Grenmir Sternstone

A dwarf of stone

About

Grenmir Sternstone Full Name: Grenmir Sternstone Race: Deepdark Dwarf Age: In his second century; exact age undisclosed Gender: Male Position: Grandmaster of the Grand Guildhall Affiliation: Grand Guildhall Combat Style: Warrior-mage; heavy-armored great-axe fighter Status: Living Overview Grenmir Sternstone is the Grandmaster of the Grand Guildhall and the highest individual authority within Cinderfall's recognized guild system. There is only one Grandmaster. That title belongs to Grenmir. From Evernew, he oversees an institution whose influence stretches across kingdoms, borders and political blocs, connecting adventurers, merchants, scholars, mages, assassins, summoners and countless smaller professions beneath the wider Guildhall system. Despite the enormous political influence that comes with his position, Grenmir has remarkably little enthusiasm for politics. Unfortunately for him, being one of the most important neutral figures on the continent means politics has considerable enthusiasm for him. Appearance Grenmir is a heavily built Deepdark Dwarf whose appearance reflects both his ancestry and his preference for solving dangerous problems personally when necessary. He wears extraordinarily heavy dwarven-made armor constructed from mythral alloy. His long, thick beard is reinforced with heavy alloy plates, transforming something normally decorative into another layer of protection. Fully armored, Grenmir becomes a compact mass of metal, beard, muscle and extremely poor patience. In battle he has been compared less to a conventional warrior and more to an angry armored cannonball. His primary weapon is a massive great axe. He is also a capable mage and incorporates magic directly into his fighting style. Personality Grenmir is gruff, stubborn, blunt and perpetually irritated by incompetence. He does not speak simply because silence makes other people uncomfortable. In meetings, Grenmir is perfectly capable of sitting quietly while politicians argue among themselves, only intervening when directly addressed or when somebody says something sufficiently foolish that remaining silent becomes intolerable. He considers a remarkable percentage of the world's population to be fools. His standards are extremely high. His tolerance for arrogance is extremely low. His tolerance for bureaucracy varies depending on how recently someone has forced him to attend a meeting. Despite this, Grenmir is not cruel. His irritation usually comes from experience. He has lived long enough to watch people repeat mistakes that records, history, common sense and occasionally large warning signs should have prevented. Beneath the grumbling is an individual who takes his responsibilities extremely seriously. The Guildhall is under his protection. So are the people who depend upon it. Leadership Grenmir leads the Grand Guildhall as an institution rather than as a kingdom. He does not rule Cinderfall. He does not command Evernew. He does not dictate the internal politics of nations simply because he disagrees with them. His responsibility is maintaining the independence, neutrality and integrity of the Guildhall system. Grenmir therefore deals with rulers when their actions intersect with Guildhall affairs. A monarch may rule their kingdom however they wish within the limits of their agreements. The moment they begin interfering with protected Guildhall institutions, staff, schools or operations, they acquire Grenmir's attention. This is generally considered undesirable. Political Neutrality Grenmir is fiercely protective of Guildhall neutrality. The Grand Guildhall exists specifically because Cinderfall's nations are unreliable long-term partners. Human and beastkin rulers can change within decades. Alliances shift. Councils change. Dynasties collapse. Kingdoms that were allies under one ruler may become enemies under the next. The Guildhall cannot function if it follows those political changes. Grenmir therefore views institutional continuity as one of its greatest responsibilities. The Guildhall remembers when kingdoms forget. It keeps records. It maintains standards. It preserves agreements. And it continues operating when another generation of rulers decides to rearrange the continent. Combat Ability Grenmir is an exceptionally powerful warrior-mage. He combines: - Heavy dwarven armor - Great-axe combat - Dwarven physical strength - Magical ability - Centuries of experience - Exceptional battlefield durability His fighting style is considerably less elegant than Coron's. Coron fights like an ancient spellsword. Grenmir fights like someone has given a fortress an axe and deeply offended it. The apparent simplicity is deceptive. Grenmir possesses centuries of practical experience and understands precisely when brute force is appropriate and when magic, positioning or patience will accomplish more. Mythral Armor Grenmir's armor is forged from a powerful dwarven mythral alloy. It is exceptionally heavy and built around the assumption that its wearer possesses dwarven strength. The armor provides immense physical protection without preventing Grenmir from using magic or his great axe. Heavy alloy plates are also worked directly into his beard. For Grenmir, armor is not ceremonial. It exists because things have tried to kill him before. Several of them were very good at it. Coron Cedersong Coron Cedersong is Grenmir's oldest living friend and one of the extraordinarily few people Grenmir regards as unquestionably competent. The ancient Wood Elf serves as Guildmaster of the Mage's Citadel. Their personalities are remarkably compatible despite their differences. Coron is quiet, dry and precise. Grenmir is blunt, gruff and direct. They have known one another long enough that titles are largely unnecessary in private. Coron is the only living person who knows Grenmir's full name and deeper personal secrets. Grenmir trusts him completely. This also gives Coron the unfortunate privilege of being one of the only people alive who can deliberately irritate Grenmir without immediately regretting the experiment. The Pantherkin Savior During Grenmir's adventuring years, he travelled with a Pantherkin adventurer whose name has since been lost. She became one of the only people besides Coron to earn his deepest respect. Her intelligence and antics fascinated him. More importantly, she proved herself when it mattered. At some point during their adventures, she saved Grenmir's life. The event left a permanent mark on him. Coron knew how much she meant to his friend, although Grenmir himself was considerably less inclined to discuss it. The Pantherkin eventually died. Her memory remains one of the few subjects capable of reaching beneath Grenmir's otherwise heavily armored personality. The Child of Cthulhu Grenmir, Coron and the Pantherkin Savior are the only three known individuals to have survived and defeated a Child of Cthulhu. Children of Cthulhu are among the five categories of beings capable of reaching Cinderfall's Legendary Threat classification. Their very appearance can drive mortals insane. Surviving an encounter is extraordinary. Defeating one is almost unheard of. The three did both. Exactly what occurred during that encounter remains one of the most significant events in their shared history. Sanctified Blackplate Following the Pantherkin Savior's death, Grenmir and Coron awarded her Sanctified Blackplate posthumously. Sanctified Blackplate is the highest honor within the Adventurer Plate system. It cannot be earned simply through level progression. There is no examination for it. There is no required Level 200 threshold. There is no number of completed contracts that automatically grants it. It exists to recognize a deed. Grenmir and Coron must both agree that what someone accomplished deserves the honor. The recipient does not even need to have survived the deed. Blackplate Blackplate operates differently. It is Grenmir's personal recognition. A person does not automatically become Blackplate because they reach Level 200. They become Blackplate because Grenmir Sternstone has personally decided that their deeds and character justify the title. Only one living Blackplate bearer is currently established. That individual was originally recommended to Grenmir by Coron. A Blackplate therefore represents more than extraordinary power. It means someone managed the considerably more difficult achievement of convincing Grenmir that they deserved recognition. Roseobsidian Immediately below Blackplate sits Roseobsidian. Only five people are established as having received Roseobsidian Plate. All five are deeply associated with the history of the Grand Guildhall and have lived or died within its halls. Their identities and individual deeds remain part of Cinderfall's open canon. Grenmir treats such ranks seriously because they represent historical recognition rather than decorative status. Evernew Grenmir maintains a working relationship with the current Queen of Evernew. Evernew hosts the Grand Guildhall and has maintained neutrality across multiple generations despite being governed by shorter-lived human and beastkin rulers. The Queen regularly seeks advice from Grenmir and Coron when decisions could affect Evernew's responsibilities as the Guildhall's host nation. Grenmir rarely expresses personal approval openly. Nevertheless, he quietly helps the Queen when necessary. For Grenmir, this is probably considerably more complimentary than actually telling her she is doing well. Relationship With Adventurers Grenmir does not personally shepherd every adventurer through the Guildhall. Most Coal, Bronze, Iron and other ordinary Plates may go their entire careers without having a meaningful conversation with the Grandmaster. He is simply too busy. However, Grenmir pays attention to people whose deeds begin distinguishing them. He values: - Competence - Reliability - Courage - Loyalty - Practical intelligence - Responsibility - People who protect others without demanding worship for it He has little interest in: - Empty boasting - Noble titles - Manufactured reputations - Political flattery - Adventurers demanding advancement - People mistaking raw power for competence An adventurer capable of quietly doing the right thing when nobody important is watching is considerably more likely to earn Grenmir's respect than someone who arrives at his office carrying twenty letters explaining how impressive they supposedly are. Role Within Cinderfall Grenmir represents something larger than personal power. He represents continuity. Kingdoms change rulers. Political blocs shift. Adventurers rise and die. Guildmasters come and go. Schools open. Wars redraw borders. Grenmir has spent generations watching these changes while protecting an institution designed to survive them. He is not Cinderfall's king. He has no desire to become one. He is the dwarf responsible for ensuring that when another king dies, another alliance collapses, another monster appears, or another fool decides history doesn't apply to them, the Guildhall is still standing afterward. And if something powerful enough comes along that paperwork, diplomacy and ordinary adventurers are no longer sufficient, the Grandmaster still owns his armor. And the axe still works.

By: ironfire

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