GRAWL

Grawl was an evil warlock, who was born before the fall of the Empire in 883 GUE, was known as one of the most powerful warlocks ever to appear in Quendor. The source of Grawl's sorcery may have been the demon Jeearr. Whether this very powerful warlock was consciously aware of it or not, Jeearr possessed him for a great deal of time. His magical abilities included casting lightning bolts and enormous balls of fire, conjurering fierce monsters, polymorphing victims into newts, and adept with wands capable of turning targets into beetles which he proceeded to easily crush beneath his heel.

During the last days befor the fall, Syovar's wife Lorena was killed by this warlock. Grawl also cast a powerful spell upon Syovar’s only son, Logrumethar. This spell transformed him into a hideously ugly creature, thereafter called Grum, and then the warlock exiled him to a cavern which was later called the Cavern of Doom, where he lived for many years in complete isolation. Anyone that looked upon him was instantly turned to stone. While the spell did not force him to remain in the cavern, he stayed by his own will so that no one could behold his ugliness and the onlooker be turned to stone.

In the years following the fall of the Empire, Grawl was but an incredibly small old man. Though shriveled, wrinkled, and stooped, he was still mighty and terrible, speaking in a powerful and malevolent voice that belied his innocent appearance. He always dressed in a robe of midnight blue with a comical-looking pointed cap decorated with stars atop his head.

Grawl made his home in a large stone hut within the Cavern of Doom region. The entire first floor was one large room with a small wooden table and some chairs. The cellar of his hut was a workroom filled with scrolls of parchment, a stuffed owl, rack of wands, and bottles of liquid and powder. Though evil, he was friendly enough to leave a warning for any stray adventurers who might wander inside, informing that any who disturbed his possessions would be punished.

Grawl had made a pact with Leblong. The great warlock had agreed to dispose of Leblong's treacherous twin brother Berlong, in exchange that the dragon would guard a specific nearby cavern for the warlock, disposing of all trespassers for the next thousand years. This dragon refused to break the oath at all costs.

At the beginning of the reign of Syovar the Strong, Bivotar and Juranda, who were seeking to remove the curse of the Cavern of Doom, wandered into Grawl's hut by accident. The foolish Bivotar disobeyed Grawl's warnings, robbing him of a NITFOL scroll. When the warlock discovered that his workshop had been ransacked, he sought out to destroy the two adventurers. He was unable to find them, but was even more anxious to get revenge when he discovered that the same two adventurers had rescued Logrumethar from the Cavern of Doom and broken the curse upon him.

It was Jeearr, who plucked Bivotar and Juranda in an enormous magical hand, and deposited them within the walls of Grawl's ancient castle. When word was received by Syovar that his beloved Bivotar and Juranda were captured within the warlock's castle, Syovar had a plan for rescue. He set out for the castle with the elves, Max and Fred. Wanting the elves to be placed in the dungeon where Bivotar and Juranda were, Syovar purposely sent Max and Fred alone into the enchanted woods surrounding the castle. Intentionally without any magical protection, the two were captured by Grawl.

While Bivotar and Juranda were being rescued by the elves, a heated magical battle between Syovar and Grawl took place outside the castle. Lightning bolts flashed from Grawl’s arms and exploded harmlessly off Syovar’s invisible shield. A huge monster was conjured by Syovar in response—it had venomous fangs as long as a man’s arm. As the monster leapt for Grawl, the evil warlock conjured an ever fiercer monster that devoured Syovar’s. Walls of fire leapt across the castle, then it was over. When the flames dispersed, Grawl was dead. But the warlock did not die before he was able to inflict terrible burns upon the king. (It was later admitted that Logrumethar, that while Grawl was powerful, they never dreamed thathe could put up such a determined struggle.)

Jeearr was frustrated at the death of his servant, and in revenge, struck Syovar with some terrible illness.