accepted.

### The Ruination of Gullwater

Gub was recruited by a man named Gail along with three other adventurers, Weyzi, Sterling and Daedus. Gail informed them that he had a wealthy client looking for an amulet in Gullwater and he was hired them to get it. He also promised if the job went well they would get more employment and the access to more treasure. Though Gub was native to Gullwater, he was unable to prevent the hostility of its inhabitants against his new collegues. Eventually, the group tracked down a panicked priest, who warned them to stay away from him and that they would doom the town. Gail insisted that the amulet was affecting the priest and they must take it from him. The priest then transformed into a Void creature to defend itself, destroying the church it was hiding in. After defeating it, the town of Gullwater became a Void site, causing it to be destroyed and its people to die. Though the group was horrified, Gail brushed it aside and told them to leave town.

### Tracking down Varri'mathes

Upon making camp, the group settled down and Gail informed them he needed to leave. He promised he would return soon and they should wait for him. However, when he left a letter arrived, which the group intercepted. They learned that a person who called themselves "G" was working with Gail to take down a person named Varri'mathes. Varri'mathes was in possession of a statue of some kind and he must not be allowed to ruin their work. The letter claimed he was in the Hallowed Tower and Gail's mercenaries should be sent to deal with him. It is unclear how much of this Gub understood, but he nonetheless followed the group to the tower. At the foot of the tower was a town of Void-Touched people, who welcomed the newcomers with no hostility. Gail was also there, waiting for them to join him. The group ascended to the tower to find Varri'mathes conducting a ritual. They attempted to restrain him and in the ensuing conflict, Gail grabbed the stone Varri'mathes was using and teleported away. Varri'mathes began to die, as the stone was helping control his inner Void. In his last moments, he explained that Gail was working with a man named Ghaspar, one of the Three Wise Ones. Ghaspar had created Varri'mathes as an experiment, and he was planning to ressurect a Voidstar, a plan that would be easy to conduct now that he was out of the way. He urged the party to stop Ghaspar, and granted them a boon of power before dying. Outside, without Varri'mathes holding back its power, Void energies turned the town into another Void site, killing its populace. Gub took the robes of Varri'mathes with him as they left the tower.

### Battle at The Ruins of Alabaster

Gub and his compatriots were confronted by another group of adventurers at the entrance to the desolate town. Though they were initially set to fight one another, a gnome named Dokke approached and gave Gub's friend Weyzi a hug. They were old friends, family even, and this prevented any conflict from breaking out. The groups shared their stories, learning about how both groups were being manipulated by Ghaspar to bring back the Voidstar. They agreed to travel to the Ruins of Alabaster to stop him before that could happen. It is unclear how much of this Gub understod, but he was content to follow his friends to this battle. At some point before arriving, Gub gifted the wizard Oswin with the robes he took off of Varri'mathes.

Arriving in the ruined city, the party made it to the throne room, where Ghaspar and Gail were located. Ghaspar explained that the world was leaning too far towards Radiance, and the return of the Voidstar would reset the balance as per the Wise One's agenda. The leylines from the three Void sites intersected here, meaning Ghaspar could syphon their power. However, Gail had his own plans, and attempted to backstab Ghaspar to seize the Voidstar's power for himself. This failed and it transpired that Gail was, in fact, the Voidstar's current host. The Voidstar erupted from Gail, killing him instantly, and turned its attention to the warriors facing it. Gub participated in the battle against the Voidstar and he and his allies emerged victorious. The death of the Voidstar, however, caused a massive efflux of Void energy, which caused the deaths of a massive number of Void-Touched in Northern Qethos and even reconstituted the very essence of those who survived. With the threat neutralised, the group of warriors dispersed to pursue their own objectives.

### Unleashing the Voidstar

Gub returned to his ruined home after the fight against the Voidstar. He renamed the place "Gubwater" and began to rebuilt his home. However, something within him changed after the Voidstar battle, and it turned out that the source of his power, his patron, was also a Voidstar. Gub eventually lost control of himself and his power and he was killed by his patron, who was then reborn onto Io, not disimilar to the fate Gail had suffered in Alabaster just a few months before. The Voidstar roamed Northern Qethos, causing untold destruction, until it was finally put down by Gub's friends Weyzi and Sterling as well as their new allies.

### Legacy

The Fallen Heroes that knew Gub mourned his loss. Near the end of their travels, when setting up a base of operations they used an old keep that they named Gubwater Keep in respect of their fallen friend. The keep still stands long after the death of Div and Void at the Fallen Heroes' hands and the name Gubwater is still present on maps to this day.

## Story

### Discussion with Lagos

During their conversation with Lagos, Keeper of the Eight, Lagos mentions Gub and Bronn strove to bring back the gods and succeeded, before they were struck down by the Fallen Heroes. This implies that Gub's summoning of the Voidstar may not have been completely accidental.

### A Moment of Remembrance

When attempting to connect with his corrupted companion, Weyzi Uk'tah, Sterling conjured up a painting of their former friends at Gubwater Tavern. Gub was one of the individuals represented in the painting, wearing glasses and reading an upside-down book. The sight of her former companions in this painting was enough to temporarily stun Weyzi, as the memories of her old life fought back against the influence of the Black Star.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Voidstar Patron**: Gub was in service to a Voidstar, one eight of the God of Nothingness itself. This granted him powers not unlike that of a warlock, especailly those that are aligned with entities in the Astral that have been called "Fiends".

## Images

### Official art

Gub as he appeared in Voidstar Act 1 (Original Art by (placeholder))