Golden Grin

When the lands of Tal'Dorei were ruled by the tyrant Drassig, a hidden society of muses, storytellers, bards, and folk heroes assembled to oppose their despotic king. The Golden Grin has endured since those dark years, and it has secretly guided the just, inspired the common folk, and planted the seeds of discontent and rebellion amid tyranny ever since.
Each member, known as a grinner, pledges to uphold the ideal that every individual has the power to change the world. They seek out places where hope is faint and the soul grows dim without inspiration, lifting the spirits of the downtrodden and heartening those who feel forgotten. Little is known about the Golden Grin aside from myths and rumors, and its members prefer it this way. The grinners listen for whispers and information using fabricated personas they create when they join the faction.
The Golden Grin arrived in Wildemount by following the trade routes from Tal’Dorei to the Menagerie Coast, where its members discovered a land plagued by warring despots. A sect of the Golden Grin has spent the past generation spreading its roots throughout the Clovis Concord. Now firmly established, the Grin has set about undermining corruption within the concord and has begun working their way into the Dwendalian Empire.

Figures of Interest

In a world where strife and struggle often define one’s life, it takes a certain quality of hero to step up and answer the call of the Grin.

Sir Linus Denwallop

Neutral good, male gnome
A wandering minstrel who claims a sourceless knighthood, Sir Linus travels all across the Menagerie Coast with his lyre and bag of illusions to astound and excite the children and poor folk of the countryside. Sir Linus intends to make up for his years of villainy as a smuggler and thief by subtly undermining the same sects of the Myriad with whom he once did business.

Shakäste (Hush)

Chaotic good, male human
A warm, gentle soul with blind eyes and a heart overflowing with patience, Shakäste was quick to learn the harsh realities of the world around him. After finding faith in the storms that shake the coast where he grew up, he was gifted with a hummingbird companion that serves as his eyes. Armed with a talent for going unnoticed and powers granted by his willful love of freedom, Shakäste has operated under the name “Hush” since joining the Golden Grin, quietly seeking out those in need of a little guidance.

Master Duasad Keef

Chaotic good, male human
An affluent noble among the upper crust of the Clovis Concord, Duasad is an inheritor of the Keef family’s ancient, generational wealth. Duasad was raised as a woman, but realized as a young adult that something wasn’t right, and sought a mage to help him transition—a fairly simple task in the concord, at least for those with affluence.
These days, Duasad has become well known as a powerful empath who uses his psychic talents to help others deal with trauma or seek a more fulfilling path in life. He has become one of the most influential and effective members of the Golden Grin in Wildemount. However, the radical shifts in his clients’ life choices have not gone unnoticed, and Duasad is aware that the watchful gaze of the Clovis Concord is now firmly fixed on him.

Bilxif of Hupperdook

Neutral good, male gnome
Short, square, and stronger than he looks, Bilxif Applefrond Filchbatter Grinfriend Folkor of Hupperdook has never gone a day without smiling, and it shows. However, rich folk foolish enough to take this jovial bard at face value are in for a shock when he picks their pockets, releases their horses, and otherwise makes a loud nusiance of himself—all without appearing to so much as lift a finger. Once a child of poverty, Bilxif now anonymously gifts his "liberated" gains to those in need. He wanders wherever the whim takes him, making amateur maps of the lands he visits and encoding them to send back to his contacts in the Library of the Cobalt Soul.

Theona Balmhand

Lawful good, female gnome
A wandering healer and cleric of the Lawbearer, Theona lives on donations and perpetually travels across Tal'Dorei, seeking to aid whomever she can and learn whatever the people whisper.

Doctor Dranzel

Chaotic good, male half-orc
A jovial and rather lackadaisical performer in Tal'Dorei, Doctor Dranzel exaggerates his disposition to distract from his identity as a spy for the Grin.

Public Agenda

The Golden Grin—or simply the Grin—exists to enlighten and inspire, keeping ears and eyes out for the murmurs of tyranny and cruelty and deposing those responsible through social upheaval, or occasionally direct intervention. The idea that each person is capable of great things permeates its mantras and beliefs, and the wandering storytellers of the Grin are known to pay handsomely for tales of local heroes and majestic deeds of courage to add to their repertoire of stories and songs. If the people's hearts grow cold enough to reject words and poems, the noblest Grinners will often rise to the occasion and get their hands dirty to display such an act of heroism themselves.

Type

Secret, Brotherhood

Demonym

Grinner

Notable Members

• Shakäste ("Hush")
• Bilxif Applefrond Filchbatter Grinfriend Folkor of Hupperdook