Grif J Murdock

Full Name: Grif J Murdock

Age: 36

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Class: Gunslinger

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Height: 1.8 meters

Mass: 80 kilograms

Hair color: Brown

Eye color: Brown

Skin color: Light

Blood type: O

Personality: Grif J Murdock was known for his cockiness, dry wit, equestrianism, marksmanship, and his fast draw. He also had an affinity for gambling games and he often boasted of his achievements he made on his horse, Quicksilver, such as escaping the royal guards in less than twelve parsecs, and being able to outrun elite trained riders. He once said he preferred to shoot first as opposed to shooting second, and used to his advantage on at least one occasion the fact that he was ambidextrous. Grif won't go looking for trouble, but he won't run if it comes looking for him. He has a quiet, raspy voice to signify that he is a "badass"; it is up to the others to shut up and listen to him.

Grif developed good leadership and excellent tactical acumen through practical experience; a lack of formal training allowed him to avoid the preconceived notions of "accepted" knowledge. Rather than plan in depth, Grif is an excellent improviser able to achieve victory by using what is on hand.Many recognized Grif to be highly resourceful, and even considered Grif a grave threat. He is used to leading men personally in battle, and by using his wits and inspiring those under his command, he has made the impossible look easy.

Background: Grif J Murdock was born a farm boy in a small isolated village. In his youth, he was taught outdoor skills such as hunting and shooting by his grandfather, skills which would later prove useful in his later life. The first eighteen years of his life were spent entirely in his little village, working on the farm. Grif was good at both schoolwork and working farm equipment, and learned how to ride at a relatively young age. His father taught him how to brawl, and to stand up to bullies. Grif would later say that his father taught him where to draw the line, rather than to take a stand.

While waiting to purchase rations for his family in a distant town, Centerville, Grif encountered Alex Thares, one of his rivals. Thares cut him off, prompting Grif to beat him up. Later that day, A marshal helped convince Grif to join the marshal's ranks. His parents objected, but eventually relented and accompanied him to his enlistment and affirmation in Centerville. Grif had expected to be elated at the prospect of leaving his village, but only felt a sense of dread. To make matters worse, he immediately ran into the bully Thares again, who hassled him and made his position clear, leading to the other recruits ostracizing Grif. so as to not get caught up in their feud. Corporal Thaddeus Timson tried to keep them apart. The two exchanged beatings. Still, Grif's standing up to Thares did earn him the respect of his fellow recruits, who began talking to him.

Eventually, there were taken to one of the marshal's academies for Basic training. Grif was taken aback at the poor conditions of the marshal's academy, surprised to learn that despite the high taxes levied, the marshals was still short of quality equipment. During the journey, hundreds of convicts intended for transfer to a new jail broke out and began fighting. Thares called one a freak, prompting several to attack him. Grif jumped into the fcaray and fought alongside Thares, while the others won money betting on them. Grif and Thares then became friends.

Grif, Thares and twelve other recruits rode in a small airship to the Academy. However, it was shot down by outlaws, killing the pilot and seriously injuring a recruit, Santhay. Grif immediately took charge, helping move Santhay. Eventually they were rescued by Master Sergeant Hanson, who was impressed with Grif's in-field leadership skills. The recruits were transported to the academy for training, during which Santhay succumbed to his wounds. Grif began to wonder what he'd got himself into. That it was announced that training was being shortened didn't help matters.

After graduation, Grif managed to get in touch with his parents, who tried to hide how poorly things were going for them financially despite the enlistment bonus they'd received. It was nice to know his parents were okay, but Grif felt uneasy.

Upon graduation, Grif, Thares, and numerous others were sent to Fort Howe by caravan, where they made the acquaintance of Max Zander. Grif noticed the adverse effect the outlaws was having on the town's population, and while he gave away his rations to starving children, he knew it wasn't enough, and knew that his village could meet the same fate. Before long, the convoy was attacked by Hellhounds and scattered. Their driver called the nearby Fort and assigned Grif to lead two squads of marshals by foot while the others used the two remaining caravans. While hiking however, the sounds of battle to the south being heard, he realized that the flow of traffic had stopped. He ordered the squads to double time to the Fort.

At the site, Grif took command of his squads, operating under the designation of Switchblade. However, Grif noticed Tom Omer, one of his close friends suffering severe injury during the fight. Meanwhile, Grif contacted Captain Senko at Fort Howe and kept him apprised of the situation. The Outlaws were driven off.

Later, Colonel Vanderspool intended to capture a strategic resource depot in Polk's Pride. The city was divided by the Paddick River into a north section (now dominated by the rebels) and a south section (controlled by the marshals). The Marshals had tried to invade the northern section twice previously, but each time failed to cross the river.

Grif, Alex and a few other Marshals, now led by Lieutenant Samantha, would follow right behind a large number of local militia led by the battalion's senior NCO, Master Sergeant Rockwell. Vanderspool devised a plan for crossing the river which worked. However, the Rebels put up stiff resistance. Grif watched as large numbers of Militia was killed off.

At the repository itself, Master Sergeant Rockwell sent a large number of militia to their death. When he criticized their uselessness, Grif lost his temper and punched him out. The combined Marshal forces, meanwhile, achieved victory.

Grif was arrested, demoted to private and jailed for a month for assaulting Rockwell. While serving his sentence, Alex Thares frequently visited him. One day, he warned him of Colonel Vanderspool's treachery; the marshal's guns had been sabotaged. Thares discovered and fixed the Guns. Thares also promised Grif a custom rifle when he got out. Meanwhile Vanderspool plotted a theft of mana crystals from a train system in Jalric, Alex Thares and Max Zander brought the information to Matthew Lawrence, who plotted to steal the crystals from Vanderspool.

Vanderspool's force, including Grif's squad and a large number of militia troops under the command of Lieutenant Fitz, disguised themselves as Outlaws and infilitrated Jalric. Grif's squad swept the western part of town, freeing citizens held captive by the outlaws. They linked up with Vanderspool's force at the train station, and were ordered to stand in front. The train arrived, but Pax, an outlaw had double-crossed Vanderspool. His ripper force nearly won the battle, but Alex Thares's flamethrower turned the tide. The train rushed away, taking away all the treasure, but Pax remained with some rippers. Vanderspool tried to kill the squad by detonating their guns, but due to Alex Thares's counter-sabotage, the move failed. Fitz was ordered to take Cassidy, a member of Grif's squad prisoner. Grif and company managed to escape by stealing several of Vanderspool's horses.

Vanderspool arrived, but not under his own power. He and Cassidy had been captured by Pax. A firefight broke out, resulting in the deaths of both Pax and Cassidy and the wounding of Vanderspool. The colonel begged for his life. Vanderspool tried to take Pax's gun, but Grif stepped on his hand, breaking it. Then Grif shot him in the chest.

Grif and his squad soon were labled outlaws by the marshals. They escaped and established themselves on Razlarya and resided there for the next five years. The squad soon developed a routine of seizing valuble cargo , spending them and beginning the cycle over. A great deal of this spending was carried out at Wicked Wayne's, said spending mainly revolving around women and booze and becoming mutually acquainted with the staff in the process. This worked to their advantage as well when Marshal Wilkes Butler begun hunting them, the staff never ratting them out. The squad had many encounters with the marshal over the years, but always managed to slip away. They managed to keep to a moral code during this time, never harming bystanders and usually disabling guards rather than killing them. During this period, Grif always sent some of his loot to his mother. However, according to a message sent by old family friend Myles Hammond, His mother wasn't accepting the money. He also urged Grif to return to his home to discuss certain matters. Not sure what to make of it, Grif refused, ordering Hammond to ensure that his mother took the credits.

Hammond wasn't the only individual intent on contacting Grif however, as the outlaw heard from Matthew not long after. Their criminal activities had caught the attention of crime lord O'Banon, who wished to hire their services. Grif wanted nothing to do with the man however, having heard of O'Banon's savage reputation and his drug smuggling operations. The squad agreed to remain solo for now, and Matthew suggested hitting a nearby Station for a shipment of crystals. The two bluffed their way through the station and with a caravan full of crystals, headed to meet their contacts.

As a meeting in the Pit revealed, said contacts were a pirate group called the Screaming Skulls. Business was conducted and another offer was made, one which would involved the outlaws getting a significant share of profits and a new partnership. the squad accepted and headed back to Razalya. However, they couldn't stay long—one of Wicked Wayne's employees sold the pair out to the authorities, and the Squad were forced to retreat to their hideout. Weighing their options, they decided to do a mission for the Skulls.

While some of the squad was okay with life under O'Banon, the others remained uneasy. Drug running for O'Banon got to him as well, as was the crime lord's use of torture. Added to which was Hammond's message on Razalya and soon, his status had lost its appeal. Through a middle-man, Grif managed to receive a message from Hammond, who revealed that his mother was dying, with only a few weeks to live. After some soul searching, Grif resolved to head back to his village. Matthew was against it—O'Banon had given them a job, and he was tired of Grif complaining about their benefactor. The two men almost came to blows, but Matthew eventually relented, seeing how important heading to his village was to his friend. He agreed to drop him off there and give him a day to conduct his business.

Grif returned and met up with Hammond, where he learnt of the dire straits of his parents, his home and Hammond's intent to move to Tarkusza. He then reunited with his mother. She then showed him a recording his father had made on his death bed, whose words explained why the Murdocks had never accepted their son's money, along with their shame at the path he had chosen. Grif was filled with shame and stayed with his mother until she died, which didn't take long.

Afterwards, Grif said his farewells to Hammond, who promised to take care of Grif's mother's affairs and reminded Grif that he'd be welcome in tarkusza. Afterwards, Grif reflected on all that had transpired, and how the life he'd led over the last five years had lost its appeal even further.

After a few jobs, Grif shot O'bannon and left his service along with his squad. Remembering Hammond's offer, Grif visited his friend on Tarkusza. Hammond, now the magistrate, offered him and his squads the position of marshal in return for clemency, seeing Grif's squad's background as a useful commodity for a life in law enforcement.Grif told him he'd consider it. Remembering his father's words, Grif agreed. He could be who he chose to be.

Grif was 29 years old when the Rebels attacked his town. In the wake of the attack, Grif received orders to escort the Tarkuzans to the outlying forests where they would be safe. Here he was partnered with the new Magistrate with whom he would share a close working relationship. While safeguarding the colonists, the evacuation base received a distress flare from a nearby village. Alpha Squadron commander, Orile Tanic ordered the Squad to ignore it, saying that Alpha Squadron would handle it. However, Grif believed that they would be unable to respond in time, and set off to relieve them the in defiance of orders, the Magistrate sending in some militia as support. During a lull in the battle, he rescued Eliene Adams, a young noble and her family. Arriving at Village they successfully drove the rebels from the immediate area and destroyed a nearby town hall. However, this put them at odds with the Alpha Squadron. Grif and his men were subsequently arrested for destroying government property and taken to the prison ship Merrimack. He would not remain imprisoned for long.

In secret, Grif and his squad would plan their escape, but the final piece of the puzzle would come in the form of Eliene Adams, who felt indebted to the squad and grew tired of her family. Sneaking their weapons, Grif and his squad escaped the merricmack via the safety boats, and made their way back to Tarkusza. And after months of planning and research, the squad finally managed to gain access to that something—Orile Tanic, confined to an iron lung, but still malignant. The squad confronted Orile, months of mutual loathing bubbling to the surface. Orile tried to bribe the squad, even begged him to spare his life. Grifwould have none of it however, knowing that Orile was still as dangerous as he was back on tarkuza and would always be so, he shot Orile dead. Not in anger, but in justice. He made his way back to his old hideout, where he and his squad would operate out of, as outlaws.

Abilities:

Master Martial Artist: Grif is a seasoned combat veteran of exceptional skills. He is well-versed in the arts of warfare and hand-to-hand combat.

Expert Marksman: He is an exceptional marksman who is depicted as being ambidextrous in this respect. He is skilled in sharpshooting.

Interrogation Expert

Tactical Genius

Strength level:
Grif possesses the normal human strength of a 6'1" 200-pound man, who engages in intensive and extensive physical exercise. Grif is capable of press lifting up to twice his bodyweight and can press lift 400 lbs. Grif engages in a brutal regimen of calisthenics, katas and firing range practice daily.

Equipment:

Grif's main weapon is a custom rifle made by Alex Thares, but employs a vast array of conventional firearms including rifles, shotguns, revolvers, knives, explosives and other weapons culled from common and organized criminals and military sources during his operations. A vast majority of his weapons have roots in military forces around the world, and typically employs weapons and accessories limited to military operations.