Perrywick the Butcher part 1
The saga follows Perrywick the Butcher, a halfling with the unique and audacious ambition of joining a dwarven Slayer Cult, an order typically reserved for dwarves seeking a glorious death in battle to atone for some past shame. After surprising the local guild administrators in the dwarven city of Stonehammer Hold, who had no rules forbidding non-dwarves from joining, he was accepted as an “acolyte.” To earn his full status as a Slayer, he first had to prove his worth by undertaking a perilous quest: venturing into the monster-infested, abandoned dwarven stronghold of Karak-Gromril to retrieve their lost sacred symbol, the Grimfang of Gromril.
Perrywick’s journey into the fallen stronghold was a trial by fire. He battled through goblin-infested halls and overcame orc patrols, his butchering skills surprisingly effective in combat. The quest culminated in a climactic showdown with the Orc Chieftain, Grulmak Bonechewer, in the desecrated throne room. Victorious, Perrywick claimed not only the coveted Grimfang but also the chieftain’s head as a trophy, returning to Stonehammer Hold bloodied but triumphant.
However, his success did not grant him the instant recognition he sought. Citing tradition and Perrywick’s “unconventional heritage,” the guild elders presented him with a second, even more daunting task: to complete the “Vigil of the Bitter Stone.” This required him to take the newly-recovered Grimfang to a lost shrine dedicated to the ancestor god Damaz, located high in the treacherous and remote Drakenscar Peaks, a place even seasoned dwarves avoid. Accepting his fate with a Slayer’s grim determination, Perrywick set out once more.
His journey towards the mountains has been fraught with peril and has further shaped his abrasive character. He stopped for supplies in the frontier village of Ironhead, where his confrontational attitude led to a tense standoff. Rather than fighting the local champion, Balgrim, Perrywick used pure, terrifying intimidation to psychologically break his opponent without a single blow being exchanged. From there, he trekked for days through a miserable, leech-infested swamp, where he survived a nighttime ambush from a hobgoblin scout by cleverly using a decoy and killing the creature from above. Finally, after reaching the edge of the swamp, he found the next landmark—a giant, petrified tree bridging a deep ravine—guarded by two territorial Rock Drakes. Using his wits and knowledge of the creatures’ weaknesses, he created a lure with the hobgoblin’s discarded gear and managed to sneak across, finally setting foot in the true foothills of the Drakenscar Peaks, where the final and most dangerous part of his quest awaits.