Gartokar Garaninov

"*Our pockets are never full, our fight is never done, our resolve is never shaken.*"
―Gartokar reciting the life mantra of Deep Duerra[src]

**Gartokar Garaninov** grew up in a group of nomadic duergar miners who had to leave their own stronghold when it was attacked and taken by a rival group of dwarves. The clan then set up a tent district in the town of Larnwick where they lived as they did their tasks. One of the days, out of the caves, the dwarves were attacked by a massive Sorrowsworn, and Gartokar managed to lead the creature into a cave with a gas leak before sending it up in flames. After this, Gartokar was hailed as a hero. Songs were sung of his exploits, he was praised for his works, and so, Gartokar decided to leave behind his coal-mining days and become and adventurer, a monster-hunter.

During a lull of work, Gartokar took up a personal invitation from Willard Lacey to hunt wolves for the winter, but the expedition turned out to be much more than they bargained for when the group was attacked by the Wendigo. Gartokar and one of the others of the group, a snow elf named Zaleria, were the sole survivors, managing to defeat the Wendigo before making their way to the town of Solwish.

## Physical Description

Garaninov is of average height and build for a dwarf and wears full plated-chainmail armour with a silver-faced mask that covers his own visage. He wears cloths showing the mark of his clan and carries a thin, spiked war hammer.

## Backstory

### The Great Exploding Dwarf

Gartokar grew up with the remnants of his clan, they had been forced into exile when their enemies had taken their fortress and mines from them. The clan had lost their fighters, their foundry and so, so many families. But, the clan was strong. They managed to move on and survive, finding a small area outside of the town of Larnwick to put up tents and live.

One day, out of the coal mines nearby appeared a massive ancient beast known as a Sorrowsworn. The town of Larnwick had walls to defend it but the clan only had their tents. Gartokar thought fast and ran back into the mines, calling and taunting the Sorrowsworn as he ran. Gartokar managed to lead it into a chamber of natural coal gas before setting the area ablaze and bringing rocks down upon the both of them in a huge explosion of flame. Gartokar miraculously managed to survive unscathed, and the Sorrowsworn was crushed.

Upon exiting the mines, Gartokar was heralded as a hero by both his clan and the townsfolk of Larnwick. There were parties, drinks and songs written to honour him as 'The Great Exploding Dwarf'. Everyone fawned after him so much that he was forced to leave the town and his clan as he couldn't do his day to day work with all of these people lauding him. So he left to work as a professional monster hunter.

He hopes to one day return to his clan with enough gold to relocate them and rebuild their fortresses and mines of old.

### An Invitation

One day while resting in a small village for a few weeks, Gartokar received a letter from the renowned hunter, Willard Lacey. It was a personal invitation asking him to be part of an expedition for the upcoming Winter. The expedition would see a group head into the wilderness to hunt wolves and bring back their pelts and meat. Good coin was promised if the group was successful. The letter said to meet at a town called Belmead before Winter's Peak.

Willard Lacey was well-known to Gartokar. Sure Gartokar's exploits were occasionally sung in taverns from town to town, but so were Willard's. Willard's songs seemed even more popular that Gartokar's own, so much so that people would get drunk as the songs were sung and would argue about how the Exploding Dwarf was nothing compared to Willard Lacey. In a few instances while drunk, Gartokar himself fuelled with a tinge of jealously had made fun of Willard.

Hunting game wasn't usually Gartokar's speciality, but work had been quiet for a while, and even Gartokar couldn't decline an offer to meet the one and only Willard Lacey. Plus, Gartokar wanted to see if he was really as ruthless as the stories told.

### The Wendigo's Curse

Gartokar arrived in Belmead the day before Winter's Peak, and met with Willard and the rest of the group at The Howling Horde. Apart from Willard Lacey, the group consisted of their guide, Kane Bolton, a snow elf, Zaleria Naicelea, an orc covered in tribal feathers, Tuk Dulaga, and a huge red-headed barbarian, Valor Hecktor. Willard then outlined the plan, which was to head out for the winter and kill as many wolves as they could, gathering up the pelts and meats. He then had a contact in Solwish who would buy them and pay good coin.

The next morning the group headed out, and were met with an old woman who in a fit of rage cursed Willard and the rest of the party with the Curse of the Wendigo.

After that, the group started to encounter strange happening after strange happening. Wildlife vanished from the area, people started drifting into unconsciousness and others started to have horrible nightmares and visions.

One morning Willard disappeared from the camp and was soon found skinned and tied between two trees, before disappearing completely and then showing up again with wolves feasting upon his flesh. The next morning Kane disappeared, and all that was found of him was his face, which must have been ripped off of his skull.

Soon after that, Valor Hecktor manifested into what must've been the Wendigo, and proceeded to attack the remaining party members, killing Tuk in the process. Gartokar and Zaleria barely managed to defeat the beast before slowly making their way to the town of Solwish together, Zaleria having to amputate her arm to frostbite on the long trek.

The whole incident became known as The Winter's Peak Massacre.

## Session Appearances

 Poor Bobby
 Fey Choices