Born on the 7th of Nolus (635TR) in the dwarven kingdom of Azadmere, Gurzakh is the adopted son of Kharas of Clan Asandril, White Mountain King of Arms, the chief herald of Azadmere. Having lost both of his natural parents to a terrible plague that swept through Azadmere in the year of his birth, Gurzakh was taken in by Kharas and later (at the dwarven age of accountability -- 33 years) officially adopted and apprenticed as a herald. Unfortunately, the blood of proud warriors flowed in Gurzakh's veins, and he showed little interest in or aptitude for the scholarly work of a herald. Gurzakh, much to the chagrin of his new father, chose to spending most of his free time (and some of his "not-so-free" time) among the various warrior companies of Azadmere, learning what he could of weaponry and combat from the old hands who served in them. At first, Kharas turned a blind eye to the increasingly martial interests of his youngest son, and hoping to stimulate a stronger interest in the work of heraldry took a personal role in the youth's training. This,however, served only to prolong an inevitable confrontation between father and son for a few short years. Realizing that his father would never grant him permission to join one of Azadmere's military companies, and not wanting to bring disgrace upon his adoptive family by openly questioning his father's authority, Gurzakh quietly left Azadmere in the dead of night to find his way in the wider world of the human kingdoms to the south, vowing to only return home when his doing so could bring greater glory and honor to the household of Asandril.

Although he has travelled far and seen much in the two decades since leaving Azadmere, he has yet to accomplish much of significance and often despairs of ever returning to his home. At times this sense of despair can cause Gurzakh to become withdrawn and uncommunicative (even more so than usual) or, alternately, it can lead to intense bursts of anger and rage. Recently, however, Gurzakh has (for the first time) made some human acquaintances who both are both willing to accept and respect him as an equal. This has done a great deal to shore up his resolve to continue on in his quest to bring glory and honor to his family back home in Azadmere. Perhaps the oddest thing that has happened to him in recent years, however, is that his life was saved by the Uruk-Hai bounty hunter, Ishnaak Toobah (see above), and he finds himself now morally obligated to repay the ultimate debt to one who -- under "normal" circumstances -- would be a mortal enemy. This situation, of course, causes Gurzakh to worry a great deal about how he will ever be able to explain his actions to his family, much less other dwarves with whom he might come into contact. As thinking too long on this problem tends to cause him to experience severe headaches, Gurzakh chooses to ignore the peculiarity of his situation, trusting that things will work out for the best in the end. Oddly, in recent weeks he has found himself developing a surprising sense of respect and admiration for the Uruk's exceptional fighting skills and strong warrior code¹.

Gurzakh is a relentless warrior and stubborn opponent, and more often than not has to be (physically) forced by his companions into breaking off a "bad" engagement². Although just barely above four feet in height, and only weighing about 115 pounds, he is surprisingly strong and quick, often able to defeat multiple opponents more than twice his own size. Although not an inspiring leader or a particularly charming fellow, Gurzakh is a faithful companion and a good story-teller, who possesses a surprising amount of knowledge concerning Harn, its history and its heroes. Although he has little recognition of it, Gurzakh has, over the years through his near continual association with humans and human cultures, developed a number of typically human attitudes, perspectives, and mannerisms, which tend to strike other (less-travelled, more provincial) dwarves as distinctly odd, or unnatural. For example, Gurzakh has taken up the very human customs of smoking "Pipeweed," gambling, and such. He has also developed a fairly strong liking for being "in the out of doors."

Notes:

1 -- The recognition that the two races are perhaps not all that different is, however, still at the farthest edges Gurzakh's unconscious sense of the possible.

2 -- In fact, it took an incredibly large number of inordinately lengthy discussions (arguments?) before his companions were able to finally convince Gurzakh that "tactical readjustment" was not synonymous with "retreat."