Grugach

Note - the story below is poorly written (by me), and may change based upon how the DM chooses to set up character introductions.

Grugach’s short life has been one of solitude, even when he was surrounded by his kin.

Born to a human mother who did not want him and later joined to the orc tribe of his father, Grugach was always on his own.

His mother left him mostly to his own survival for the few years she had him. She was not unloving, but she was not someone who had the ability to be a parent.

His tribe forced him to fight for mere survival. The life of a half-human whelp in orcish “society” is usually a short one, unless you have the strength and will in you to survive.

He hated his life with the orcs, but because he was different and thus always watched, he never had a chance to escape.
But his life there toughened him for his future.

Orcs and elves have hated one another from the moment the two races met.
The elves preserve life.
The orcs consume life.

When the orcs foolishly attacked the elves in their own lands, the orcs were destroyed.

The few orcs left had too many other problems than to pay attention to Grugach’s leaving.
They were probably glad he was gone.

Grugach’s freedom was short-lived.

A scouting group of elves captured him and were about to execute him like all the other orcs they had found in their lands. But their leader stopped the execution.

Grugach knew the elf’s name, and the elf knew his.

Ferisquelith and Grugach had both had disjointed fragments of dreams, and each had seen the other in one of those fragments.

Grugach’s dreams were nonsensical, like being part of a conversation with someone who doesn’t speak your language. You understand a few words, but overall the conversation is fruitless.

In his dreams he has seen fire bursting from a mountain, a sword clattering to the cobblestones in a dark alley, demonic fiery eyes, a dwarf dancing to an unheard tune while reading a letter, a bald human screaming in terror as something looms above him and strikes, an older Grugach jumping down a pit with an axe preparing to strike at whatever is below, the sun setting over a serene hill as birds sing, figures in robes chanting before an altar of changing light, young Grugach shaking the hand of and elf as he introduces himself “My name is Ferisquelith”, and the shriek of several dragons hunting Grugach down.

The dragons’ screams always wake Grugach, leaving him startled for a few moments.

At the time Grugach was only 9.

For the next four years Ferisquelith trained Grugach in any skills the boy would be able to understand and use.

If Grugach was one thing, it was a survivor. Ferisquelith added to the boy’s existing skills, hoping that whatever was in the dreams that haunted him and the boy, the boy would be able to face and conquer.

When Grugach was told his training was at an end, he nodded, grabbed his belongings and began walking the directions the winds were blowing.

Grugach walked to the colder lands of the north and lived in the wilds there, selling pelts to earn the money to buy what he could not get easily on his own.

He was content to live this way if not for the dreams.

One day while hunting he came across a group of others that included the dwarf from his dream.

He quickly ran to his camp and gathered what he could carry and returned to the road that he saw the dwarf walking on.