Grimlock

Grimlocks were a race of monstrous humanoids that lived in the Underdark, the degenerated descendants of humans who had wandered into its depths centuries ago.

Description

Grimlocks were a humanoid race of creatures with slightly scaled, thick gray skin that was usually scarred from hunts through their constricted underground passageways. Those with a special status in their society often had decorative designs scarred into their skin They had sharp teeth and typically black hair. This often grew to be long and unkempt. Many had long claw-like nails. Some were said to have completely white eyes, while other accounts told of their faces being devoid of eyes, instead having skin stretching across where their eye sockets should be.

Grimlocks typically wore little clothing or armor, though some were known to sport tanned leather belts and harnesses, as well as decorative bracers.

Behavior

Grimlocks were very blunt and suspicious of other creatures. Those who wandered away from their kin often experienced culture shock, but felt some sense of gratification at how strange things were. These wanderers were also known to be capable of overcoming their xenophobic leanings, viewing each individual they meet as a potential pack member. Though this mindset needed to be reinforced through daily meditation.

Though grimlocks were prone to evil acts, their intent was rarely malicious. Rather, their behavior was rooted in a deep sense of self-preservation and struggle for survival.

Abilities

Biology

Over the course of living within the Underdark for centuries, grimlocks gradually lost the use of sight and became vulnerable to light. To compensate for this they developed an acute sense of smell and echolocation.

Combat

Grimlocks were well-adapted for combat thanks to their naturally hardy bodies and high sensory awareness of their surroundings. However, they were typically very unorganized in battle. They were poor targets of subjugation in efforts to form an enthralled fighting force as well, due to their fear of foreign races.

At times they sought to attack their enemies under the cover of darkness, hoping to take advantage of their blind senses and prey on foes while they are disoriented.

They typically shunned ranged weaponry, preferring to act like barbarians and fight their foes up close with crude stone battleaxes or weapons made of bone.

Ecology

Diet

Grimlocks ate any raw flesh they could find - especially that of humans. Because of this, their populations were often decimated from feasting upon diseased meat.

Society

Grimlocks typically had two names, a pack name and personal name, with the latter derived from some element of their underground habitats.

Many wild grimlocks were born in an extended series of caves that they called the Fingerhome. The caverns of the Fingerhome extended throughout the upper, middle, and lower Underdark.

One prominent aspect of grimlock society was the "hunt-bond," a vow of mutual respect and protection that every grimlock with one or more creatures (usually other grimlocks). Those hunt-bonded with a grimlock were considered its closest friend(s) and the creature would do anything to protect them.

Religion

In the Underdark of Faerûn, some groups of grimlocks worshiped individual medusae, considering them as minor deities. The power of a medusa's gaze was beyond the grimlock's ability to comprehend (as they were blind), so it seemed divine to them. More enlightened grimlocks, however, tended to worship Shar, the goddess of darkness. And some grimlocks were known to worship illithids.

Language

The language of the grimlocks was a dialect of terran and undercommon. Some chose to learn abyssal and other evil tongues in order to gain power for themselves by making sinister deals.

Relationships

Grimlocks were extremely xenophobic and preferred to keep to themselves. This was due to their history of being frequently raided by both mind flayers and drow for slave fodder, subjected to extreme depravity by aboleths, and their mushroom fields razed and water cisterns drained by drow. This latter act often left grimlocks starving and desperate for food, forcing them to raid surface communities in order to survive.

Some grimlocks were known to do work for other races as ambushers of Underdark caravans or as looters of ancient ruins.

This article uses material from the “Grimlock” article on the Forgotten Realms wiki at Fandom and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.