A brave and cunning Kobold rouge who sees himself as a swashbuckling hero. He will go above the limitations of silly human laws to do what's right. Fighter of bullies and giver of grins.
- Date of Birth
- 1317 aco
- Gender
- Male
- Eyes
- Gold
- Hair
- Some very handsome head spines.
- Skin Tone/Pigmentation
- Rust red
- Height
- 2'6"
- Weight
- 46 lbs
Appearance
Physical Description
He may not be able to bend bars or lift gates, but few are as quick on their feet as Grin.
Identifying Characteristics
His dayglow yellow tongue, thus the nickname "gold tongue"
Physical quirks
Slouches reflexively. He's worried he may form a hunch, so when he catches himself doing it he focuses way to much on his posture. It looks awkward.
Apparel & Accessories
When on the job he wears fine fitting deerskin leathers. Otherwise he usually dresses to blend in.
Specialized Equipment
Specializes in cat burglary and other forms of dramatic crime.
Mentality
Personal history
Born to a loving clan underneath the city of Viburg in the lost west, Grinter showed an aptitude for mischief and a knack for fast talking. While he roamed the streets of the city with his clutch-mates looking for opportunities to cause trouble, Grinter seemed to be fearless. Taking any dare and meeting any insult with a grin and a sharp retort. If ever caught by a guard or an angry shopkeep, he could always use his quick wits and fast words to give his friends just enough time to escape.
When he wasn't causing mischief he was being trained by his father to be a proper clutch engineer. How buildings were planned, and their foundations laid. How to enter into places unnoticed to do the work that the city's above dwellers relied on, but didn't want to do. Keep sewer's flowing and chimney's clean. Hinges greased and shingles fresh. Grinter learned every minute facet of the city and felt proud to be a kobold.The secret workers who maintained this great machine.
He was a promising young wyrm and his clan was very proud. Until the hobgoblins came.
The war to the west had finally come to Viburg's doorstep. While the kobolds knew the cities defender's had no hope of winning the battle, they were content to hide, as was their way, within the lowest reaches of their warrens under the castle within the city. But never one to heed a warning, or to pass on a chance to experience something new, Grinter snuck away from his clan and headed above. Climbing up a tall clock tower in the city's center he had a perfect view. He saw the amassed banner's and war beasts of the hobgoblin legions, and the pitiful number of defender's stationed at the gates.
Grinter sat with anticipation t see the battle play out, his trademark grin across his wide mouth. In that moment a fiery light began to grow from upon a ridgeline to the west. Out within the ranks of the legions. It grew and grew until the brightness burned Grinter's eyes and he had to look away. He never saw that light as it was flung with lightning speed out over Viburg's walls. As it struck the castle and cracked it to it's foundations. Bursting the edifice into skyflung shards of rubble and shattered stone. Viburg's defences were nothing against the might of the hobgoblin war-mages. There was no battle, only slaughter.
When night came the city still burned. Screams echoed through the suffocation smoke, and somehow the clock-tower still stood. Grinter, broken and alone, finally worked up the nerve to venture down and try to find his family. He crept through the darkened allies, cowering like a rat at any sign of movement. It took him hours to reach the ruined remains of the castle. Near dawn he came upon the cellar grate down to his clan's warren. Laying before that shadowed portal was the shattered remains of his father's green-glass lantern, his proudest possession. The old worm never let the thing out of his sight, he tied Grinter's tail in a knot when he caught the young kobold playing with it one past season. Seeing the beloved heirloom laying there filled Grinter with such dread that he dared not go farther. He dared not venture down into the broken depths of his former home to see all he loved destroyed. He gripped the broken lantern in his hands and wept, deeply cutting his palms. He was broken out of his revelry by a startled shout from somewhere nearby, and on kobold instinct Grinter jumped up and fled. He fled into the broken city and lived on scavenged scrap for as long as he could. Using his knowledge of the city's inner working to dodge hobgoblin patrols.
Grinter would eventually head east, towards Gotland, hoping to never see a hobgoblin again. As a clanless Kobold he was never quite welcome in any city of settlement he visited. Above dweller's looked at him with suspicion. A strange kobold from the west, he might be a hobgoblin spy or saboteur. Kobold clans would welcome him warmly, but none would heed his warnings. The warrens were safe they'd say. No stupid hobgoblins could get to them down there. The stubborn ignorance of his own kind drove Grinter into fits of frustration, and he was always soon on the road again.
He fell in with rebel's and bandits. Learning to fight from an Odeccan sword dancer, turned freedom fighter, helping peasant militias steal back their grain and livestock from greedy nobles, and stealing a few trinkets from himself along the way. At this kind of work Grinter was a natural.
After years of wandering and adventure, Grinter eventually made it to Freehold, the Star of Gotland. Largest kingdom in Auhrun...
He wasn't impressed. Sure it was big. Ten times the size of Viburg. The architecture was breathtaking, and the culture diverse and vibrant. But nobles were still fat, pompous leeches. Wizards still wore ridiculous hats and looked down their big noses at you. And common folk still starved and begged in the streets. Infact, in Freehold, this was worse than ever. The city was packed to bursting with refugees from the west. They were left to rest where they could find a spot in the mud and not much else. Most weren't even allowed to cross the river into the city proper. An insidious illness known as Hopkin's Lung seemed to be on the rise, and with tensions high desperate people turned on their own. =
Kobolds faired no better. With not enough space in the city's warrens, and the ever present fears of saboteurs. The refugee kobolds were left to waste out in the sun. Many, their eyes made for the gloom of tunnel of cave, went blind when forced to reside out-side for extended periods.
Grinter was outraged by the injustice, and sought to help any way he could. He eventually fell into helping a gang of street hoods with good intentions known as Bedlam's Children.
Grinter watches over most of the foolish and frustrated younger gang members, and commits nightly burglaries in the wealthier parts of town to raise funds for Mother Bedlam.
Education
Trained by his father and clan in the profession of city planning, engineering, and maintenance.
Learned sleight of hand, pickpocketing, and general thievery from a pair of gnome criminals named Mayir and Slark.
Joined a traveling performance troupe called Countess Glover's Cacophony for a few years, learning acting and acrobatics and his sense of showmanship.
Employment
Loosely affiliated with the criminal outfit known as Bedlam's Children.
Taboos
Hates fire magic.
Personality
Motivation
Secretly wants to prove that Kobolds can be brave heroe's too.
Wants to be a master thief.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Skilled in persuasion and deception. Has a flair for theatrics.
Can barely read, sucks at math.
Likes & Dislikes
Likes: Warm enclosed spaces, dusk, the color gold, rats and frogs and all kinds for small vermin.
Dislikes: Spellcasters, sunny days, vegetables, horses.
Virtues & Personality perks
Fearless, fast-talking, sly.
Vices & Personality flaws
Reckless, slow to trust others, a bit of a kleptomaniac.
Personality Quirks
Can move his eyes independently.
Hygiene
Takes good care of his clothes, but rarely bathes of cleans himself as he simply sheds scales and teeth regularly to keep clean.
The major events and journals in Grinter Gold Tongue's history, from the beginning to today.
The list of amazing people following the adventures of Grinter Gold Tongue.
Social