Ghremen 'Ghrem' Kardo
Male | Thirty-Something |Dwarf
Origin: Orzammar | Casteless | Carta
Appearance: (
Click here for a larger picture of Ghrem) Ghrem has the fortunate luck of not being as square and squat as his other dwarven brethren. Though, let's not get ahead of ourselves. He's still short, and he's still muscular. You could point him out as a dwarf miles away. His features are sharper, though, probably a product of casteless breeding. A bright red casteless mark is printed over his brow, shadowing his bright blue eyes. He lacks the traditional dwarven beard, if only because it interferes with his bow skills. He does wear a well-kept one, and it is as black as his short, unruly hair. Ghrem is as tanned as someone who spent the first half of their life underground can be, and he has an assortment of scars that take turns zig-zagging across his body. Usually, though, he's wearing a mixture of dark leathers and darkened steel, and so one doesn't get to see the masterpiece of his suffering. His expressions are always a wildcard. He's not one to look somber or stoic. Usually, he whistles. Sometimes he smiles. Though, most of the time he looks lost in his own thought. Of course, if you think you can get the jump on him, he always reacts quicker than expected. It's fair to say he's always paying attention.
Biography: Growing up casteless in Orzammar was like having the entire dwarven population ram their foot up your ass in one fell swoop. He meant nothing. He was nothing. It had been instilled in his head since birth that he was an un-person. It was no surprise that he sunk into joining the Carta when he was able to do something beyond drool and defecate in his underwear. At a young age, he had a bow thrust into his hands and was taught all about thievery, smuggling, and the grace of the spoken word. When he was older, he invited his sister, Khiren, to join as well. It was a rough life, but it was a life. They could eat, drink, and not live in squalor.
Ghrem served as a negotiator for the Carta, and when negotiations fell through he disappeared only to reappear after putting an arrow between their eyes. Most of his deals happened in Orzammar's slums. It wasn't until he was an adult, that he was invited to take part in the Carta's larger and more extensive networks on the surface. He brought his sister with him, and they abandoned their lives in Dust Town.
To no one's surprise, Ghrem rose quickly in the rank of the Carta. He always managed to get things done, and if it wasn't perfect, he'd make sure all the loose ends were tied--with arrows. By the time most men were just finding their foothold in Thedas, he was leading a branch of the Carta. Of course, like all good things, it had to come to an end. Khiren was one of the leaders of the several groups he had control over. He heard of an easy lyrium score not too far from the beaten path. Ghrem, being the ever cautious, double checked the resource he received it from. Nothing came up curious. So, he sent Khiren and her men to take care of it.
It was a trap. Khiren tried to fight, hoping to flee and alert her brother that they'd been infiltrated. She never made it back. When the soldiers arrived at the small fort that the Carta ran the business out of, they were quickly overcome. Ghrem was lucky that he was far from the outer walls, and that his preparedness had led him to have a secret way out. He told no one as he abandoned the fort.
He'd managed to escape unscathed, and the local garrison didn't have a decent enough description of him to follow. So, using his newly acquired anonymity, he slipped town. Unable to find his sister, and realizing he was to blame for her disappearance and possible death, Ghrem knew he had to atone. He didn't believe in the Divine Gods, and he was quite skeptical of the ancestors. Still, he believed that the evil he'd committed wasn't through punishing him for it.
It was by fate or chance, he heard of an expedition to find the Grey Wardens. Maybe it was time that he lived up to his dwarven heritage of dealing with the darkspawn.
Class and Specialization: Rogue Archer
-> Shadow
Defining Strength:
A Carta Fixer: Ghrem has an unparalleled talent for sealing the deal, with words or with an arrow. You'll be hard pressed to find someone that can procure what you want with as little problem as he does.
Other Strengths:
Archery: While dwarves are known for their martial and melee skills, that doesn't mean that they can't do well with a bow. Ghrem is quite good at piercing armor or slicing off entire fingers and parts of hands. What he lacks in speed, he makes up for in the strength behind the arrow.
Quick Witted: Most people thinking poorly of him due to his heritage, but they find him well spoken and a fast thinker. Snow will fall in Orzammar before someone gets something by Ghrem.
Greatest Weakness:
Smuggler at Heart: Sure, Ghrem is trying to get on the path to self-discovery. Unfortunately, no matter his good intentions, he puts himself first and foremost. It's a habit that he's tried to break, but he's been incapable of.
Other Weaknesses:
Excessive Drinker: Ghrem's charisma might come from the fact that he's always at least a little drunk. While he's always been a bit abuser of alcohol, things only became worse once he lost his sister. Unfortunately, if danger catches him during a bender, his arrows might not be true.
Casteless: Despite his bravado and intelligence, Ghrem grew up not learning how to read or write. Sure, he's picked up a handful of things here and there, but he's never received a formal education. He'll feign that he is too bored to read something or too busy to write something down when he actually can't do it.
