PLAYER INFO. ✖ Handle: Kay ✖ Contact:stabs ✖ Are You Over 16: Y ✖ Other Characters Played in Consignment: None, currently
CHARACTER INFO. ✖ Character Name: Urdnot Grunt (also known as "Okeer Test Subject #317") ✖ Canon: Mass Effect 3, after the events of Utukku ✖ Character Appearance:
✖ Character Age: Difficult to discern due to being tank-bred as an adult, but is fully matured mentally with some cognitive inconsistencies in terms of language and social queues.
✖ Canon Setting: Mass Effect is set roughly 200 years into the future in a section of space known only as "Citadel Space". The basis of the plot is centered around an alien species known as "Reapers", which do exactly as their name implies -- every few hundred cycles when any galactic community becomes intelligent enough to create AI capable of destroying them (in the case of Mass Effect, Citadel Space), they cleanse them from universe before they can destroy all other life with their creations. The Reapers leave only the more primitive races to begin the cycle anew.
The game focuses years after humanity enters Citadel Space via technology found on Mars, centered around the Citadel space station where the Council rules. The council had been made up of several alien races (asari, turian, and salarian) before the humans were allowed their own seat. Though these four races are the only ones with a real seat on the council, there are still several other species that live in Citadel space and are therefore governed by it. The krogan are one such species.
The krogan homeworld is known as Tuchanka and by design it is an incredibly inhospitable planet. Four thousand years ago, it was full of predatory creatures, scarce resources, and constantly under assault by its harsh sun. As a result, its the krogan are a particularly hardened species themselves -- they are a warrior race, generally lacking in scientists and doctors. In spite of the overabundance of predators, the krogan birthrate exploded once they achieved industrialization and discovered technology themselves. Life quickly became too easy for them, and as such they began to search for new challenges. What happened instead was full out nuclear war with one another that ended in the complete decimation of their planet and reducing a once rich culture into primitive warring clans simply struggling to survive. The nuclear devastation made by their own hands is one their planet can never recover from, but their species were given a chance when they were discovered by the salarians two thousand years later during the Rachni Wars.
Seeing a potential ally in the aggressive and primitive krogan, the salarians equipped them with advanced technology and a means of stabilizing Tuchanka's atmosphere known as the Shroud. They gave them planets to live on in exchange for their assistance to purge the resiliant rachni, and the plan worked perfectly. However, without the harsh conditions of Tuchanka to keep them in check, the krogan population swelled again and the planets they were given quickly became overcrowded. The krogan, valuing strength over all else began to force their way onto other Citadel planets to claim them for their own. When ordered to leave, war broke out and the Krogan Rebellions began. Thousands of krogan died during the wars, but their high birthrate kept them ahead of the competition. When it seemed like nothing would stop them, the salarians turned to the turians, who helped procure the genophage. Using the Shroud as a conduit, it was released into Tuchanka's atmosphere, effectively sterilizing them. 99.9% of krogan children would never be conceived, and those that were would almost certainly be stillborn.
The result of this is that krogan hate almost everyone, including their own people for getting them into the mess they're now dealing with. A krogan (with a few exceptions) generally only cares for oneself, and as a result many of them are scattered across the galaxy as mercenaries or bodyguards due to their aggressive nature and resilient biology. Those that aren't remain on Tuchanka trying to eek out a living as they had previously, or struggle to find a cure for the genophage that plagues their people.
Though krogan culture in general has dissolved into little more than clan warfare, the one thing all krogan have in common is the overall lack of females on top of their difficulty reproducing. Female krogan are highly prized and guarded because of the genophage, and their numbers are reduced even more thanks to experiments preformed (voluntarily) in attempts to cure their illness. Females have their own social group, and only speak to one designated male when necessary. Though krogan are not necessarily matriarchal, krogan females make breeding requests to males, and not the other way around.
A brief summary of Grunt's history is that he was bred during the time of the genophage, which essentially is a disease that prevents krogan from birthing children (due to their large clutches an violent tendencies, they had become problematic to the rest of the galaxy when attempting to expand). He was bred in a tank to be the perfect krogan, using data gathered by another krogan by the name of Okeer. Grunt is exactly what he was made to be -- a tireless super-soldier, an extreme pedigree of the krogan people. All of his makeup is flawless, save for the fact that he remains infected with the genophage, as Okeer believed that it made their people stronger, not weaker. Okeer had also implanted memories and information in an attempt to imprint on Grunt an urgency to assist in his own personal goals but had failed, leaving Grunt confused and purposeless when he is flushed from his tank.
Grunt is awakened by Shepard while she is recruiting during her campaign to stop the collectors, and he chooses to follow her in an effort to groom a purpose for his own existence. Shepard also promises him enemies and people to fight, which is the siren's call to krogan blood rage.
✖ Character Personality: Grunt is precisely what he was bred to be -- a krogan grunt, a super soldier entirely focused on cracking skulls and showing off as much brute strength as he is capable of. However, Grunt is also young, having only walked the universe for a handful of months (roughly six months, to be precise). Many social concepts, even cultural concepts, are foreign to him and it shows most often when Grunt is unable to consider perspective beyond what he was taught in the tank he was bred in. The best comparison would be to have raised a sheltered child who is just starting to learn new things as an adult.
Being a tank-bred, Okeer (the 'scientist' who engineered him) is essentially the reason he exists at all, but their relationship does not have time to blossom due to Okeer's untimely death. However, that doesn't stop Grunt from having an opinion on him. Due to the way he was bred, Okeer had attempted to imprint loyalty on Grunt, but Grunt largely finds Okeer to be unimportant to him as an individual. He cares not for his goals or his aims, and in fact is largely unable to care about them due to the failed imprinting. By the same token, the clan leader attempts to inform Grunt that Okeer "is an old name; a hated name" when he recites his origins. Grunt's simple reply is that he is "pure krogan" and "you should be in awe". So, in spite of the fact that Okeer's attempts to breed loyalty in Grunt failing, Grunt still believes (correctly) that he is a perfect specimen and is not afraid to prove it to those who doubt him.
By the same token, time spent on the Normandy working with Shepard and others has given young Grunt perspective many thousand-year krogan are missing. For example, Grunt finds Shepard to be one of the finest warriors he's ever met and says as much in front of other krogan. As Shepard is human (regardless of their previous achievements in the galaxy, which are not a secret), other krogan find this idea laughable and believe Grunt himself to be weak as a result. The tank breeding had impressed the innate cultural admiration for strength as well as a need to prove it, and despite that Grunt is able to ignore insult and prove himself by trusting a species often seen as weaker by definition thanks to his experiences. While he isn't perfect, this shows that Grunt is smarter than the average weight-throwing male krogan. He is able to consider options other krogan might find insulting or beneath them.
However, just because Grunt is able to consider alternative perspective doesn't mean he cares to, and he is most definitely not concerned with the greater matters of the universe (unlike his clan leader, Wrex). He is often blasé with his remarks and opinions about other races (turians, in particular), and shows indifference when Commander Shepard remarks on the fact that she doesn't want any trouble between him and Garrus (the turian member on their crew). Shepard also often threatens to put him on ice or knock him down a peg when he makes a particularly aggressive or offensive remark, but Grunt never rises to the bait. In fact, he always comes back to the fact that he is on the ship to serve Shepard, and that he will not cause trouble so long as she continues to have good enemies to fight. He comments that Garrus is 'just one turian' and that he is also 'part of her clan', so she shouldn't worry about it. This also implies that if another opportunity with better enemies and more glory came along that he would leave Shepard and move on to bigger and better things.
Grunt's differences make him an outliar to the krogan people. His relationship with his own race is a strange one, wanting to be accepted by them but unwilling to compromise on the lessons he's taken from both the tank and what he's learned since joining Shepard. Aside from the more obvious flaws, Grunt was raised by the tank on old ideals and traditions and taught to understand things that are not necessarily relevant to modern day krogan. Since krogan put such a high value on the pureness of their species (due to the genophage), Grunt is considered an abomination since he is tank-bred. He has knowledge of their warlords and recites them proudly when discussing his ancestry, but spits on the idea that he is lesser because he was not actually "born" krogan in the same breath. He takes part in their rites even under strain ("It is what I am, it is in my blood") and takes a human as his representative in spite of disagreements among his people. Biologically Grunt is a perfect krogan, but his first few months actually living are not spent among his people, which imprints him with different goals and wants.
Grunt has grown a bit since coming out of the tank and joining Clan Urdnot. You reunite with him on Utukku, where he is leading his own company of krogan. He takes pride in them as companions (as they represent "a united krogan" and "are the strongest" as put by Grunt), but also speaks like a leader when referring to them ("They're tough, think they're invincible. Reckless, but effective"). As well, when inquired about what he has been doing since he was left on Tuchanka, Grunt cites that he spent his time learning his own culture properly -- through other krogan, and through experience. He makes it obvious that he learns better this way, rather than simply being told or fed information ("In the lab where I was created, the lessons were like fighting with practice weapons. They had no bite, no impact. I needed the blood and pain. I made mistakes, but I learned").
In spite of his differences, Grunt is key to krogan survivability as a race. Though Wrex (or Wreav) is generally at the helm of krogan leadership, Grunt is the people's warrior. He is placed on a pedestal as an example to his people once he has completed his rites. Wrex chooses him to lead Aralakh Company because he and the other krogan are meant to be an example -- a show that krogan of different clan and blood can still be a united people. The Aralakh Company, as a result, is the best of the best and Grunt takes great pride in his position. He had not cared quite as much for politics when he was young, only for acceptance -- he grows over the course of 2 and 3 into a proud example for his people and one who is willing to carry them to victory against the Reapers.
That said, Grunt is also eager to put his energy in whatever he can. While vacationing on the Citadel in Mass Effect 3, you meet Grunt by getting a phone call from an officer, detailing that they have a krogan detained for public disturbance and destruction of property. As it turns out, Grunt had been broken out of his hospital bed (while still healing), fell from 2 stories, proceeded to climb on a statue, set a car on fire, then proceeded to drive away in said car while being on fire himself. When asked why he wasn't in bed healing, Grunt simply states that he "isn't most people" and had no interest in laying around waiting in bed. He's reckless, and he gets thrills out of risking his neck just because he can.
Like most krogan, he has an excess of battlelust but lacks the years to temper it. Because of this, Grunt is quick to charge into battle regardless of the risk. The krogan culture he was given via the tank tells him that it is an honor to die in a worthy fight, but contradicts that information with notations of weakness (ie: falling in battle to an unworthy foe) and so leaves Grunt fighting tooth and nail whenever he faces another opponent. A few months of this quickly teaches Grunt temperance when it comes to choosing his battles, particularly once he gains control of Aralakh Company. Grunt's in-game unit actually lacks any sort of shield whatsoever due to how aggressively he fights enemies. Krogan rely on secondary and tertiary organs, as well as their thick skin, muscle, and bone structure to get them through fights -- Grunt is no different. I will detail this further in the skills section.
Most importantly, Grunt will always offer his opinion on any given situation unless he deems it a waste of his time. He does not consider feelings or other's opinion of him, and he's brutally honest to the point of offense. Shepard occasionally points out that Grunt's manner is too aggressive for her crew, to which he often either shrugs off or comments in a manner that suggests he is prepared to fight her if she tries to control him in any way. Grunt also often questions Shepard's decisions to waste resources on dying civilians (or other paragon acts). For example, when they stumble upon a dying Salarian night worker (a man with no real information or practical use), if Shepard chooses to apply medi-gel to spare him, Grunt will pose the question "Really? This guy? Why?" in an irritated manner.
✖ Character Powers & Skills:
SKILL SETS: Grunt is an extremely skilled close-quarters combatant, and will often charge headfirst (literally) into large enemy backs and emerge unscathed thanks to the advantage of his physiology. He is also capable of playing very damaging bait for larger creatures thanks to his defensive capabilities. He is also an adapt killer, often finishing off enemies before they're able to understand how best to fight him.
Grunt is also proficient in different types of fire-arms and has no qualms about using every day items as weapons if his fists and head aren't enough. He is most proficient with assault rifles, heavy shotguns, and other large guns that smaller species may find cumbersome.
BIOLOGY: Krogan weigh between 150 - 200 kilos, stand about 7 feet in height, and are highly adapted to be berserker warriors -- almost no doctors, technicians, or other trade-skills are found on Tuchanka. Their culture, history, and biology all lend to their capability in both firefights and close-quarters combat. They have developed an exoskeleton over their impressive muscle structure, and their hide is extremely impervious to breaks, cuts, toxins, radioactivity, cold and heat. They have a hump that grows with age, used to display status and show how adapt a krogan is at hunting. The larger the hump, the older and stronger the krogan. Said hump stores food and water, leaving krogan able to survive days, sometimes weeks without food or drink.
As well, the krogan species is renowned for what is only known as the "blood rage". In this state, krogan are completely unresponsive to pain and most outside stimuli and will fight to the death. Often, when induced with blood rage, krogan cannot think straight and will not rest until their enemy is dead.
Krogan are also outfitted with two or three of every vital organ, including their nervous system. Shooting a krogan through its skull once may not kill it (nor will it paralyze it), though it will destroy much of its higher thought process and leave it fighting like an animal until treated. However, the most notable piece of krogan biology is their brow-plate, impossibly hard and the most important tool for both close-quarters combat and personal disputes (krogan will headbutt one another to show dominance). It is also their greatest weakness -- it is said that a krogan's only fear is to have their brow plate ripped off to expose both nervous systems, which can kill them instantly. Of course...you have to get close enough first.
Grunt was bred to be perfect and the height of krogan physiology. Though this is never really greatly expanded on in Mass Effect, Grunt has fought his way through tons of stronger enemies by himself (most notably, the reaper-improved rachni on Utukku) and lived to tell about it. Despite having a brow-plate that is still forming (due to his young age), he is able to crack skulls with hundred-year old krogan (such as Wrex, who is very very old) and not injure himself. However, due to his age, his hump is small and he can only go for a week or so without food or water.
Grunt also suffers from the genophage, which is a mostly harmless disease that attacks the cells in his body with garbage genetic code that renders him incapable of reproducing 99.9% of the time. All krogan that do survive are born with the disease, as it is now inherently apart of their genetic makeup.
The days are long in the hospital, and Grunt has been spending most days under anesthesia while doctors worked tirelessly to keep him alive after he had crawled out of Utukku battered and torn. In truth, it didn't take much -- krogan physiology meant he recovered much faster than any other patient in lockdown once they had given him a bit of blood to replenish what he had lost.
Its one of the first days he's awake, and he can already feel his skin beginning to itch from lack of movement. The door has been locked all day -- no doubt the doctors knew that today would be the day that he opened his eyes. Probably planned it. Smart of them to keep their distance as far as Grunt was concerned. A piece of him may have been hoping for Shepard or one of his Aralakh brothers to be with him when he had risen. It would give him someone to laugh with at least, or someone to talk to. Anything was better than staring the day away out the window to the rest of the Citadel. Everything in the room smelled...mechanical and sterile in a way that made the young krogan uncomfortable.
Maybe it was because of the rachni, and their reaper modifications. He'd seen enough of what Reapers could do by now to be mildly annoyed by reminders. But another smell joins the rest, and its that smell that pulls his attention way from the glass to the outside.
By the time he manages to sluggishly turn his large head, the humanoid figure is already inside. Grunt finds himself narrowing his eyes just a bit when he inhales, unable to place exactly what he's smelling off of this newcomer. Is it human? Asari? Salarian? Its impossible for him to tell, and he doesn't like it.
"Who're you?"
He's still dizzy from painkillers and from his immune system scrambling to catch up with healing, but Grunt sits up anyway. He wasn't about to have a stranger near him while he was laying on his back in a hospital. There's no reason for him to assume its anyone but another doctor, or someone Shepard had sent to check up on him.
He doubts its the latter. She would have come to see him herself if it was important.
"Who I am isn't important," replies a gruff voice, a tone that reminds Grunt of his own people. This one was too small for anything close to that, and Grunt is certain to let them know he disagrees with a low grumble of disapproval. "You looked bored, so I thought I'd drop by with something to keep you busy."
Grunt couldn't argue that. It had only been roughly twenty minutes and he was already starting to wish he could push some machinery over. "Like what?"
"I represent the Cosmic Demolition Crew--" Demolition seems to brighten Grunt's expression just a bit, but he isn't dim enough to ignore the rest of what the organization's name implied. It doesn't seem to morally offend him. "--and we are looking to recruit able-bodied individuals like yourself for our company. Interested?"
Able-bodied. If he hadn't added on that last bit, he might have thought he was being mocked for being recruited in a hospital bed. Maybe it was a challenge of some kind -- after all, by the time he was fully recovered, the Reapers would probably already be dead.
Or maybe they wouldn't be, and they would all be harvested. Still, he knew his enemy here -- had a better idea of how to beat them in a way. It would require more than just the individual, and the krogan wouldn't be able to do it alone. So much of the galaxy was still in denial, even with their enemy right in front of them. Would the odds of survival be better if he found a new enemy?
Probably.
"What kind of demolition?" By the time he's done asking, he's handed a holotablet with images he can't quite decipher all the way. What he can see are planets -- whole planets disappearing, fauna converging on technology and summarily being punished for it. Grunt spends most of his observation tilting his head with interest, eyes narrowing with indecision.
It was something different, at least. No politics to get in his way.
"Yeah, ok. Tired of sitting around in here anyway."
CHARACTER ITEMS. ✖ Pick a Team:
Red: Grunt is extremely efficient at killing and is not the type to let personal feelings get in the way of neutralizing threats. Though he is not always a clean killer, he is a very quick killer and has no qualms about calling out fellow crew members on their weaknesses just because he has loyalty to factor into the equation. If someone is weak and dragging him and his team down, or if they are doing something he sees as sabotage, he will always be prepared to neutralize the threat in question. He actively informs Shepard that if she doesn't have enough enemies for him, or enemies that are strong enough for him to fight, he will consider them weak and kill her and the crew. He treats the Aralakh Company (essentially the krogan special ops team, and the one he is in charge of) in a similar fashion, and tells Shepard that they are the finest warriors Tuchanka has to offer because of it ("Reckless, but effective"). Red team's need for subtlety will challenge Grunt, but once learned it will form him into the perfect killer.
Blue: As mentioned in his personality section, Grunt has the potential to be a leader and command an army if he is given some direction and an easy goal to focus on. However, Grunt is also very young and very inexperienced in the role, and more importantly has only lead an elite strike team of krogan (who do not fight like most other species in the galaxy). That said, Grunt operates better when he has a purpose and learns lessons well...even if he doesn't always listen the first time. Grunt believes leadership is determined solely by strength and capability, and believes those ideals will guide into proper decision making for the whole. He will not bend to a leader he does not perceive as his equal or stronger, and he will bend out of respect for strength, not fear. His outlook on life and leadership is very darwinistic.
✖ Reason for Joining the CDC: Survival and purpose. Grunt is a krogan, and above all they are self-interested and are only recently learning the value of camaraderie and teamwork. Grunt is not personally invested enough in ideas outside of himself to be working for the CDC for other reasons. While Grunt is an outliar with his experiences, he is still mostly concerned with becoming as strong as possible and keeping himself alive with purpose. The CDC gives him an outlet for both. ✖ Mission Freebie: A weaponized car and/or steed to ride into battle. ✖ Personal Item or Weapon: Modified Krogan M-300 Claymore Shotgun w/ 2 thermal clips. (15 bullets total) ✖ Character Inventory:
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