Greykor Vonana

Ancestry

Dwarven, Anvil Dwarf

Background

Born beneath the crushing rock of Aetoc, Greykor was the fourth of six children in the chaotic Vonana household. While most Dwarven clans are pillars of tradition and honor, the Vonanas were... flexible. His father, Darrak, was a charismatic entertainer—a teller of tall tales—while his mother, Barbena, was a wanderer with a penchant for "unclaimed" goods. They were neutral evil, looking out for themselves above all else, yet they loved their children in their own twisted, practical way.

Greykor’s childhood ended abruptly when his mother was caught smuggling unauthorized gemstones past the watchful gaze of the Steel Eye’s spies near Mount Hoki. She was imprisoned, leaving Darrak to raise six children alone in a cramped, modest burrow. It was a loud, crowded house, but Darrak managed to keep them fed, mostly through charm and petty grifts.

Greykor was different from his parents; he craved stability. One day, while wandering the industrial districts, he stumbled upon an old Alloysmith named Thrumbar melting down gold stamped with the seal of Erallin the Immense—embezzling from the Dragon Emperor himself. Instead of turning the smith in or blackmailing him, Greykor simply helped him hide the evidence before a patrol arrived. In exchange for his silence, Thrumbar took Greykor as an apprentice. It was during this time, amidst the heat of the forge, that Greykor witnessed a cloaked figure cast a spell over a set of ingots. The metal turned transparent as glass before solidifying back to steel. He never learned what the spell did, but it taught him that metal holds secrets.

As he grew, Greykor watched his siblings drift. His older brother, Gardain, became a criminal enforcer and was left crippled by a botched job. His other brother, Kildak, became a merchant who drove himself into ruin with bad investments. When Kildak came begging for money, Greykor—tired of enabling the family’s vices—refused, and Kildak has hated him ever since. Fortunately, his sisters fared better: Werydd became a successful priest, Finellen a laborer, and Jillian a fellow artisan.

Seeing his family crumble due to a lack of discipline, Greykor decided he would not just hammer metal; he would be the metal. He began training as a Guardian, using his knowledge of alloys to craft heavy plating that could withstand the crushing pincers of subterranean Cave Fishers. He fought not for glory, but to test his craft: "If I am to protect my kin, my steel must not yield." Because Aetoc is isolated, the only place to meet off-worlders is near the volcanic spaceport of Mount Hoki. It was here he met Gladan Shuv, a human barbarian from the stars. Despite their differences, Gladan’s simple, good nature appealed to Greykor, and they remain close friends.

However, the work is dangerous. During a contract to protect a shipment of Gemstone Crab shells, Greykor’s caravan was ambushed. In the chaos, Greykor held the line. He survived, but a splash of superheated mineral rain from a geyser melted through his boot, taking the pinky toe of his left foot. Not all his interactions with off-worlders were as successful as his friendship with Gladan. As his reputation as a smith grew, he was commissioned by a human Witch named Aias Colton to forge a ritual focus. Greykor, arrogant in his skill, used an experimental alloy. The focus shattered during Aias’s ritual, causing a magical backlash that ruined weeks of work. Aias is now a powerful and successful figure who holds a bitter grudge.

Later, Greykor had a run-in with a human Cleric named Zara Starfollower. During a tavern brawl, Greykor "protected" Zara by shoving her into a supply closet and accidentally jamming the lock. She missed her transport ship because of it. Zara is alive and well; she doesn't actively hate Greykor, but he counts her as an enemy out of sheer embarrassment. Recently, Greykor has felt the walls of the tunnels closing in. Seeking direction, he visited a soot-stained diviner in the lower markets. The oracle cast bones into a pool of molten lead and gave him a choice: "Go forth into the void, or wait for a boon that may never come."

Greykor chose to move. He packed his heavy shield, checked the straps on his armor—ignoring the phantom ache in his foot—and prepared to leave the tunnels. He is a Guardian looking for someone worth protecting, trying to outrun the selfish legacy of the Vonana name.

Appearance

Greykor has the look of a man who spends more time with a hammer than a comb. His skin is the color of deep earth, permanently stained at the knuckles and forearms with the soot of the forge and the metallic dust of his trade. He possesses a barrel-chested build, with shoulders that seem almost too wide for the tunnel doorways he frequents.

His beard is a thick, dark mahogany, meticulously braided with dull iron rings to keep it from catching fire or snagging in his armor—a practical choice over a vain one. His eyes are a sharp, piercing flint-grey, often squinted from years of staring into white-hot crucibles. A thin, jagged scar runs through his left eyebrow, a souvenir from the same geyser accident that took his pinky toe. He moves with a slight, rhythmic limp, and there is a constant, faint scent of sulfur and toasted charcoal that seems to follow him wherever he goes.

Details

• Class: Guardian

• Background: Alloysmith

• Str: +4, Dex: +0, Con: +3, Int: +1, Wis: +2, Chr:-1