Character: Griswold Grumby
Player: Jon Seeley

If there is one man who knows (and enjoys) the sounds, smells, and
joy of combat it is none other than Griswold `the Great' Grumby.

Physically, Griswold is nothing major to look at. He is attractive
by definition (just like the rest of the Celestines), though nothing
stellar. He sports icy-white hair—which is nothing short of strange
considering his age—in somewhat of a "pudin-basin" style. His eyes
are also an icy-blue, which are always peering curiously at anything
unknown.

Griswold grew up much like any other Celestine middle-class
individual in the province of Turok – he attended the local school
and was sent by his parents (Jonas and Mila Grumby) to study at the
Academy (of Belgald) as a Battle Wizard due to his skill in magic.

He graduated from the Academy two years prior (at the age of 25) to
the Great Suul war and was enlisted in the army. Rather than
receiving discharge after his standard two year tour of duty, he
extended (as direct order from the Emperor himself) his military
service.

Griswold served on the front lines during much of the Great Suul War
and the invasion of Phoenix in the capacity of War Mage. His
commander was Duke Yurin of Ethbar, a mighty paladin in the Balgald
order. After the fall of Ethbar, Yurin and his company was sent to
Adech, where they have been fighting off skirmishes with the Armies
of Phoenix.

Griswold's best friend and comrade through the war is Rolf
Whittley. Rolf, like Griswold, is a combat mage who graduated in
the same class from the Academy. Rolf hails from Tristen, so he was
particularly happy to be returning their even in military service.
Rolf is another elementalist, though he dabbles in the earthly
magics while Griswold is more interested in the water magics. Rolf
is particularly adept at creating barricades from which their
archers could fire at the enemy soldiers. Amongst the other
soldiers who were in Griswold and Rolf's platoon, some he was closer
to included Pyri Orchid—a naturalist/healer; Jarrod D'Erro—a knight
(who is now a gladiator in the arena Tristen); and lastly Sohn Reesa—
a bard/chronicler.

His platoon suffered major losses in the past several months in
sorties against Phoenix raiding parties and a few dissident losses
as well. A high-ranking general in Yurin's army named Kyra Draco
defected to Phoenix and took with her knowledge of troop movement in
the Adech sector. Such knowledge has been attributed to the major
losses in Yurin's army and has received attention of the Emperor
himself.

With the recent "defeat" of Phoenix by Sujo, Griswold was finally
allowed to retire from the army and discharged in the city of
Tristen. A gift for his years of service, he was awarded a war
staff (complete with a dedicated powerstone).

Griswold frequently experiences bouts of chronic lower back pain due
to an injury he received during a battle in Ethbar. His particular
platoon had a group of Suul pinned down when a stray missile from a
siege weapon landed in close proximity, wiping out the Suul and half
of his own company. He was blasted back near 20ft before landing
and suffered a major injury. Sure, the healers were able to put him
back together, but for some reason the pain still persists. He also
suffered a blow to the head from the same incident which stripped
him of all ability to smell or taste, something the healers never
could remedy.

Through his years of military experience, Griswold has grown cold
and calloused. He is no longer sensitive to pain or suffering, and
quite bluntly, enjoys it. Due to the cruel nature of the Suul
during the war, he learned to never give quarter nor allow
surrender. It was kill or be killed.

Once a soldier, always a soldier, Griswold is currently seeking
employment as a mercenary. He heard there was help wanted… but for
what?

Goals:
Ultimately, Griswold would like to retire a rich and powerful mage,
perhaps even open his own Academy of Combat Mages and run his own
Barony.

Notable Characters Section:

Kyra Draco:
General of Phoenix (formerly in Yurin's army)
Kyra is the epitome of beauty. She stands a full 6 feet tall, has a
slender yet powerful build, and exudes a sense of charisma and power
that draw everybody into her seductive gaze. Let not the beauty
deceive you, she is also an extremely cunning and ruthless general
who, were it not for the overpowering numbers, would have made it
possible to retain the Ethbar province through her ingenious tactics
and superior maneuvering.

Unfortunately, that is no longer a reality nor a possibility for the
Celestine Empire as she has defected to the lure of greater power as
a general of Phoenix. She is remarkable adept at the saber and has
bested many a man in a duel.

Duke Yurin:
Duke of Ethbar, Paladin of Belgald
Duke Ethbar is an aging yet powerful soul. He is 60 years old yet
can still outperform most young soldiers in every way imaginable.
He stands a hulking 7'5", huge by any standards, and yet through all
his bulk, has the soul of a saint. He is a champion of justice and
good and a soldier loyal to all that the Empire stands for. Given
the chance to take Dukedom in another province, he declined, hoping
to one day regain control of his land in Ethbar.

Rolf Whittley:
Elementalist (earth)
Standing a puny 5 feet and skinny as an Ethiopian (should they exist
in Gaia), Rolf is diminutive in size but great in power. Rolf has
more energy pent up in his little frame than most mages that have
ever graduated the academy, and he frequently lets loose. He is a
partier and connoisseur of fine women, but still manages to perform
his duty without fail. Rolf has mastered nearly every spell within
the Earth College of magic, and has no intent on stopping there.
Unlike his friend Griswold, he isn't too intent on sticking his neck
out for other people and plans on other pursuits now that his
military service is over.

Pyri Orchid:
Naturalist/healer
Every platoon needs a healer, and every healer in the platoon has
plenty of work to do in time of war. Pyri is one of those
individuals who are so quiet, you wouldn't even notice they were in
your presence except for the fiery red hair blossoming from her head
in all directions akin to Medusa. Pyri tends to prefer natural
remedies to magical ones, though is smart enough to know when magic
is the only way she can possibly save somebody's life of limb.
Unable to cure Griswold of his chronic pain and loss of smell/taste,
Pyri is guilt-stricken and sensitive every time the subject comes
up. It is her personal goal in life to find a way to fix Griswold,
even though he doesn't pay it much attention anymore.

Jarrod D'Erro:
Knight/gladiator
As the personal "bodyguard" of the combat mages, Jarrod had plenty
of one-on-one time with Rolf and Griswold. He has been called upon
many a time to save their skins when it got down and dirty during
the war, quite often too close for comfort. He is very skilled in
almost every known form of weaponry and warfare which has permitted
him to improvise in the split second decisions that mark the
difference between life or death for his friends. Like Griswold,
Jarrod has no place in "normal" society, and has decided to battle
in the Arena and subsequently take employment as a mercenary after
making a few "quick bucks".

Sohn Reesa:
Bard/chronicler
A smile comes to face every time one thinks of Sohn Reesa. He is a
funny man, one prone to jokes (both good and bad) at the most random
of times. It is said that during the heat of a mighty battle he
spun a joke that sent the enemies to their knees in laughter
(allowing his comrades to quickly finish the job). He has an
ability almost magical to enrapture his audience as he weaves a
tale, even to the point of changing people's behavior in a way
fitting to him. Sohn grew up in the slums of New Aerith but even in
all the misery and hardship of his life, has never lost the ability
to laugh.

Jonas and Mila Grumby:
Parents of Griswold

Jonas is a successful sailor turned merchant who owns a General
Goods store in Turok [** which if it isn't a region with access to
the sea, that's ok… he moved inland.  **]. Jonas has always
encouraged his son to further develop his magical abilities as
Jonas' father was once a powerful Battlemage in service of the
Crown. Mila is a faithful and loving wife/mother who has always
strived to give her family the best. She didn't particularly want
her son to become a soldier, and was extremely pained to see her son
enter the service in light of all the turmoil that the world has
experienced. Her greatest fear is to have any of her children meet
their end before she does. Aside from Griswold, who is the oldest
child, they have 10 other children, each a year apart. Their
children range in skills and abilities from mages (there are 2 in
the family), to all other walks of life.