Vallus Grimnas
Tiefling Fighter
History
Twin brother to the infamous Malchus Grimnas, Vallus is the brother who was forced to live with the repercussions of the treaty signing when the one who actually signed them was nowhere to be found. He did not suffer from the political backlash, being an entire continent from the actual war, but the personal implications. It wasn’t quite overnight, but over the span of years the Grimnas name became synonymous with both evil and stupidity and there was nothing much Vallus could do about it other than try to support his crumbling family. While his mother made a deal with Graddik to keep their shop afloat, Vallus took any odd jobs he could find in Brightport. As one would find in that city, not many were of the legal variety. When it came between taking those jobs or having nothing, Vallus didn't have to think for long. Not only did Vallus take up the dirty work, he quickly discovered that he excelled at it. Especially the fighting- and the killing. Being the best at that didn't keep Vallus entirely safe, however. After being betrayed by someone he may have considered a friend, Vallus was forced into slavery and taken to the arena in Onak-Al. Though he resented the fact, he had to admit that the life did suit him well. He’d always been the strongest, brilliant with his weapon and he was able to lose himself in the thrill of each battle. It was only when the guards led him back into the small cramped room that he had to remember he was a slave. Though he avoided forming attachments, in that small room he did find an odd, tense relationship between himself and the Ebelmare sisters, Katey and Sil. It was in this cramped, dirty room that the tiefling met the group that killed him- and then helped him escape the arena. He didn’t pay the group much mind when they were brought into his room, only making it clear that they were to stay away from what little he’d been able to claim as his own. He went out of his way to avoid knowing them for the same reasons he tried not to be close to anyone in Onak-Al- it is simply not a good idea to form real friendships with people you know you may have to murder in combat. That and after being betrayed, Vallus wasn't ready to trust anyone again.But then the elf approached. A woman named Baranith, who offered to heal some wounds Vallus received in the ring. Vallus refused, of course, but he didn't forget the offer when he was later pitted against the girl and her team. Kindness was not something the tiefling had seen often in his life. Because of that, he hesitated. Baranith used that moment of hesitation to push Vallus, sending him plummeting to his death- following his only ‘friends’ Katey and Sil. Vallus did live, for several moments, at the bottom of the cavern of bodies. If he had been able to lift his head, he would have been able to see the bodies of his fallen comrades, but as it were the pain he felt eventually caused him to pass out. Not long after, he faded away entirely.
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Far from the poetic sort, Vallus never attempted to remember or articulate what being dead felt like- if it actually felt like anything at all. When he did wake up, it was with Baranith reading from a scroll, and the entire arena swarmed with the living dead. Perhaps not as phased as most people would have been, Vallus joined the group in their fight, growing closer to Baranith during their time together. They did manage to escape the plagued city, on the back of the cart of a very unwilling man. Baranith’s shape-shifter friend was bitten, and while Vallus tried to convince them to mercy kill her, he still owed the group a great debt and offered them shelter and his sword.
The shelter, it turned out, was in his mother, Tessia’s, shop and home. Despite attempting to remain his stoic self, he allowed his mother to hug him and assured her he was fine. She’s already lost her other two children by this point, and Vallus did not want her to believe he was lost, as well.The groups only option to save their teammate was to invade the House Darksbane and try to steal the cure. Though the cure was not found in time and they were forced to kill their teammate, the group was able to defeat Thermack, the leader of the house, and steal the dragon totem, granting them quite a bit of power within the city.
The group seemed to nest in the house, and though Vallus stayed, the quiet life had never suited his tastes. He was enamored with Baranith, which kept him tied to the house and those in it, even if there were other members of the team whom he butted heads with often. Thankfully, Vallus had reason to leave and a means to do so without betraying his squad.
Vallus had confided in Baranith that he had other important tasks to fulfill- in the name of his own fallen. Katie and Sill’s mother deserved to know her daughters had been killed. When there was a stolen cart of magical herbs near the town he was heading towards, it seemed the perfect opportunity. Though stealing back the cart had nearly cost them their lives, the other task proved to still be much more difficult for the brooding tiefling. He had hoped Baranith’s soft touch would lighten the blow, but he was flustered to find that she was just as helpless as he was in delivering the news. After receiving the news, the mother begged Vallus to tell her third daughter, Briahna Ebelmare who had stayed behind in Winterhaven. Vallus solemnly agreed, and though he knew he may have to leave her he felt closer to Baranith than ever.
When they arrived back home, the business of Onak-Al and the living dead was there waiting for them both. While they had been gone Galford, now Greta, had managed to convince the houses to join together and try to smother the looming threat at its source. So Vallus, Baranith, and the rest of the team were to fight in Onak-Al again- though this time as free men with a sizable army behind them. Though he was bitten, Vallus did manage to survive the barrage and travel back to their house again.
That night, Vallus confessed his love to Baranith. He didn't know what to expect, of course, but when he was told in no uncertain terms that Baranith did not love him and never would, he decided to leave during the night to travel to Winterhaven. Heartbroken, he went alone across the continent to the warring states. If he had imagined for a moment that he would be able to leave the past behind, he was sorely mistaken.
During his search for the Ebelmare girl, Vallus found himself hired by a new group of travelers. Much smaller than his old team, but in desperate need of his help. The paladin approached him with the work and he needed the silver so he accepted without questioning why they were traveling. Not questioning was habit, most of the criminals he worked for did not like many questions. Along the way he discovered that he couldn't even escape the threat of the dead- one of the members, Jadzia Grace, had been bitten by a vampire and was slowly turning. The only means to halt the change was to go to the insane blood mage who lived in Esterholt, a madman who just so happened to be Jadzia’s husband, and a fellow tiefling.
During the encounter, Vallus held his tongue, but also the young woman’s shoulder. He helped her stay clothed as Darmock attempted to undress her, and made no mention of the scars he saw until much later. After the cure was done and they could be rid of the blood mage, Vallus was just as eager as the rest to fight him. He helped, though with some hesitation, to mutilate and dismantle the body, and bury it in several pieces to help give Jadzia some piece of mind. In the process, they also unburied some bodies- many resembling Jadzia whom had clearly been tortured in much the same way she had been. Unable to think of any other means of consoling her, Vallus returned Jadzia’s gold.
Soon it became obvious that this cure was not as straightforward as the ones Vallus had encountered in Onak-Al against the zombies. Fie, the one who had given his blood to help cure Jadzia, was soon infected himself. Though he tried to cut off the infected arm with a small dagger, Vallus was convinced to use a much larger blade. When his swing went wild and took off more than he intended, he found himself once again indebted to stay. Along the way, he sat down with Jadzia and told her not to hide her scars, showing his own with pride.
It is close to kind fate or a miracle that despite being bound to a new team, Vallus still managed to find Briahna on his path. To Vallus, it was close to cruel fate or a curse that the same path led him to his brother. Dragged into a war he had little interest in, Vallus stayed close so that when the dust settled, he would be able to tell Briahna what had happened to her family.
Unfortunately, when that dust did settle, Briahna was not left alive. After fighting a spiteful lord, she had fallen on a comrade’s weapon, and Vallus had not yet kept his oath. Though Vallus knows himself that death is not a finality, he also knows what sort of repercussions could come of being revived like he had been…
Vallus stayed with the group as they rushed back to Esterholt where Una and Fie would fight the Angel of Death and bring Briahna back from the dead, against his suggestions.
After one last adventure with the party to attempt to cure Marrek's lycanthropy, he and Jadzia would wed and she would be come the Mayor of Esterholt and he would protect her from any who wished her harm.
Arc 2
Jadzia and Vallus, now the parents of twins, still hold their positions in Esterholt.
Jadzia and Vallus, now the parents of twins, still hold their positions in Esterholt.
Important Dates and Achievements
Notable Kills
- Lord of the Forged
- Persnickity the unicorn
Notable Moments
- He died in the Onak-Al arena in Episode 21, and his zombie corpse was killed again in Episode 23
- He was resurrected by Baranith in Episode 24 and stayed with that group until Episode 57
- After parting ways with Group 2, Vallus is hired as a bodyguard for Group 3 in Episode 55, which happened chronologically several days after Episode 57. He has stayed with Group 3 since then and has grown quite attached to Jadzia.
- Vallus and Jadzia married in Episode 119
- Officially retired in Esterholt at Jadzia's estate in Esterholt in Episode 130
Description
Vallus is an imposing figure, to say the least. Towering at nearly seven feet tall with jet-black hair and eyes, he is the very picture of the demon monster many people assume tieflings to be. That combined with his love for fighting means that he has not done much in his life to circumvent the stereotyping that his species suffers. He is covered in battle scars, and carries with him a weapon as monstrous as himself- a bear trap attached to a long, thick, heavy chain- The Kettenhund. While his brother inherited quite a silver tongue and a personality that oozed leadership, Vallus has always been more of a follower. He stands in the background, thoughtful but quiet unless he feels the need to speak out. Oftentimes he finds others affairs more tedious than interesting, and feels little need to comment. He’s been betrayed and heartbroken, and though he may not voice his frustrations often he hates the stigma of his brother that he and his mother must suffer through. Fighting is his passion. He does it well, and the thrill of the fight drowns out his thoughts.
First appearance:
Arc 1, Episode 18
Arc 1, Episode 18
Current Location
Birthplace
Children
Current Residence
Eyes
Black
Hair
Black
Height
7 feet
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
