Record of Lodoss War Fansite.

Ghorde Grufmaisen
Pronunciation: GORD GRUFF-may-SON

Forum ID Boris
Plot Search for the Stormlord
Ghorde is © Boris.
Leading into Posterity - Yoko Shinamura (Listen ♫)
Update Thread (Use for updates, corrections, etc.)
Ghorde’s Gallery
Age 44
Birth Year NRC 486
Gender Male
Race Human
Homeland Marmo

Physical Description

    Fairly tall by human standards. When Ghorde was younger, he had short dirty brown hair, but soldiering and time has grayed his hair with small patches. Has a well kept beard and mustache reaching around his sideburns with an almost dwarven look. He is often seen stroking it when he ponders. Physically built well with broad shoulders but by no means nearly as good a warrior as when he was young. Warfare, once again taking its toll on him, has left his expression of youthful eagerness into a furrowed and wrinkled brow, age has just started to show. He also bears a nasty scar on his right sword arm along the wrist into the elbow. And a scar on his right shoulder where a Valis Knight gored him with a broadsword.

Height 6’1” Hair Color Dirty Brown, Graying
Weight 240lbs Eye Color Gray
Build Broad Skin Color Pale

Clothing and Armor

    He wears a simple leather travelers tunic, and trousers. Leather gloves and boots protect his aging body from the harsher elements. Appears to be a simple commoner. However, buried deep within his travel-bags, lies his old polished black armor of the Marmo Army. The engravings of Marmo still on the for-plate and neck-guard. There is also the full set of chain gauntlets and shin guards with plated boots; all in similar black and gold fashion. Ghorde keeps his faded purple tunic and trousers as memento from the War of Heroes. He also possesses a faded black hood and cloak for evening chores or bad weather.

Weapon Description

    If there is anything of greater value to Ghorde, other than his sword, he does not mention it. He carries the sword of Marmo. He prizes it as his most valued possession and will go to great lengths to keep it safe. In addition, being a ex-soldier of Marmo, he also has a crossbow but he seldom removes it from its mantle at home.

Class Soldier
Occupation Ex-soldier and knight, adventurer
Weapons Marmo Broad Sword, Marmo Cross Bow, 12x Arrows
Armor Leather Vest Breastplate. Chainmail Gloves, Leg Greaves
Equipment Basic Adventurer’s Pack, 2 Belt-Pouches, Hammer
Horse No
Stats
ST 11
EN 8
AG 5
IN 16
LU 14
PB 10

Abilities

    His body has become, much to his chagrin, vulnerable to the elements. Freezing rain, snow and arid heat do not mix well with his grizzled body. His forearms are still powerful enough to swing a sword and make a killing, but he has fallen slightly out of practice as he avoids combat if he can. His wide shoulders support heavy weights as well as comfortable wear most armor. However, his back and shoulders are subject to aches and pains far more frequently. On a rare occasion, this pain has left him bed-ridden in a local inn or tavern. But with a days rest he is able to carry his baggage, both physical and emotional. Overall, while he boasts he can wrestle a dragon to the ground, he seriously doubts he could handle even blow from a training lance without relying on his armor.

Personality

    If anyone would put a single word to this man, it would be “gruff”. Ghorde has aged quite a bit, and as such he has developed a split personality. The most evident, would be an old-man’s syndrome, always judging youths and seeing the world through a more traditional black and white mindset. On the other hand, this time of peace is very strange to him, and he feels like exploring every nook and cranny, hoping to catch up on his youth, or to bury old pains. But he has developed a curiosity.

    His participation in the War of Heroes and the War of the Destroyer’s Resurrection, has influenced Ghorde to quite a degree. His restless, tough-as-nails attitude has earned him many enemies in his travels, at least in bars and taverns. He also is evasive when others ask into his checkered past. He fears persecution as a Marmo war criminal, and so keeps his identity secret.

    He avoids high elves like the plague, for fearing that their “Holy Magic” may root out his thoughts and read into his past. Clearly, he does not have a full grasp behind elven magic. He sees humans, dwarves and common elves as neutral entities, and has nothing against them. He treats dark elves with some respect, after all, he fought alongside them, as arrogant as they may be. He owes his life several times to his dark elf companions and thus knows how to converse and socialize with dark elves, that is, if they were in the mood to talk. As for grassrunners—well, Ghorde’s not so friendly attitude seems to attract the antics of grassrunners no matter how much he tries to escape them. So he does not like the over-euphoric attitude that most grassrunners have.

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Quotes: “Back in my days...”, “I never said I was proud of what I did, but I did it and there’s no changing that.”, “You come back ’re and say that again you punk!”

History

    Born to a peasant mother and father, Ghorde’s early childhood was a mixture of playfulness and of narrow escapes from marauding bands of goblins and ogres. When Emperor Beld attempted to unite Marmo and turn it into a police state, Ghorde’s parents fought and died alongside the dark emperor-to-be.

    In his teenage years, Ghorde was merely another commoner who worked to build Marmo into a mighty island nation. When Beld gave out the call to arms, Ghorde’s young curiosity and desire to justify his parents deaths drove him to forward into joining the ranks. He eagerly joined the few ranks of human soldiers in the Marmo army and served in the Kanon and Alania campaigns as a front lines-men.

    His first battle with Kanon troops in the capital is where he earned his scar on his right arm, thanks to a Knight of Kanon. As he was recovering, he partook in the conquest of Alania by guarding the rear. He was among the soldiers responsible for ensuring that no Alanians escaped the massacre. This left deep emotional scars, as he is responsible for the slaughter of peasants and fleeing soldiers, both of which were no different than himself. Ghorde later looked back on this as his first real test of mettle. He believes he had failed miserably and holds himself alone accountable for the countless deaths. He often has nightmares waking up in a cold sweat, or with a shout.

    Later, now baptized in two successive battles, Ghorde partook in the Battle of Heroes, where both Emperor Beld and King Fahn lost their lives. In the fierce whirlwind of melee, Ghorde was engaged with a Knight of Valis when he was struck down with a blow to the shoulder, crippling his sword arm. Lost and helpless in the fray, Ghorde was at this point shaken to the core with his own problems, but upon seeing the death of his Emperor, Ghorde’s will to fight was broken. Upon this horrific sight, Ghorde could only think of fleeing to Marmo. He fled into the wilderness of Lodoss, crippled, broken souled and disheartened, he was sure to become prey to the wandering beasts of Lodoss Island, or worse, become a meal to the fleeing ogres and goblins.

    A chance encounter with a young priestess of Myrii, restored his faith as a soldier. The nameless priestess of Myrii harbored the broken Ghorde as he attempted to return to Ashram’s battle-group. The priestess mended his wounds far better than the surgeons and clerics within the Marmo army could. As a result of this, he has a strong affinity to followers of Myrii, the Battle God, which would later serve him in Flaim’s annexation of Marmo. The priestess also healed Ghorde spiritually, and allowed him to see that he was responsible only to himself and no longer needed to justify his parents deaths. It was then, that he realized he was fighting for more than just Marmo—he was fighting for his own survival. Afterwards, without the exchanging of names, for fear of being discovered, Ghorde bid the priestess farewell and rejoined with Marmo forces as they re-fortified themselves in Kanon and Alania, bracing themselves for the obvious Valis counter-attack. Lord Ashram, who lead the defense, became an icon of great courage and will to Ghorde, seeing Ashram’s determination to see his people survive, and to maintain control of Marmo-held territories. So enamored was he with Ashram’s display of courage and valor, that Ghorde volunteered to remain in Alania to fight against insurgents and the ever-present threat of counter-attack.

    After a handful of years in a constant guerrilla/counter guerrilla war with the Alanian rebels, Ghorde had worked closely with dark elves. While he was not distrustful of them, he does feel that they were involved too much in the politics of Marmo. Seeing as Lord Ashram had a dark elf as a personal retainer, he knew the value of such allies, but still felt that Emperor Beld’s dream of a united Lodoss, was a dream ruled by humans, not by elder races. Ghorde has made comrades out of dark elves and half-dark elves in his years at Alania. He did not enjoy the stuck up attitude, but he did enjoy their eye for detail and their endless bounty of lore and history. It was here that Ghorde became enamored with the great legends and myths, learning each one and holding them close to heart. He loved the great Ballad of the Six Heroes.

    In time, Lord Ashram arrived and disposed of the Alanian Duke Raster. His sudden announcement to have all troops and civilians board ships and leave was shocking to Ghorde and his comrades. Upon their retreat to Kanon, he was promoted to Knight, for the lack of leadership, which became so painfully obvious in Marmo ranks. It was a rather awkward process: Marmo, hoped to adopt the policies and prestige that many Lodoss nations enjoyed, as far as knighthood was concerned. He became a Knight of the Order of the Golden Helm, the lowest ranking Kanon endorsed knight order. This promotion was in response to the lack of any organized military command. With the Marmo council dissolved and the Empire in full retreat, wild and somewhat unjustified promotions were given to veterans, so that the execution of Marmo’s defense would be made possible. While events looked grim, Ghorde tended to the needs of the Marmo forces as best as he could. When Flaim marched into Marmo, Ghorde lead the retreat to Conquera, in hopes that Ashram had one last trick.

    But, this was not to be. In the War of the Resurrection of the Destroyer, Flaim simply overwhelmed Marmo forces. With the death of Wagnard, and the Exodus of Ashram and the majority of Marmo’s people, Ghorde was left with little more than his armor, his love for Marmo, and the desire to set out on a new life. He lost all rank and his title of Knight of the Golden Helm, as there were no documents to verify his knighthood. Let alone the fact that Marmo had no such orders of knighthood, it being a borrowed position and title from a conquered country. So, with a heavy heart and a past of bloodshed and warfare, Ghorde departs to Lodoss Island. He has left Marmo in search of the priestess, in hopes that he may know her name. But he also wishes to forge his own destiny in Lodoss. Perhaps as an adventurer in these times of peace.

Back to Search for the Stormlord Characters

Back to Characters