# [[Grumblebum]] Grumble is a dwarven [[Tomb Wardens|Tomb Warden]] barbarian from [[Dongan Hold]], a dwarven city near [[Alkenstar]]. His clan makes guns for export through Alkenstar. He worships [[Torog]]. *I may be small, but I am larger than life!* ## Identity & Personality Grumble is the party's solitary, blunt, duty-bound dwarf. He's patriotic to his people without much care for others, and he has *no* restraint in a fight. He thinks the rest of the party is weird — Ash and Zuhri move in unison, everyone climbs every available tree, and someone keeps leaving him a creepy doll. - **Resistances**: Fire and sonic damage - **Solitary**: Finds Ash and Zuhri's constant pairing strange - **Tree skeptic**: When a dangerous underground creature emerged in camp, *everyone* climbed a tree except Grumble, who stood at the base of his and waited for it - **Boon from Torog**: Received a single dwarf-ancestry effect of Torog's choice (Session 066) - **Far from home**: Both Bond and Grumble are far from theirs - **The creepy doll**: A doll in [[Otari]] keeps appearing with *"Grumblebum"* written on its dress — Grumble interprets this as a secret admirer ## Tomb Warden Duty Grumble's identity is welded to his role: recover dwarven dead, return clan daggers to the right hands, and keep the order's promises. - **Rescued Varlon**: In Session 062, found [[Varlon]] — a small boy with dreadlocks — and made him his follower - **Clan daggers**: Recovered four clan daggers from the fallen Tomb Wardens, plus more from [[Death Wardens]] who were trapped and cannibalized each other; he considers returning each one his duty - **Kit from the fallen**: Acquired *Boots of Free Running* and splint mail from the same Tomb Wardens - **Death Warden status (Session 100)**: Spoke up for [[Vayle]] in the [[Dawnflower Library]] debate — *"I am a Death Warden. Normally Death Wardens hate the undead. I'll attest that Vayle is one of the good ones."* - **Locate Dwarf**: Used to find dwarven bodies, weapons, and remains throughout the Gauntlight (and to confirm the [[Death Shepherd]]'s dwarven origins, and that its thralls were dwarven too) ## Xal'garoth's Boon In Session 075, [[Xal'garoth - The Apex Beast]] recognized in Grumble a kindred sense of duty. - **Beast's message**: *"There's something similar between him and the beast. They both understand duty. Grumble has a duty to his people and to the [[Tomb Wardens]]."* - **Spell granted**: *Locate* at will — finds dwarves and dwarven-made items (weapons, places, corpses) - **Lightning axe**: *Gutsplasher* now channels lightning, scorching the ground around Grumble while leaving him undamaged - **Woodland helm**: Antlered, enhances his abilities - **Enhanced movement**: Improved tumbling, climbing, and shield-speed - **The beast's challenge**: *"You have faced many challenges in pursuit of your duty. But you'll face more difficult ones. Is your might enough?"* ## "How Dare You Do That to My People!" The Thri-Kreen / dissection arc is Grumble's central campaign mission, building from Session 086 through Session 103. - **Vision**: Saw a mantis-like humanoid in a surgical mask cutting dwarves apart (likely [[Jafaki]]) - **Stockroom (Session 089)**: Discovered the [[Gauntlight Stockroom]] with surgical tools, armor racks, and jars of preserved humanoid parts (including dwarven and halfling) - **Recognition (Session 102)**: Recognized the [[Thri-Kreen]] as the dissecting creature from his vision; attacked in rage shouting *"How dare you do that to my people!"* — but the Thri-Kreen's 35 ft movement was too fast to catch - **Dissection room (Session 103)**: Discovered recently dead dwarven bodies on metal shelves and slabs in the operating/dissection room; searched for clan daggers; confirmed the Thri-Kreen has been dissecting dwarves - **Drow oath (Session 065)**: Vowed revenge against the three drow who tricked dwarves into the soul-gem deception, including [[Volluk Azrinae]] ## Notable Capabilities - **Locate Dwarf** at will (from Xal'garoth) - **Gutsplasher**: Lightning-channeling axe (named in Session 060) - **Critical hits**: Blinded the [[Death Shepherd]] with a critical (Session 086); 38-damage critical hit on the [[Mulventok]] (Session 097) - **Shield discipline**: With his [[Rune of Retaliation]] (Level 10, rare), Shield Block now unleashes 8d4 force damage automatically once per hour - **Door breaking**: Kicked a southern Gauntlight door to pieces (Session 089); helped break the jammed Chafkem door - **Battlefield logistics**: Set up fortifications and tracks around camp; cooked filter masks from rations (+2 against poisonous swamp fumes) - **Survival**: Rolled 28 on Survival to navigate the first day of the heavy-downpour journey to [[Absalom]] ## Active Objectives - **Hunt Jafaki and the Thri-Kreen**: Avenge the dwarves dissected in The Gauntlight - **Return clan daggers**: To their rightful clans - **Honour the Tomb Warden order**: As one of its remaining members in the field - **Avenge the soul-gem dwarves**: Take down [[Volluk Azrinae]] and the drow who participated - **Survive the Doomed-adjacent shadow attacks**: After Enfeebled 4 in Session 115, another permanent death is closer than he'd like ## Unresolved Questions - Why was a Tomb Warden so far from the Dwarvenlands? Tomb Wardens typically bring their dead home — what brought one to where the party found him? - Who is leaving the creepy doll in Otari? - What does Torog actually want from him? - Will the dissecting Thri-Kreen / [[Jafaki]] connection become Grumble's confrontation, or someone else's? - Now that he's stood in Volluk's workshop surrounded by dwarven soul gems and Volluk wasn't hostile, what does Grumble do with his oath of revenge? ## Relationships - **Party**: [[Jaspen Bond Callistair|Bond]] (both far from home), [[Ashnefrotty|Ash]] (movement-with-Zuhri puzzles him), [[Vayle]] (Death-Warden-protective; bought them an Elixir of Life when they hit 12 HP after the *Doomed* condition), [[Zuhri]] - **Follower**: [[Varlon]] - **Allies**: [[Hearthmother Saesella]] (gifts of the eternal eruption crystal ball and a Feather Token Balloon), [[Vandy Banderdash]] (cured the Black Frost curse), the [[Stonescale Kobolds]] community via Bond - **Enemies**: [[Volluk Azrinae]], [[Jafaki]], the [[Thri-Kreen]], the [[Death Shepherd]] (now defeated), [[Belcorra]]'s shadow attacks - **Rejected**: Refused [[Szek]]'s infernal contract (daily advantage on one save in exchange for a hundred-year service); called her out from invisibility but kept the conversation going ## Notable Events Timeline Combat round-by-round and HP-tracking removed; preserved in the session notes. - **Session 056** — *Guilt of The Huntress*: Identifies the [[Desolation Locket]] as the focus of Esefna's guilt; explains the guilt enchantment; acquires the [[Cloak of the Huntress]] from her tomb - **Session 057** — *Berry Bush*: Buys two Moderate Healing Potions from [[Magiloi]] at [[Crow's Cask]] (50 gp each); rolls 28 on Survival through the heavy downpour - **Session 058** — *Werewolf Woodland*: Finds a hidden metal trap door under a bed with manacles for five; suggests the ration-mask trick for the swamp poison - **Session 060** — *Bulette Rodeo*: Gutsplasher named; successful foraging - **Session 062** — *Fallen Tomb Wardens*: Rescues [[Varlon]]; helps Vayle out of the bear trap; identifies the fallen as a Tomb Warden of [[Zarmavdian]]'s tomb; recovers four clan daggers, *Boots of Free Running*, splint mail; finds the creepy doll with his name on it - **Session 063** — *Dwarven Souls*: Identifies the 10 dwarves in the tomb as artisans/warriors from long-lost clans; attempts to extract the wall gems but they cannot be removed - **Session 065** — *Coalition*: Discovers three humans had captured Varlon and were inspecting Malleus; vows revenge against the three soul-gem drow - **Session 067** — *Arbor Felix*: Has 5 hero points; nat-success navigating; *not* targeted by [[Hunter Elise]] when the villagers attack - **Session 069** — *Defense*: Splits the village fighters by cardinal direction (N: 75, S: 75, E: 50, W: 50, 50 reserve); assigns the best to Hunter Elise - **Session 073** — *Lamashtu Temple*: Hears lightning and wind in his brain when the Alpha dies; witnesses the Alpha turn to smoke and reveal a dwarven body in armor - **Session 075** — *Xal'garoth's Boon*: Locate Dwarf, lightning axe, antler helm, enhanced movement - **Session 076** — *Underground Lab*: Receives the eternal eruption crystal ball (lava-fireball, 5d6 in 70 ft) and the Feather Token Balloon from Saesella; teleports via Zarmavdian's clan dagger; describes the dwarf as *"quite small and thin... and naked! And there's a lot of unruly dwarven beard."* - **Session 086** — *Tree & Mimic Combat*: Throws a torch at the [[Leafy Fleshwarp]] tree (it reacts to fire; feels like hard rubber, regenerates through glowing green buds); blinds the Death Shepherd with a crit - **Session 087** — *Black Frost*: Tied a mimic corpse as bait, accidentally reanimating it; contracts the [[Black Frost]] curse alongside Vayle; cured by Vandy (party owes her a favour) - **Session 088** — *Barracks*: Buys an Elixir of Life from [[Magiloi]] at [[Crow's Cask]]; receives the [[Roaring potion]] in loot distribution; reaches Level 7 - **Session 089** — *Stockroom*: Reveals he's from [[Dongan Hold]]; the gun-trade with Alkenstar; kicks open a southern door; finds the [[Gauntlight Stockroom]] with the preserved-parts jars - **Session 091** — *Poltergeists*: Finds the [[lead-lined steel box]] thrown around by the poltergeists for centuries - **Session 097** — *Mulvenboom*: 38-damage crit on the Mulventok - **Session 100** — *Library*: Death Warden support for Vayle; nat-success Perception reveals the entire clergy has been arguing about Vayle for hours - **Session 101** — *Shopping*: Potion of Flying from Magiloi (50 gp); two Moderate Energy Mutagens (6 gp each); the [[Rune of Retaliation]] for his shield (Level 10 rare, 8d4 force on Shield Block, once per hour) - **Session 102** — *Thri-Kreen*: Recognition and rage attack - **Session 103** — *Dissection Room*: Confirms dwarven dissection - **Session 106** — *Black Knight*: Couldn't open the construct; watched Bond do it and rescue Andy and Gran - **Session 108** — *Graveknight Negotiation*: Nat-20 religion check on Nhimbaloth's permanent-death zone; offers to reverse the Graveknight's curse (dismissed as *"irrelevant"*); learns the 1-10 day respawn time and that *Remove Curse* + physical destruction are both required - **Session 109** — *Sythra Intel*: Learns from Sythra that [[Sketh]], [[Jafaki]], and [[Volluk Azrinae|Volluk]] all *"need to fulfill their purpose"*; learns of her connection to [[Tarcannah]] - **Session 112** — *Refused Contract*: Refuses Szek's hundred-year service contract ([[112_20260404 The Pentagram Shards]]) - **Session 113** — *Elixir for Vayle*: Buys an Elixir of Life (moderate) for Vayle at 12 HP after the *Doomed* 1 condition - **Session 115** — *Enfeebled 4*: Severe Shadow Hand attacks from the Belcorra-controlled Siora — 18 void + 4 precision early, then 34/17/21 precision from duplicates that each steal a piece of his shadow; reaches Enfeebled 4; survives long enough for Vayle's Cailean Key activation - **Session 117** — *Goblin Workshop Bribe*: Bribed the goblins who own the only workshop in [[Otari]] so [[Jaspen Bond Callistair|Bond]] could dissect the [[116_20260517 The Cooperative Balloon|Cooperative Balloon]] eye; bought *ghost rune*s for his gloves - **Session 118** — *A Bad Omen*: Browsing weapons in the garrison armory, his [[Death Wardens|Death Warden]] insignia **cracked in half** — a bad omen. Something in him has broken; he feels the weight of all the undead he did *not* kill - **Session 119** — *The Dwarven Souls*: Took two dwarven soul gems from [[Jaspen Bond Callistair|Bond]] and grew agitated over what should be done with the trapped dwarven souls — a question that fits his Tomb Warden duty, though no one else in the party seemed to care - **Session 120** — *Acid Prep*: Bought three acid mutagens (12 gp each) ahead of the Gauntlight run, and noted water bombs as an option (minimal nonlethal bludgeoning/splash, with a flat check to save). Quietly left 10 gold hidden by [[Maret]]'s flower bed - **Session 121** — *Pulling Maret Free*: With [[Vayle]], hauled the newly-transformed [[Sarangai]] [[Maret]] out of her collapsed hut and weathered the psychic pulse of her forehead soul-gem as werewolves attacked under the full moon - **Session 122** — *Shield and Charge*: Raised his shield and Sudden Charged into the werewolf pack, then attacked and damaged Wolf 6, holding the line as the wolves swarmed the downed [[Maret]] - **Session 123** — *Silvered Axe*: Took 19 damage and was marked by the wolves as the fight wound down. Afterward, [[Helly]] revealed she can silver weapons and **silvered Grumble's axe** — a lasting boon against werewolves - **Session 124** — *Sevara's Killer, Paper Spotter*: The wolf Grumble killed in the fight turned out to be [[Sevara]], a prominent [[The Gallowhops|Gallowhops]] figure who was something like the pack's leader — the ex-werewolves mourned her. Later, at [[The Rowdy Rockfish]], he and [[Jaspen Bond Callistair|Bond]] spotted an **insect made of paper** torn from an ancient tome; Grumble downed it with a thrown dagger, and it sprinkled a dust-like substance as it fell. They recognized the paper as the same ancient tile-paper last seen around [[Chafkem]] — part of a ritual that transforms someone into a **mummy** - **Session 125** — *Sevara's Rites*: Said the death rites for [[Sevara]]. Back at [[The Gauntlight]], read [[Dread]]'s shorthand markings on cleared ground while the party pressed [[Graveknight Armor|Sythra]] over [[Jafaki]]'s place on the level - **Session 126** — *Face to Face with Volluk*: Pushed past everyone into [[Volluk Azrinae|Volluk]]'s workshop once the door opened. Sensed that nearly every one of the 21 soul gems hanging on the walls holds a dwarven soul — the exact betrayal he swore revenge for, laid out in front of him while its architect calmly answered questions a few feet away - **Session 128** — *Grappling the Gun*: Took 30 damage and a push from the [[Quadruped Construct]]'s area attacks, then got the thing **Grappled** and held it. His reactive strikes kept landing but the construct's resistance 10 blunted them to 5–6 damage each. Destroyed two of the escaping [[Data Crystal|data crystals]] before they could reach Volluk - **Session 129** (*Crystal Exterminator*): Destroyed four or five more escaping data crystals across two rounds, one of them on an opportunity attack as it tried to slip past him, and held the door [[Jaspen Bond Callistair|Bond]] had closed with his shield raised. Noticed that [[Dread]] moves faster than he does despite both of them wearing full plate. Took a 10-foot burst from the [[Quadruped Construct]], was healed twice by [[Vayle]] (24 HP and a +2 status bonus to AC on the first), and finished the session with **Fleet Step** on him for +30 feet of speed over two rounds, which he immediately spent just running around. He does not know that the loose material in the next room, which Vayle nearly flung at a Rifler, was dwarf parts - **Session 130** (*Forty-Eight on the Way Past*): Opened the north door into a burst of the Quadruped Construct's fire (which Zuhri dodged) and had no action left to attack, so he just moved into position. It paid off the moment the construct tried to move: his reactive strike landed for **48 damage**, resistance 10 and all, re-bloodying it after it had repaired some of itself, and it answered with a 10-foot mortar burst at DC 23 Reflex. He killed a Rifler in the following round - **Session 131** - *Unhorsing a Graveknight*: Heard metal clinking through the air before anyone saw what was coming, which turned out to be [[Graveknight Armor|Sythra]] flying in on her summoned armored horse after [[Echbos]] invoked a contract on her and vanished. Grumble opened the fight with a **Sudden Charge** into the mount (AC 31, same as its rider), dealt 12 damage, and made the horse **disappear** outright. He had offered back in Session 108 to reverse her curse and been told it was irrelevant; the party now knows why: she swore a different oath than the original Sythra, whose soul [[General Urevian]] holds - **Session 133** - *A Sample for the Druids*: Cut a piece of the vine now covering [[Level 5]] and left part of it with [[Worly Win]] at the [[Stone Ring Pond]]. He still plans to take it to the goblin alchemists to find a poison or potion that works on it. Learned that Vandy Banderdash caught the [[Black Hollow Curse]] when she healed him, and wanted to help Vayle cure her because she got it because of him. Walked to the Dawnflower Library with Dread ([[133_20261018 Healer Heal Thyself]]) ## Equipment - **Gutsplasher** — axe; channels lightning around Grumble - **Woodland helm** — antlered, gift from Xal'garoth - **Boots of Free Running** — recovered from the fallen Tomb Wardens - **Splint mail** — recovered from the same - [[Cloak of the Huntress]] — from [[Esefna Menhemes|Esefna]]'s tomb (Session 056) - [[Rune of Retaliation]] (Level 10, rare) — on his shield - Multiple clan daggers (4 from the Tomb Wardens; more from cannibalized Death Wardens) - Eternal eruption crystal ball — lava bomb, 5d6 fireball within 70 ft - Feather Token Balloon - [[Roaring potion]] - Various potions and mutagens (Moderate Energy Mutagens, Potion of Flying) - *Ghost rune*s for his gloves (purchased Session 117)