Grinwick Cinderbite

Level 1 Tiefling Rogue (Arcane Trickster (imagined theme))

STR
8 (-1)
DEX
15 (+2)
CON
12 (+1)
INT
14 (+2)
WIS
10
CHA
16 (+3)

Defense

Armor Class 13 (Leather Armor)
Hit Points 9 (1d8+1 +1)
Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.

Proficiencies & Skills

Saving Throws dexterity, intelligence
Skills Stealth +4, Deception +5, Investigation +4, Sleight of hand +4

Character Information

Grinwick Cinderbite is the city’s beloved but dangerous spectacle—the fireworks-master whose displays bring crowds to their feet while behind the scenes he orchestrates a quiet, shadowy web of arson. Born as the baker’s son, a catastrophe shaped him: a lord’s taxmen jailed his parents and burned his farmhouse, his childhood scent forever a memory of burning flesh. He fled, learned the art of fireworks, and turned to the city’s skyline as his stage. To the public, he is a charming craftsman who crafts luminous smiles in the night; to the underworld, he is the mastermind who starts fires in the dark, recruiting urchins with buns and inducements, weaving a network that thrives on fear. His goal is to locate and end the men who stole his childhood, but he acknowledges the profit and protection his criminal empire can offer in the city. His talent earns admiration, his cruelty earns loyalty, and his visions of flame are both a testament to genius and a warning to those who cross him.

Character Background

Grinwick’s earliest memory is the scent of flour and smoke: his family’s bakery, a place of warmth and community, turned into a crime scene when taxmen locked his parents inside for unpaid flour and set the farmhouse ablaze. He hid in the cellar, clutching a pan of half-maked loaves, listening to the screams and the crackle of fire as the world above him burned. The trauma forged his obsession with flame, but also his fascination with the spectacle of flame turned to art. As a boy he learned to read the city’s seasons of bustle, the way crowds gather for seasonal displays, and the way a spark can become a story. He escaped the ruin by joining a traveling troupe of fireworks makers, where he refined his craft and learned to choreograph lights to music, turning fear into awe. However, the undercurrent of pain never left him, guiding a dual existence: a public face of warmth and art, and a private, hidden network that uses flame to manipulate power structures. He is torn between the torches of joy and the fires of revenge, a man who believes that the only way to shield others from the suffering of his past is to control the flames themselves. His arc revolves around vindication, risk, and a brittle balance between protection and exploitation. Grinwick’s deeper hope is that by exposing the true faces of those who destroyed his family, he can liberate others from the fear that grips the heart of the city. Yet every decision to unleash a blaze or hide his book of secrets tests his humanity and the price of keeping a dangerous city safe.

Unresolved Plots

  • A trusted patron’s daughter vanished after a fire at the market, hinting Grinwick’s network is connected to a larger plot.
  • A mysterious figure seeks Grinwick’s help to stage a city-wide display that mirrors a past tragedy.
  • Rumors of a hidden ledger showing the true origin of each major blaze point toward the real mastermind behind the fires.

Secrets

  • The arch-baker family Grinwick grew up with did not die in the fire; they disappeared into the underworld and left him behind.
  • Grinwick’s true parentage is a tiefling couple who served in a noble household and specialized in incendiary crafts.
  • A coded letter exists that could reveal the mastermind behind the taxmen’s corruption, but it’s written in a language no one recognizes.

Fears

  • Failing to stop the lineage responsible for his childhood trauma
  • Being exposed as a fraud who only profits from fear
  • Losing control of his underground network to a more ruthless faction

Aspirations

  • Eradicate the lineage responsible for his childhood tragedy
  • Create a legitimate business that protects the city from fires
  • Be remembered as both a master of fireworks and a savior of the innocent

QUEST -- Expose the Threefold Menace

Grinwick seeks the names and fates of the lord’s taxmen who orphaned him. He believes a single lineage of corrupt enforcers runs through the city’s power structures. The quest is personal, dangerous, and could topple a network that funds his arson-for-profit enterprise. The reward is a coded map of safehouses and a rare alchemical fuse that allows a single-use, controlled flame to aid a daring breach.

Current Stage

Uncover the first name in the taxmen’s ledger by infiltrating a guild hall and retrieving a forged list.

Choice

Steal the ledger and flee, risking a bounty on Grinwick’s head.

The ledger reveals a pattern of targets and a direct link to the city’s ruling family.
Mechanical Rewards
  • Alchemical fuse (single-use, controlled flame for a planned action)
  • Maps of safehouses
  • Alleyway contact who mutters rumors
  • +1 to a future firework-based performance
Narrative Rewards
  • A name to strike against, a personal vendetta given form
  • A whispered legend that Grinwick’s fire can be disappeared from the city’s conscience
  • An uneasy alliance with a city downtrodden faction

QUEST -- Protect the Orphaned Flamecult

Keep the urchins and kids he pays in buns from getting captured by rival gangs who want a monopoly on the city's fires. In exchange, he seeks a public- face protection contract that legitimizes his business and could drown out his past.

Current Stage

Purchase or secure a safe, fireproof workshop for the kids to learn a controlled use of small pyrotechnics.

Choice

Convert a public market stall into a small, fenced workshop.

This begins Grinwick’s publicly acknowledged role as protector.
Mechanical Rewards
  • Reinforced workshop equipment
  • Temporary legal shelter from raids
  • Access to a sanctioned fireworks permit (limited uses)
Narrative Rewards
  • Public recognition as a patron of small crimes turned legitimate business
  • An uneasy city-district feud gives him power but also risk

QUEST -- Rescue the Flame-Kind urchins

Free the urchins enslaved by a child-labor syndicate that Grinwick secretly helps run and recruit them into a safer, more honest form of apprenticeship.

Current Stage

Identify the syndicate’s anchor and secure the release of a dozen captives

Choice

Ransack the anchor’s compound under cover of festival lights.

The rescue disrupts an illegal supply chain but draws the ire of powerful patrons.
Mechanical Rewards
  • New apprentices who provide basic labor and loyalty
  • Access to safe houses for children
  • A ceremonial dagger that can be used as a pep tool in fireworks
Narrative Rewards
  • Redemption arc begins for Grinwick as a protector rather than a predator
  • A moral counterweight to his past actions

Major Decision

Context

The arc requires Grinwick to choose between continuing his underground protection racket or embracing a completely legitimate enterprise.

Choice Made

Model a legal fireworks company that funds safety and education for urban youth.

Impact

Converts some criminal influence into legitimate power, slightly lowering underworld reach but increasing public trust and access to sponsors.

Major Decision

Context

Confront the lineage of his childhood tormentors with the possibility of vengeance or justice through legal channels.

Choice Made

Pursue legal action and public trials against the implicated nobles.

Impact

Raises the profile and risk, potentially triggering political retaliation but reshapes his legacy.

Major Decision

Context

Choose to reveal the true mastermind behind the city’s arson rings or protect their anonymity for the promise of continued protection contracts.

Choice Made

Expose the mastermind publicly, risking his own safety.

Impact

Shifts from hidden operations to a public campaign, altering the city’s power balance and his relationship with allies and enemies.

Transformative Moment

Trigger

Surviving the farmhouse fire as a child

Transformation

Grinwick’s fear of flames evolves into a calculated, artistic use of fire in fireworks, shaping his profession and his moral ambiguity.

Mechanical Changes

Charisma

+1 (permanent)

Heightened social influence and manipulation skills.
Dexterity

+1 (permanent)

Improved finesse with tools and traps.

Transformative Moment

Trigger

Becoming known as the city’s fireworks-master while secretly leading the criminal underworld

Transformation

A split identity creates a dual life where performance hides crime, giving him a talent for deception and stagecraft.

Mechanical Changes

Intelligence

+1 (permanent)

Sharper planning and strategic thinking.
Charisma

+1 (permanent)

Public persona strengthens influence and manipulation.

Transformative Moment

Trigger

Choosing to monetize protection

Transformation

Grinwick monetizes fear and becomes a more calculating ruler of his domain, risking his humanity for power.

Mechanical Changes

Wisdom

+1 (permanent)

Sharper awareness of risk and consequences.
Constitution

+1 (permanent)

Greater resilience against danger and fear.

Ally:
Lyra Quickstep

Relationship Reliable confidant
Influence 6/10
Loyalty 7/10

Shared History

Lyra, a former street performer turned courier, recognized Grinwick’s talent for spectacle. She kept watch over him during his early forays into the underworld, delivering messages, gathering rumors, and sometimes acting as a shield during dangerous jobs. Their alliance began when Grinwick saved her from a trap set by a rival gang; since then she has become his most trusted messenger, moving through the city with a quiet efficiency that keeps both his public fireworks business and his underground operations running. She knows about his true ambitions but chooses to stand by him, hoping his plan will eventually detangle the city’s corruption.

Potential Breaking Points

  • If Grinwick grows too powerful and overtly attacks noble lines, Lyra fears he’ll attract the city guard’s attention and ruin their networks.

Enemy:
Lord Arold Kestrin

Threat Level 3/10
Conflict Type Political adversary

Personal Stakes

Kestrin’s family endured the taxmen’s cruelty years ago, and he sees Grinwick’s underworld as a threat to his control over the city’s economy and politics.

Possible Resolutions

  • Discredit Grinwick publicly with staged fires in rival districts
  • Attempt to assassinate him in a public ceremony
  • Lure him into a trap using a fabricated alliance

Faction: The Emberwatch

Standing 2/10
Influence Medium

Obligations

  • Support city-wide safety measures
  • Fund child literacy and apprenticeship programs

Benefits

  • Access to restricted firework designs
  • Protection from lawful authorities when operating legally

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