Vola 'Grandma' Gruumsh — The Unraveler of Unruly Fates

Ability Scores

STR

10

+0

DEX

14

+2

CON

14

+2

INT

14

+2

WIS

12

+1

CHA

20

+5

Combat

Armor Class: 16; Breastplate + Dex
Hit Points: 73; Hit Dice: 10d8
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft.
Proficiency: +4
Passive Perception: 11

Attacks

Vorax (Greatsword Form)+92d6 + 5

Wooden Spoon (Club)+41d4

Personality

She addresses everyone as 'deary' or 'young man/lady' regardless of their actual age or status. She has a habit of tutting loudly when she sees untidy gear and carries a wooden spoon that she uses to rap the knuckles of anyone who swears in her presence.

Ideal

Order. The universe is a messy room, and magic is the broom we use to sweep it.

Bond

The 'Broken Barrel' tavern and the wayward souls who call it home; they are her adopted, rowdy grandchildren.

Flaw

She cannot resist 'fixing' things that aren't broken, often micro-managing the lives of local villagers to the point of annoyance.

Backstory

For forty years, Vola was the steel spine of the Iron Shadow legion, a tactical genius who could win a siege with a well-placed supply line and a terrifyingly efficient filing system. She retired not because she was tired of war, but because she realized that the 'civilized' world was an absolute pigsty. In her eyes, a tavern brawl isn't a rite of passage; it's a failure of parenting. She wandered into a wizard’s estate sale looking for a sturdy tea set and found 'Vorax,' a sentient shadow-blade of ancient malice, stuffed into a bargain bin.

Vorax expected a dark champion to bathe it in blood. Instead, Vola looked at the blade, noted its 'unsettling aura,' and informed the weapon that if it intended to stay in her house, it would follow her rules: no screaming, no soul-devouring after 8 PM, and it would assist with the knitting. She broke the blade’s ego within a week. Now, the entity manifests as the 'Kettle of Kismet,' providing a steady supply of lavender tea and mystical yarn that Vola uses to literally knit the loose threads of reality back together when 'rude' adventurers start fraying the peace.

Abilities & Actions

The Kettle of Kismet (Pact of the Blade)

Vola can use her action to manifest Vorax as a spectral greatsword or a pair of glowing knitting needles. When she hits a creature with Vorax, she can choose to deal psychic damage instead of necrotic, as she telepathically lectures the target on their poor life choices. She uses her Charisma modifier for attack and damage rolls with this weapon.

Sit Up Straight (Hexblade's Curse, 1/Short Rest)

As a bonus action, Vola chooses one target within 30 feet. The target is overwhelmed by Vola's matronly authority. Vola gains a +4 bonus to damage rolls against the target, and she crits on a 19 or 20. If the target dies, Vola regains 15 hit points and sighs about the waste of potential.

Don't You Dare (Armor of Hexes)

When a creature cursed by Vola’s 'Sit Up Straight' hits her with an attack roll, she can use her reaction to give them 'The Look.' Roll a d6. On a 4 or higher, the attack misses regardless of the roll, as the attacker momentarily forgets their training under her stern gaze.

Ethereal Darning (2/Day)

Vola uses her signature glowing needles to knit a patch of destiny. She chooses one creature within 30 feet that has taken damage. The creature regains 3d8 + 5 hit points as shimmering spectral yarn mends their wounds and weaves a tiny, temporary wool protective charm onto their clothing (granting +1 to AC for 1 minute).

DM Notes

Vola speaks with a crisp, commanding, yet warm matriarchal tone. She should treat the PCs like unruly students. If a fight breaks out, she doesn't draw a sword; she stands up, clears her throat, and expects silence. Signature Gesture: Pulling her spectacles down to the tip of her nose to stare over them. Reaction: If someone insults her tea, she immediately casts Banishment to 'send them to their room' (a harmless demiplane of silence) for 1 minute.