Curse of Strahd

Mortimer Grimshaw

5 min read

Details

Backstory (from the S1 character introductions)

  • Mortimer Grimshaw reveals his nature as a dhampir, born from a human mother and the vampire lord Draven Voss, and his childhood as an outcast who was bullied by a clique led by Chad Brightstone.
  • Mortimer describes his first succumbing to his vampiric urges against one of his bullies by a river, which drew Draven back to claim him.
  • Mortimer recounts how Draven murdered his mother and his best friend Javier before killing Mortimer himself, and how the god Kelemvor resurrected him and bound him to hunt the undead.

Character notes (GM Assistant Campaign Details, verbatim)

Personality Traits I speak of death and judgment with cold finality, as if reciting Kelemvor’s decrees from my dreams—blunt, unyielding, and laced with quiet resentment. I compulsively ward graves and remains I encounter, muttering prayers to Kelemvor even in the heat of battle, lest his whispers turn to screams. Ideals The scales must hold true; undeath is an abomination, and I am the blade that enforces it—no matter the cost Bonds My mother’s unmarked grave is my anchor—and the one place Kelemvor’s leash feels looser. I will return one day to properly inter her under Lathander’s light, then force my father’s ashes beside it as offering to the Judge. Flaws I chafe under Kelemvor’s divine leash, and in moments of weakness, I fantasize breaking it—feeding just once on the guilty to taste true power, damning myself in defiance. Backstory IThe Reluctant Gravekeeper Mortimer “Mort” Grimshaw is the dhampir son of a tragic union. His mother, an herbalist near Daggerford, was seduced by the vampire lord Draven Voss, leaving Mort to grow up as a “half-shadow” child—neither fully living nor truly dead. He spent his youth fighting a gnawing hunger that no medicine could cure, until the night his father returned to claim his “heir.” In the ensuing horror, Draven slaughtered Mort’s mother and left Mort dying on the blood-soaked floor of their cottage. As his soul drifted into the gray mists of the Fugue Plane, Mort was intercepted by Kelemvor, the Lord of the Dead. Seeing a unique tool to maintain the natural cycle, the god offered Mort a choice: face oblivion or return to life as a divine instrument to hunt the undead scourge. Mort chose life, but the resurrection came with a price. He was infused with the power of the Grave Domain, his wounds sealed by silvery scars that serve as a permanent leash to his deity. Now, Mort wanders the Sword Coast as a grim, hooded cleric who serves out of debt rather than devotion. He treats his spells like a ledger of repayment, using Kelemvor’s light to guide the dying and his wrath to turn ghouls to ash. His faith is a chain forged in resentment, and his ultimate goal remains a personal one: to find the father who sired him and ensure that this time, the “Dead stay Dead.” Key Character Motivations The Debt: He views every “Turn Undead” or healing spell as a payment toward the life Kelemvor gave back to him. The Hunger: As a dhampir, he constantly struggles with his vampiric nature, using Kelemvor’s restraint to keep his thirst at bay. The Vendetta: He is actively tracking rumors of Draven Voss’s whereabouts across the Sword Coast. Two Allies

Javier – his childhood friend, constant companion. Attempted to help Mort when Draven attacked him and his mother. Murdered by Draven. Mort never found his body.

Doomguide Zed – his earliest guide and teacher after he was sent back to life by Kelemvor. Helped him adjust to his new afterlife life. They traveled extensively in Faerun.

Two Enemies

Draven – may he face judgement and rot

Chad Brightstone – his childhood bully and tormentor. The leader of the kids in his village who would mock his appearance, taunt him about being a bastard, and generally make his life hell.

5 Major Moments

· Realizing he was not “normal.” He was Dhampir.

· Draven returns to claim him. It ends in the murder of his mother, best friend, and his own death.

· Finding himself in front of Kelemvor, and being sent back to serve as a weapon against the undying.

· Falling in love. The one girl he ever cared for, Kaala. Perhaps more infatuation than love. They were teens, they were starcrossed. She was a Brightstone. They could never be.

· The first time he used his vampiric bite. He was 16. The hunger had gnawed at him for weeks like a slowly awakening monster inside him. It was one of the kids that would bully him, a follower, not a leader, but part of the mean kid clique none the less. He caught him alone by the creek fishing at dusk one evening. The attack was lightning quick, vicious, satisfying. The feeding was exquisite, the guilt that followed… exquisite.

Relationships

Appearances (named in the session recap or scenes)

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