Gormax

Player: Abi

Race: Half-Orc

Class: Alchemist/Gunslinger

Gormax was born in Rustland, to the famed warrior woman Drea “Doomhammer”. Drea was known throughout the town as a fearless warrior, always ready to take on the Wretches at a moment’s notice. She was the only survivor of the party she’d gone on her first Great Purge with. She was different upon her return. She had left an archer. She returned… something else. She carried with her the hammer that would become her namesake. Some said it was cursed. Some said she’d forged it herself, using her own hair as the wrappings of the handle. While she’d never been one to shy away from battle, she returned a madwoman. It was said by those that accompanied her that she would often rush in headlong, laughing all the while. In her second Great Purge, she ventured out alone. She returned wielding a rather impressive warhammer alongside her namesake hammer. This new hammer was ornate, of exquisite craftsmanship. Drea claimed that the new warhammer had belonged to a dwarf of the Khazar Glorak she’d met in the Wretches. She swore to return the weapon to his family, as she claimed this dwarf had saved her life and told his tale to all who would hear it about how it was his sacrifice that allowed her to live. Drea once again set out, this time to the Thorns to honor the man who’d saved her life. Years later, she returned… pregnant. She spoke not of the father, but when the boy was born, it became readily apparent why she would not speak of him. She showed the boy little love, barely providing for him. She was distant when he was a babe and increasingly hostile towards him as the boy grew up. Gormax would often sneak off into the Wretches for days on end and she never bothered to look for him, for she secretly hoped he would never return. When he was old enough to wield a weapon, she attempted to teach him the ways of war. To make him “actually useful”, she said. As was the nature of his orcish blood, the boy did not fear battle. Yet, he did not embrace the clash of steel. Cunning was more his strong suit. His trips to the Wretches increased in length and in frequency. After a particularly harsh admonishment by Drea, Gormax once asked her why she had bothered keeping him if she hated him so much. His mother’s cold reply was, “Because it was my duty, no more, no less.”

While Drea was hardly a loving mother, she was determined to find a use for her son. She had enrolled him in the local school. Life was not easier for Gormax there, either. If the elves and half-elves got it bad from the mostly human children, as the only half-orc, Gormax got it far worse. But he was not to be bullied. Two boys had cornered him in an alcove of the school… and emerged with horrific burns. Gormax said nothing of the incident, even when pressed. After several such incidents, eventually, the human boys learned to leave Gormax alone. However, the frequency of such incidents had gained the attention of the magister. On a hunch, he confronted Gormax and asked the boy to dump out his pack, who reluctantly complied. It was there that the magister realized Gormax had learned to make these... concoctions... on his own. Seeing a way to both use the boy and be rid of him, the magister reported his knack for alchemy to his superiors, and so Gormax was shipped off to Maeron City. He was accepted as an apprentice into the Mage's Guild of Maeron as an alchemist. Gormax excelled in the field, earning a commission as a Master Alchemist, almost unheard of for a non-human, much less a half-orc. While not a warrior himself, he excelled in weapons of war, even working on the siege engines on the city walls. He returned to Rustland only because he was informed she had fallen ill. On her deathbed, she told Gormax all about his father. Her dying words were to seek him and his men in the Flats, either to join him or slay him. He said nothing in response. As she passed, he merely stood next to her, arms crossed. He buried her, as was his duty, but was not even present for her service. The next day, the guards at Westwall registered him passing through into the Wretches. No one questioned nor cared why he was leaving Rustland. In truth, not even Gormax knew why... but the Wretches would shape him, for better or worse.

Titles

• King of the Way of War
• The Orc Dirty Bastard

Opinions on Party Members

Ali - I just found out she was a chick this whole time! My opinion on her hasn't much changed. 'Boo hoo, the humans don't like elves and everyone got promoted ahead of me...' Yeah, my heart pumps piss for you. Maybe if she took the adamantine chip off her shoulder, she and I could get along better.

Chan - Chan is coming around, I'd say. He's fair. He argues with everyone alike. He's lightened up a bit, especially with me. His focus is admirable. We had a shaky start, but after a raucous night of drinking in which we potentially could've gotten arrested, I think we're going to get along just fine. 

Jonford - My first thought about this guy was that he was a typical jar-head. But I've really taken a shine to the guy. He backs me up a lot of the time, which I find odd. Humans seldom take my side. He's determined, he's funny, and he sure likes my scorpion venom moonshine. I consider him a friend... which again, is odd. I've never really had one before.

Raincar - Now that I've studied him a little, I kind of see the method behind him. He's an absolute madman. A nutter to the core. But powerful. And dangerous. For a man who claims to be on the side of good, he sure leaves a lot of death in his wake. We're very opposed he and I, but every time it comes to fight, we drop any animosity we might have... mostly. Very soon, I'll have my answers and I'll learn whether Raincar is friend or foe.

Sir Cygnus - Funny thing about Cygnus, I feel like he's my opposite even more than Raincar, so I'm a bit leery of him. Don't get me wrong, he's personable... but there's something weird about him and even Mel says he 'smells wrong'. But say what you will about him, Princess Ruffleshirt sure can take a fuckin' hit.

Beatrix - Mouthy dwarf. Next.

Dru - Seems like less of a blowhard than most of his kind. 

Flynt - I remember him from the Mage's Guild. He was one of the guards and then took off one day. Then he was on the boat and took off one day. If you can't stand the heat, stay away from the burner. 

Ella - Too bony. Surprisingly good drinker. I wonder where she learned those orc fight songs from? 

Pierce - The kid with the badger? Oh, she got eaten for sure. For. Sure. 

Mikal - Probably one of the creepiest humans I have ever met in my entire life. Creeps Mel out something fierce. But he strikes me as a man of honor and a man who will do what needs to be done. I don't know whether his coldness is because of his condition or if he was always that way, but one thing is certain: He is a force to be reckoned with.