Grusnarv
| Race: Deep Gnome | Class: Sorcerer |
A deep gnome sorcerer plagued by visions and memories that may not be his own. Grusnarv is a talented artist who painted a disturbing portrait showing himself connected to Castle Ravenloft and Strahd by threads of fate. These visions include memories of being a researcher involved in creating magical stones through human sacrifice — dark work forced upon him by someone powerful and demanding.
Grusnarv suffers from both short-term and long-term memory loss, making it difficult to distinguish between his own memories and the visions that haunt him. This condition adds to the mystery of whether these dark memories are truly his or belong to someone else.
These memories trouble him deeply, as does Madame Eve’s cryptic response: “I’m afraid this is not my story to tell. I’m afraid you know.”
Connection to the Mysteries
Impulsive and easily drawn to shiny objects, Grusnarv has little caution when it comes to magical items — often grabbing first and thinking later. He uses powerful sorcerer magic in combat. He enjoyed the Vistani’s Fruity Loops drinks, perhaps a bit too much.
In Session 20, Grusnarv cast the firebolt that opened the mountain entrance after Zoran solved the druidic riddle. He also cast Detect Thoughts to sense Gary’s consciousness. When the blood altar trapped his companions, Grusnarv attempted to help by blocking the grooves with a skull, but skeletal hands grabbed him and slammed him against the wall, pinning him there. Brannor had to use his giant form to pull Grusnarv free. During the race for the amulet, Grusnarv ran to claim it and tried to slow Andy down by casting Ray of Frost beneath his feet, but neither could match Zoran’s supernatural speed. Later, Grusnarv identified the amulet as radiating powerful magic through an arcana check.
The Prophet of Tiki-Taki
In Session 21, while the party dealt with Gluttony, Grusnarv discovered the enslaved kobolds living in filthy breeding chambers. When he offered to help free them, the desperate kobolds latched onto him as something more than a rescuer. They declared him the “prophet of tiki-taki” — some prophecy or cult belief that has sustained them through their captivity.
A female kobold named Viola stepped forward and declared that Grusnarv would father their savior child. Uncomfortable but committed to their freedom, Grusnarv rallied approximately 100 kobolds to rebel against Gluttony. They wait for his signal to charge out with their instruments as weapons, ready to fight for freedom alongside the party.
Grusnarv demonstrated exceptional perception (natural 20) in Gluttony’s ballroom, noticing that the kobolds wear shackles and collars, play music while crying, and look like “dead men” despite the jovial music.
Notable Abilities
- Sorcerer spellcasting
- Chromatic Orb and other offensive magic
- Firebolt cantrip
- Ray of Frost for battlefield control
- Erupting Earth — creates difficult terrain and deals damage
- Detect Thoughts to sense intention
- Invisibility spell — can make three people invisible simultaneously (cast on Andy, Luan, and himself in Gluttony’s ballroom)
- Understand Languages — can comprehend any spoken language including Draconic (used to communicate with kobolds)
- Legendary inspiration — capable of delivering rousing speeches that change the course of history (performance 31 in Session 23)
- Talented painter
- High perception (natural 20 spotting the kobolds’ true condition)
- Mysterious connection to Strahd and the sin stones
Session 23: The Speech That Changed Everything
In Session 23, Grusnarv cemented his place in Barovia’s history by delivering one of the most inspiring speeches ever heard in the cursed land.
Standing among the enslaved kobolds in their filthy breeding chambers, knowing that his allies were preparing to confront Gluttony, Grusnarv channeled William Wallace himself:
“Fight and you may die! Run and you’ll live — at least for a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day until that day for one chance? Just one chance! To come back here and tell Gluttony that they may take your lives, but they will never take your FREEDOM!”
The performance check: natural 19 plus 12. Total: 31.
The kobolds erupted. They cut their arms and painted their faces with blood. They armed themselves with broken instruments and sharpened bed slats. The chant rose: “Tiki-taki! Tiki-taki! For the prophet!”
Grusnarv organized them into four specialized platoons, each following a different party member:
- Blasters (wind instruments) following Brannor — provide +1d4 to attack rolls
- Strings (string instruments) following Andy — enemy loses one legendary action and has disadvantage on concentration
- Percussion following Zoran — provide +10 movement speed or disengage as bonus action
- Choir (“Improv Guys”) following Grusnarv and Luan — provide 1d8 temporary hit points
During the battle, Grusnarv cast Erupting Earth to create difficult terrain, limiting Gluttony’s movement. He also made a critical tactical decision: distributing all his silver cutlery to his 20 kobolds in the Choir platoon. Suddenly the Improv Guys were dual-wielding kitchen knives and forks made of silver. Since silver deals double damage to Gluttony, these improvised weapons (normally 1d4) became devastating implements dealing 4d10 damage combined.
Maintaining the kobolds’ inspiration required performance checks each round. When morale wavered, Grusnarv had to rally them again. As the session ended with Brannor and Zoran unconscious, the prophet desperately tried to keep the revolution from collapsing into chaos.