Grimgrun Blunderforge
“Box Dwarf”
Overview
- Race: Dwarf
- Class: Warlock
- Patron: Mister Nocturne
- Background: Failed Craftsman / Would-Be Brewer
- Age: Adult
- Gender: Male
- Place of Origin: Dwarven Kingdom (name unrecorded)
- Affiliation: Former crew of The Sea Spray
Nickname
Box Dwarf — a name earned aboard ship for his habit of emerging unexpectedly from crates, corners, or confined spaces, usually at the worst possible moment.
Description
Grimgrun wears heavy boots, khaki trousers, a white shirt, and a dark brown leather apron stained with old spills and newer experiments. His beard and hair are both thick, dark, and perpetually messy, as though they have never fully recovered from repeated exposure to flame, smoke, and regret.
He often looks up at people when he speaks—not submissively, but with an intense, measuring stare. There is always a faint scent of hops, burned sugar, and something faintly chemical about him.
When casting magic, phantom tankards, glowing liquid, or strange hop-shaped lights often accompany his spells.
Personality
Grimgrun is stubborn, earnest, and deeply sensitive beneath layers of defensiveness and gallows humor. He desperately wants to be good at something—anything—and resents how easily it comes to others.
He is:
- Fiercely loyal once accepted
- Prone to reckless decisions when offered validation
- Suspicious of authority, especially familial authority
- Far more dangerous than he realizes
He insists he is not evil.
The evidence is… mixed.
Backstory
Son of a Silversmith
Grimgrun was born the son of Thrain Silversmith, one of the greatest smiths of the dwarven kingdoms. So renowned was Thrain’s work that even King Anvilgarun bestowed the honorific *Silversmith upon him.
From the moment Grimgrun could walk, the forge was meant to be his destiny.
It was a nightmare.
Failure, Repeated
Grimgrun could not smelt ore.
He could not forge blades.
He could not tan hides.
He could not brew worth a damn.
Beards caught fire. Crucibles cracked. Daggers failed after hundreds of attempts. Every trade his father tried to pass on ended in disappointment.
At first, Thrain encouraged him.
Then he sighed.
Then he stopped trying.
Soon, the name Blunderforge followed Grimgrun everywhere—first whispered, then laughed, then spoken openly. Eventually, even his father used it.
One night, Grimgrun overheard Thrain tell his mother that he had asked the King to formally change the boy’s name.
“He is a blunder. And he has blundered our name enough.”
That night, Grimgrun left.
The Drunken Wyrm
Grimgrun wandered until he reached **The Brazen Onager an inn famous for its drink and its owner, Calen Cask Morley. Calen’s rule was simple:
If you are thirsty, your needs will be met.
Grimgrun begged to learn. Calen refused—at first.
So Grimgrun worked.
Night after night he cleaned, hauled, served, played cards, listened. He slept outside. Bathed in the river. Dug ditches by day for coin. He asked for nothing.
Eventually, Calen agreed to teach him.
Slowly, Grimgrun’s swill became… barely passable.
And Grimgrun dared to hope.
The Question
One night, Calen asked him:
“Why do you want to craft?”
Grimgrun didn’t know.
That question gnawed at him all day—until rage provided the answer. He wanted to prove his father wrong. He wanted to be better. He wanted to matter.
That night, after closing, a stranger arrived.
The Pact
The man wore fine clothes and a top hat. His smile was wrong.
He demanded a drink Grimgrun had made.
When Grimgrun poured his greenish swill, it turned into perfect amber liquid. The man drank—and smiled wider.
He offered Grimgrun power.
Anything Grimgrun crafted that was liquid would be perfect.
All Grimgrun had to do was sign.
He did.
The recipe was called Malbrew Nocturne.
Since that night, a glowing hop-shaped light sometimes appears, laughing softly as it gives instructions.
Grimgrun listens.
Magic & Manifestation
Grimgrun’s magic often appears as:
- Phantom tankards
- Corrosive or dissolving liquid
- Strange tolling sounds
- A glowing, crackling hop-shaped light
His spells frequently smell of ale, metal, or ozone.
Beliefs
- Failure is not final—unless you stop trying
- Talent is a lie people tell themselves
- Power should belong to those who need it
- His father was wrong
Grimgrun believes he earned what he has.
Current Outlook
Grimgrun wants:
- To become a legendary brewer
- To prove the Silversmith name wrong
- To understand what Mister Nocturne actually wants
He tells himself he is in control.
The hop-light laughs.