In forest north of Cutan, there lives a roaming warrior tribe of bugbear. In this tribe, strength is revered and height is a status symbol and also what determines a bugbear’s class. Girr was born, the only son, into the Haute family, who currently ruled due their patriarch, Décois, who stands an at a massive 7’4". Girr was expected to grow up be the tallest bugbear and next chief, but Girr would sadly, not live up to these expectations. As Girr matured, it became apparent that not only would he never reach his father’s great height but that he had been born the shortest bugbear in the tribe’s short history, standing a paltry 6’8", a midget amongst his own people.
Girr still trained with the rest of his clan to be a fighter and hunter. He was constantly insulted and teased about his height, which as he grew, came back to haunt his antagonists, as Girr grew to become the clan’s strongest fighter. Those who’d plagued him before, relented insulting him now, only after they were too thoroughly bruised to speak properly. Despite his martial strength, however, his short stature would prevent him from gaining any sort of social status within the clan, let alone following his father’s footsteps.
Upon reaching maturity at age 11, as is customary for all bugbears as they come of age, Girr was given a trial to prove himself. His father said that this trial would only be a formality as he’d proven himself many times hunting, and fiercely helping to defend the tribe in his youth. His task, along with two other who’d just come of age, was to raid a caravan of eccentric human travelers who, were said to be bearing a gift for a friendly hill giant who lived in the north.
After making short work of the humans guarding the caravan, Girr beheld what it carried, an enormous axe. “What would a friendly giant want with something fun like this,” Girr thought to himself as we lifted the massive axe. Meanwhile the other two were investigating the dead humans remarking “My, these weaklings are short like you Girr, I bet it’s one of these midgets is YOUR dad. Your mom is a…” His sentence was never properly finished, as his head was, shortly after he began, cleft in twain down the middle, and could thereafter only produce odd squishy, slurpy noises. The other met a similar fate.
Girr was not very disturbed by what he had done, he had seen much life and death thus far, though he wasn’t particularly proud of what he’d done. His father on the other hand, was appalled by the murder of two of the tribes youths, and was forced to exile his only son from the tribe forever. Upon leaving his father told Girr that he must make his own way in life, different for his own. So misinterpreting his father’s words, he embarked on a journey to Eldan, capitol of the militaristic nation of Driad, to seek training as a warrior so that he return and make himself the new chief, as his father had always wanted, except by force.
Girr traveled for many hard months, his new axe, “Squooshy” as his only faithful companion. When he finally arrived at Eldan, he was disappointed when higher leadership declined his request for training and service in the army. Eldan’s leadership, distrustful by nature, even more so of an outsider, of a wild race, would never except it. Though Girr’s trip was not to end in complete failure. Hidan, a captain of the guard, felt it not such a good idea to let such an easily enraged creature be completely disappointed, and also took pity on the young creature’s plight. He found him a job, though not actually a military position, which put his large form and his faithful friend to good work. Girr became the new executioner. Hidan also sated Girr’s lust for training by sparing with him in secret on occasion.
Girr soon adjusted to the quiet peaceful stability that came with his new work and not living a nomadic life. It was then that Girr may have truly realized his father’s words, and decided to for sometime live in Eldan and quietly and peacefully take pride in his work and be a (relatively) ordinary citizen. Girr had been living the quiet simple life as an executioner in Eldan, when Hidan was called away to duty in the south cape of Agrea. Facing the loss of his only friend, and the realization that’d he’d never finish his training Girr decided to leave his simple and peaceful job as an executioner to get on a boat and follow his friend. Though the voyage found him awakening in a very odd place, the Sapphire Lake, just north of his original birthplace. Girr had come home.
Suddenly thrown back into his home land, Girr remembered his original ambition of defeating his father and making himself chief, thus finally proving himself to the tribe. After training a for a time he set out to find his tribe. After about a month, he found them, and charged in demanding to fight the chief. He was met by two guards whom he soundly defeated, and they then sat on their knees, heads bowed. Girr had seen this behavior in his victims many times in his days as an executioner and thus, moved swiftly, almost without thought, to behead them. As we would have, had his father not saved them. The Girr and his father then had a great clash which all of the tribe witnessed, Girr emerging victorious. Girr, overjoyed with his victory, decided his first act as chief would be to upend the order of social status, the short would rule now!
The ensuing years were not good for the tribe. Girr’s newly ordered, rule by shortness, had put the most important tribe decisions on the hands of infants, children, and, worst of all, adolescents. In fact, Girr had actually not even afforded himself much power in this new power distribution, being taller than most adolescents… Girr would come to realize all his mistakes very slowly, however, “ruling” for 9 years, before seeing the errors he had made in full and realizing he truly was not cut out to a be leader. He revoked his new order of social status and passed the duty of chief back to his father, apologizing for the hardship his rule had caused.
And indeed, for the trouble he had caused he was exiled a second time, and would have been chased away by an angry mob, had the mob not know Girr to have the martial prowess (only increased over the past 9 years) and a complete lack of disgust for extreme violence, to slaughter them all, should they provoke him.
So Girr set out, once again accompanied only by “Squooshy”, this time to find what became of Hidan, his only friend (that wasn’t an inanimate object used to behead people) and complete his training. Even if he could never regain his tribe’s favor, he could still make the world respect his tribe through his own immense strength.
But travel to Eldan is not so easy as it once was. Being turned away at the land border of Driad and Agrea, Girr has retreated to Yuwor to attempt to find travel via the sea to Driad…
