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A large man, whose fluid and catlike movements belie his size. His knotted muscles seem to strain at the confines of his tanned skin, and his long, dark hair is kept in a braided ponytail. Vain, arrogant, and egotistical, he is well aware of his skill and reputation and lets no one forget it. Despite his background as a slave, he feels slaves and servants are beneath him and refuses even to acknowledge them. |
Griff was born into a slave family, the son and grandson of
slaves. His owner's assets were seized and sold to pay off a gambling debt when he was a teenager, and Griff was bought by a wealthy landowner in the frontier country of Xeen. Although slavery was officially outlawed, the thriving trade of gladiatorial combat ensured there was always an enthusiastic market for healthy, strong slaves to fill the arenas. Griff was trained for several years as a gladiator, although at first he showed no enthusiasm for fighting and was only given enough training to put up a decent fight against more skilled and popular gladiators. When he was told that skilled gladiators can eventually earn their freedom, it gave Griff the incentive to focus on his training and put forth his utmost effort in the arena. His first year as a gladiator concluded with an undefeated record and an extremely wealthy and happy owner, who never failed to bet highly on his underdog prodigy. He soon ran out of challengers in Xeen, and his master decided he was ready to test his skills in the Arena of Might and Steel in Azeroth. Griff realized that this was the peak of his career, and his freedom was almost within his grasp. He quicly became a crowd favorite, after knocking off several champions of the arena in a suprisingly short amount of time. His tenacity and ferocity in the arena earned him the nickname The Balrog, and he set a combat class record by defeating the class champion in less than twenty seconds in the championship match. His rise to fame was meteoric after that, and with some new cash-laden sponsors he completely redid his visage, with a gilt helm and a hideous mask in the shape of a balrog to frighten and intimidate his opponents. He bought his freedom in an unheard-of two years, and cashing in on his fame he decided to continue fighting for his own profit. From his spendorous manor in Stromgarde he trains continuously for his next match, and has yet to see his equal in the arena. |
