Gryff

Gryff is a human paladin of Nalindra.

A man of many words and many more charms, Gryff nonetheless mixes a hint of humility with his avant garde attitude. Gryff cares little for wealth or power, merely accruing wealth as a means towards the goal of seeing another day. 5'6" with dark hair and a soft demeanor, he is accompanied by Nali, the divine steed bestowed to him by his deity. Gryff has a preference for red-haired women, chocolate, fine dining and moonlit horse-hunts of rat-men.

Gryff wishes to live life according to Nalindra's teachings to the best of his knowledge, which incidentally, is quite meager. Never been formally trained in the teachings and ethos of Nalindra, Gryff just cobbles together random bits of information upon Nalindra from his travels. Based on this, Gryff formulated a set of doctrines to live by and zealously defends his beliefs, even when corrected by true members of the Nalindra ministry.

Armed with a codified set of ethics and a suit of full-plate armor, Gryff travels to spread the love of Nalindra to all. He protects innocents and does odd errands to fund further travels. Gryff acknowledges that he will have to settle down one day, but that day has yet to come. For now, he is satisfied to escort the Challengers of the Unspeakable as their defender.

Early life
Born as the only child of a knave and a harlot, Gryff was prophesied to be a child born of luck by a traveling Seer. The Seer foretold of Gryff ascending beyond his meager beginnings to attain knighthood and eventually nobility... then the Seer stole his parents' money before they realized what had happened.

9 years into his life, Gryff was orphaned when his parents were killed by marauders. Gryff survived on the streets and made a name for himself as a mercenary by the age of 16. He was tasked with a job in Silverstone. There, he chanced upon a painting of Nalindra in all of her glory and was smitten by her beauty. That was when he decided to dedicate his life to her teachings.

Challengers of the Unspeakable
For a year's time, Gryff lent his sword and shield to the Challengers of the Unspeakable. Gryff grew as a person and learned what it means to contribute to the group, while deferring to their (oftentimes varied) insistence. He also found a deeper understanding of Nalindra in those around him, and discovered her grace through selfless actions, not pious study.

He aided in vanquishing the Tomb of Horrors' evil and brought back a magical Skull to use against the incoming disaster brought upon by Tephra. The Tomb of Horrors was simply no match for Nalindra's light, as many of its inhabitants melted under his radiance attacks. With Her aid, Gryff lit the darkness and smote the evils that plagued its halls.

"Evil is the antithesis to Her plans. It is my duty to remind you who is above all!" Gryff asserted as he faced off against the Lich in control of the Tomb.

Gryff found a magical suit of armor in the Tomb and wore it proudly, emblazoning it with Nalindra's seal (a bright glowing staff).

Gryff was waylaid on his way to deliver the Skull by an evil cult, seeking to revitalize a sleeping power. They planned on desecrating a long-dead Paladin's tomb.

"A fellow Paladin's tomb!" Gryff thought. "On my honor, I will not allow such a thing to happen."

"It is unfortunate that the Paladin misguidedly believed in a false god; for had he put his faith in the True God Nalindra, then he would not have succumbed to death. Nalindra's light grants immortality to all those who places their faith in Her." Gryff confidently asserted.

"Regardless, his legacy shall not be sullied by a desecrated tomb. I will restore his honor by vanquishing these evil cultists and re-consecrate the Paladin's resting place." By thwarting the evil cult's plans, Gryff was bestowed a magical holy mace, of which he cherished very much (even though it had the seal of a different godd on it). "Silly pagans," Gryff chuckled to himself. He used the mace to smite many more enemies in his further adventures.

The latest round of adventures sent Gryff to locate a magical relic: the Tear of Boccob. Though Gryff acknowledges no diety but Nalindra, he has since learned humility and he carefully kept his mouth shut rather than proselytize about the One True Goddess.

"If these poor misguided souls believe in fairy tales of other gods rather than Her One True Self, then it is not my place to correct them," he thought. "In time, they will find their way to the light, to Her welcoming plushy bosom."

"That tear's probably just another magical relic from a lost age" Gryff sagely surmised as he proudly rolled a 3 on Religion.

Storming the local tower, Gryff helped the Challengers to find more information about the Tear. They eventually uncovered a plot set by Tephra and obtained a storage device for the Tear. His path led him into raiding the Shadowfell and sent him teleporting to the end of the world, in a frozen desolate fortress.

"Ah, cold. My greatest nemesis." Gryff acknowledged as he shivered angrily.

His path eventually led him to face off against Tephra and her Shadow Demons. Gryff was able to handily show her the door and remind her that evil triumphs only when good men make bad saving throws.

As was the case for any Knight of KNalindra, Gryff selflessly took a whack to the noggin in place of his ally, which left him helpless against the arcane powers of Tephra's portal. Try as he might, he could not avoid its overwhelming power. Despite their best efforts, the Challengers could also not save Gryff from the portal and it sucked him in. "Light of Nalindra!" Gryff's mind yelled out as he was sent cascading into the Far Realm.

Epilogue

Far away, on a distant battlefield, a young woman screams in pain while clutching her neck as a runic seal upon it flares out with arcane sparks. In an instant, the sparks recede and she stares up to the sky with a shaken resolve.