Gruwaars

When the fey were united and the Seelie and Unseelie Courts had not yet been established, the gruwaars were there. The turn of ages and eventual sundering of the fey court heralded the gruwaars ascent among the Unseelie as master manipulators and dangerous foes. Legends speak of the gruwaars as allies to the children of Lolth. The gruwaars stood beside the dark elves in their rebellion and followed their tragic descent when the drow fell into the depths of the earth. Surface elf retribution on those gruwaars who dared stay above ground all but eliminated the race outside of the Underdark. Those few who survived have been joined over the years by those who initially fled from elven fury. They maintain their reputation for foul deeds long pastand they revel in it. Gruwaars are rare, even among the fey. Most sages know little of their history or their role in the history of other races. Plagues, assassinations and catastrophes throughout the ages have seen influence from the gruwaars, for reason known only to them. Wild and mischievous even by fey standard, the gruwaars are extremely independent. Among other races, they often serve from the shadows as advisors or assassins for those causes that amuse them. Occasionally, a gruwaar will join with an adventuring party for seemingly noble reasons, only to later reveal a darker ulterior motive. Gruwaars are drawn to political intrigue, but although they are amused by power and those who believe they wield it, gruwaars are not necessarily interested in wielding political and social influence themselves. They are fascinated by the motives and results that impassion those who seek and bear power. Above all else, they are intrigued by the chaos of raw, naked force. Where there is political strife, where they are clashing ideologies, where the will of rebellion threatens to upset the balance of powerthe gruwaars are there. Personality: Gruwaars are voyeuristic by nature. They love to see individuals act in dynamic ways, especially when they themselves set the stage. The gruwaars love drama. Tragic or grand, it matters not to the gruwaar. They just like to watch the chaos unfold. Philosophically, gruwaars are completely individualistic in their approach to life. Their only common quality is a singular disdain for any authority that they do not influence in some fashion. As such, their motives are known only to themselves. Physical Description: Averaging 3 to 4 feet tall, the gruwaars do not possess the usual beauty of their fey kin. Instead, they are wiry, muscular creatures with monkey-like bodies. Gruwaar faces resemble a cross between a goblin and a cat, with large, round eyes the color of hot steel, a large brow and a maw filled with hideous canines. Their ears are long, pointed and jut out from their heads, although they can sweep them back when they choose. Gruwaars are covered with a fine, black fur. They have long arms with extra joints and hands ending in tiny, razor-sharp claws. Their short thighs and long forelegs cause them to appear as if they are perpetually crouched.

When among civilized folk, the gruwaars wear loose-fitting hoods and cloaks and often remain hidden as much as possible. When confronted, they lie and bluff their way out of direct conflict. Few gruwaars are ever backed into such corners, however, and those who are usually have no compunctions about using their claws to extract themselves from difficulties. Relations: Among the fey, gruwaars are considered members of the Unseelie Court. They are accorded respect based on their heritage by those wise enough to recognize them for who they are. Among the Unseelie, however, the gruwaars-* are treated as dangerous miscreants at best. Some gruwaars are considered powerful players among the Unseelie, greatly respected by their peers and feared by others. Most gruwaars pay only the barest courtesy to the Unseelie Court. Among other races, gruwaars prefer to remain hidden or disguised. They might pretend to be familiars to young wizards and sorcerers whose vanity exceeds their skill at conjuring demon familiars. At other times, they might work in concert with others in the shadows of society, where appearances take second place to skill. The gruwaar take an active approach in concealing their motives, since it is more entertaining to watch their dupes or pawns do things of their own volition. They take great pains to ensure that their foils learn as little as possible about their nature and identities. Gruwaars are unseen players in many games unseen, effective and dangerous. Alignment: Most gruwaars are chaotic and evil by nature. Despite this, more than gruwaar has sided with the forces of good in order to experiment on the ranks of a powerful evil regime. Some gruwaars specialize in tampering with certain types of ideological cultures, especially evil ones. The moral ambiguities of gruwaars are unmatched. They have saved innocents on given days only to have them sacrificed on others. Religion: Gruwaars revere no deity in particular. Some of their more vile members have been known to fall sway to demon princes or devil lords, however, most gruwaars are too busy (some say egotistical) to formally worship another being. Language: Gruwaars speak Common, Sylvan and Undercommon. The first language a young gruwaar typically learns to speak is Undercommon. Older gruwaar use this ploy to insult the Unseelie Court and other fey. When they do speak Sylvan to other fey, gruwaars enjoy using thick (but fake) accents that make them difficult to understand. Names: Male gruwaar commonnames are short and usually monosyllabic, while female commonnames usually have two syllables. Truenames among the gruwaar follow the method of the elves, who, in fact, adopted it from the fey. Male Commonnames: Greeg, Hurg, Koll, Mok, Puzz, Zor. Female Commonnames: Hurga, Jeeta, Juuta, Mokka, Panee, Tagri, Zora. Adventurers: Gruwaars love adventurer. A gruwaar adventurer always has designs on why hes with a particular adventuring party. Perhaps he wants to join them to see what they do, with an eye down the road on a scheme to overthrow a kingdom he dislikes. Perhaps the party and he even have a mutual goal. The real trick is getting the party to accept the gruwaar into their midst. However, their wily, persuasive ways make them likeable despite their unusual appearance and often disgusting personal habits.

Gruwaar Racial Traits

+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Strength, -2 Wisdom: Gruwaars are nimble, and possess a certain charm that most other races find appealing. However, they are relatively weak and somewhat inattentive. Small: As small creatures, gruwaars gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks. They use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character. Gruwaar base land speed is 20 feet. Gruwaars wearing light armor or no armor, with light or no encumbrance, and without items in their hands, may drop to all fours and move at a speed of 30 feet. Fey: As fey, gruwaars are immune to spells and effects that only affect humanoids, such as charm person. However, they can still be affected by spells such as charm monster. Darkvision: Gruwaars can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but is otherwise like normal sight, and gruwaars can function just fine with no light at all. +2 racial bonus on Hide, Move Silently and Sleight of Hand checks. Gruwaars are preternaturally stealthy. Claws: Gruwaars are capable of making natural attacks with their sharp claws. A gruwaar has two natural attacks with their sharp claws. A gruwaar has two claw attacks that deal 1d3 points of damage plus Strength modifier. Spell-Like Abilities: 1/daydisguise self. Caster level 1st. Automatic Languages: Common, Sylvan and Undercommon. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome and Terran. Gruwaars know the languages of their kin as well as those among whom they live, and they learn to speak the languages of their enemies and other underground denizens. Favored Class: Rogue and Spellthief. A gruwaar gains +1 skill point each time he gains a level in the rogue or spellthief class.