Dame Grizzelda 'Griz' Stoneheart, a Half-Orc Sorcerer — D&D 5e NPC portrait
#0367

Dame Grizzelda 'Griz' Stoneheart

"The Lantern of the Lost Order"

Half-Orc Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) LN Lvl 12 Knight (Order of the Radiant Shield)

Female (She/Her) · Middle-aged, 44 years

Ability Scores

STR
16
+3
DEX
10
+0
CON
16
+3
INT
10
+0
WIS
8
-1
CHA
20
+5

Combat

Armor Class
18
Plate Armor (Order Training)
Hit Points
86
Hit Dice: 12d6+36
Initiative
+0
Speed
30 ft.
Proficiency
+4
Passive Perception
13

Attacks

Radiant Mace+71d6+3 bludgeoning
Shadow Bolt (Custom Firebolt)+93d10 necrotic

Personality

Personality

She speaks in a high-pitched, frantic Midwestern warble, constantly adjusting her hand-knitted poncho. She over-explains her 'Code of Coziness' while checking every corner for monsters.

Ideal

Coziness. The world is a cold, jagged place; we must provide the blankets, the light, and the order to endure it.

Bond

The 'Luminescence Jar'—a glass lantern filled with pink fey-fireflies that she believes is the only thing keeping her soul from dissolving.

Flaw

Pathologically terrified of the dark; she suffers a panic attack if her lantern goes out, often triggering a surge of shadow magic.

Backstory

For fifteen years, Grizzelda was the iron spine of the Order of the Radiant Shield, a knight who measured her worth by the luster of her plate and the clarity of her morning prayers. That ended during the Siege of Blackspire, when a rift to the Shadowfell yawned open beneath her boots. She didn't just fall; she was marinated in the absolute negation of the Void for three days before clawing her way back into the light. She returned changed—her once-proud Orcish blood now hums with the static of the grave, and her shadow has a disturbing tendency to bark at passing cats.

Now, Griz is a knight without a kingdom and a sorcerer who hates her own magic. She views her terrifying necromantic powers as a 'clutter' that needs to be organized, often apologizing to her enemies while accidentally blasting them with undulating voids. She wanders the darker corners of the world not out of bravery, but because she believes someone has to keep the lanterns lit and the tea warm, or else the 'wibbly-wobbly gloom' will finally finish the job it started at Blackspire. Her survivor's guilt is a heavy rucksack she carries alongside her knitting kit, driving her to protect travelers from the very shadows she unwittingly commands.

Abilities & Actions

Ope, Sorry About Barnaby! (6 Sorcery Points)

As a bonus action, Grizzelda accidentally summons a Hound of Ill Omen made of solidified soot and despair. She calls him 'Barnaby.' Barnaby has the statistics of a Dire Wolf, is a monstrosity, and can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. Grizzelda spends the entire duration apologizing to the target Barnaby is currently biting.

The Code of Coziness (1/Day)

Grizzelda can cast 'Tiny Hut' as an action. The interior is always filled with the scent of cinnamon and lavender, and the walls are opaque pink. While inside, Grizzelda and her allies have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

Glow-Jar Guidance

While holding her signature Luminescence Jar, Grizzelda can use a bonus action to shed bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. She can add her Charisma modifier (+5) to any Wisdom (Perception) check made to detect 'spookies' (creatures hidden in darkness).

Panic Teleport (Shadow Walk)

When Grizzelda is in dim light or darkness, she can use a bonus action to teleport up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space she can see that is also in dim light or darkness. She usually accompanies this with a frantic squeal of 'Not today, gloom!'

DM Notes

Griz should be played as a 'Protective Auntie' who happens to be a living conduit of shadow. Sample dialogue: 'Ope! Just let me get this lantern lit, dear, you're looking a bit peaky in this gloom. Don't mind Barnaby, he's just a big softy made of eternal nothingness.' She fusses over the players' gear, offers them itchy wool socks, and reacts to any scary monster with a mix of maternal scolding and genuine terror. She never uses her shadow powers aggressively; they are always a 'mistake' caused by her nerves.