Gotrick Ironbelly

Gotrick is a male dwarf with a marvelous beard, a stout figure, and bright blue eyes. He grew up in a dwarven settlement called Karaz-a-Karak, buried in the side of a mountain. As a traditional dwarven city, there was always much work to do: smithing, mining, and fighting were among the daily activities of the people living in Karaz-a-Karak.   Gotrick came from a long line of warrior priests who would protect the city and the miners from dangers during their excavations. As a young dwarf, he was always fascinated by the golden, shiny armor these warrior priests wore when riding through the halls of Karaz-a-Karak, as well as by the variety of mounts they used to ride into battle!   Growing up, Gotrick joined the warriors and worked his way up through the ranks. During training, he was seen as an inspiration to other warriors in his clan. His kind eyes and eagerness to help others shone even on the darkest days. Gotrick became quite well-versed in the use of different weapons, as well as in learning to channel some of his divine power into his strikes.   One day, Gotrick’s platoon was sent out with one of the mining parties as protection. But on that day, disaster struck. On their way to the mining site, they were ambushed by orcish raiders, who were well known in the region for their viciousness. Led by their leader, Brok’tor, they charged the dwarven mining party with brutal speed. The first impact killed half of the miners and a third of the small warrior platoon Gotrick was part of. What followed was a slaughter of his brothers and sisters. The warriors fought for their lives but were outnumbered and outmatched due to the orcs riding on their wicked mounts. In the end, Gotrick was the only one who managed to escape.   After crawling back to his city and recovering from his wounds, Gotrick swore an oath of vengeance on those who prey on the weak and hurt the innocent, with a personal grudge toward the orc raid leader Brok’tor. If there is one thing known about dwarfs, it is that they never forget a grudge.   Rallying fellow warrior priests to set out and defeat the orc raiding clan once and for all, Gotrick met two other like-minded individuals named Felix and Ruva. Felix and Ruva also had their brothers and sisters slain at the hands of this orc raid leader. They, too, rocked amazing beards, just like Gothrick. The three led a moderate group of warrior priests and followers to the last known location of the raider camp.   Once at the camp, it seemed that the orcs were celebrating a successful raid, but it would turn out to be their last. With the fury of a thousand stars, Gothrick, Felix, and Ruva charged ahead of the party on their spectral mounts! Skulls were crushed, knees were broken, and orc blood painted the tents of the camp. After the initial charge, the orcs fought back with ferocious intent. Slowly but surely, the warrior priest party made their way toward the largest tent, where their leader, Brok’tor, would reside.   Ready to face the orc leader, Gotrick approached the tent and screamed out his name. The orc leader came out and immediately charged at him. After a fierce battle, Gotrick saw an opportunity to strike Brok’tor clean on the head, and with the sound of a loud thunderclap, smote him into oblivion. The orc raiders were no more.   A noise was heard from inside the tent, and upon entering, Gotrick saw a beaten, chained lion. Scattered around the lion were the bodies of multiple other lions, most likely used by the orcs for entertainment.   Recognizing the loss that Gotrick himself had experienced at the hands of this vile orc, the lion became attached to his rescuer. Connecting with the hurt animal, Gotrick felt the need to help him on his quest for the same vengeance he had sworn an oath to seek. As the lion was too hurt to move anymore, Gotrick asked his deity to help him bond with the lion. With a flash of bright white light, the lion transformed into a spectral being, the same type that Gotrick and his fellow warrior priests summoned to ride on.   After focusing on his holy relic, the lion appeared in spectral form, healed from his wounds, and forever bound to Gothrick. For the first time, Gotrick could communicate with the lion, and he asked him his name. “My name is Serosh, and I thank you for saving me. I would be honored to aid you in your quest for vengeance upon those who prey on the weak.” And so, the bond between Gotrick and Serosh was formed.   Charging into battle on his trusty lion mount, Serosh, Gotrick was dubbed “the Orc Slayer” by his people. Together with Felix and Ruva, they formed the Order of the Beard, swearing always to protect the innocent and to take vengeance upon evil.   One day, Gotrick decided to help other people as well. Being a fully-fledged warrior priest, he set out to prevent injustice in the world.