Backstory

Garou's story begins under a looming shadow cast by his father, an Infernis sorcerer, and his Firbolg mother. When Garou was an infant, his father's magical pursuits led him to fatally enrage a powerful mage. The resulting curse, intended for the father, transferred instead to Garou upon the sorcerer's death. This curse violently stripped Garou of his Infernis features, replacing them with the green skin and webbed limbs of a Ribbet.

This transformation only worsened the existing prejudice from his mother’s Firbolg kin, who were already unhappy about her marrying an Infernis. Seeing her child struggling with shame over his appearance, Garou's mother made the difficult decision to leave her people, taking Garou to live alone in the quiet seclusion of a forest. It was here they met a wandering Seraph and a wizard who offered hope, guiding them through tests and prayers to Pan.

Eventually, a solution was found. Garou was taught that the curse could only be held back if he dedicated his life to protecting others from danger, abandoning any thought of following his father's path into sorcery. Furthermore, the permanent cure required a grim ritual: finding and consuming a piece of a formidable, slain underwater monster. The Seraph gifted the young boy a hallowed one-handed axe and a shield, solidifying his path as a guardian.

For years, Garou upheld his protective vow, shielding travelers who passed through the forest, but he would not leave his mother to hunt the required sea monster. His mother was the anchor of his life, and the golden nose ring she wore is now the sole keepsake from her. However, last year, she succumbed to illness. Now truly alone, and hoping to bring peace to his mother's soul, the 22-year-old Garou Blackwater has decided it is time to risk his life and finally set out to find the monster and lift the curse that defines him.