Ulgrim

Ulgrim is the former First Blade of the Erulan Emperor, and plays a significant role in the events following the Grim Dawn.

First Blade
When Ulgrim became the First Blade, his former identity has been stricken from all records so that he could operate outside the boundaries of the law. His new job as the Emperor's assassin and spymaster involved eliminating all kinds of threats to the Empire, from Arcanists to Occultists to Rovers to Nightblades of Erulan's noble houses.

While the First Blade's existence has not been secret, as it has been known to many Erulan citizens, bringing to light that the Emperor resorts to such methods could result in a "personal meeting" with the First Blade.

Ulgrim is known to have made decisions not approved by officers of the Black Legion. In particular, the mutual animosity between him and Captain Somer remained even after the Grim Dawn.

Grim Dawn
Despite all the mundane protections and magical wards shielding the Emperor of Erulan, he became a vessel for an Aetherial. In a moment of lucidity, the Emperor ordered his First Blade to kill him and take his son to safety, as well as seek out Inquisitor Creed. After this, the Aetherial took over, and a battle ensued, from which Ulgrim emerged victorious. Apparently, Ulgrim did get the prince to safety, but has not shared any information regarding his whereabouts.

It was after this event that Ulgrim actually adopted this name instead of just the title of the First Blade.

Some time later, Ulgrim sought out Inquisitor Creed. Together they decided to make contact with the Black Legion and form a resistance to the Aetherials.

Totally just a cook
The Taken meets Ulgrim in the Burrwitch Outskirts, where he has been hiding out alone since the village fell to the Aetherials. Ulgrim pretends to be a simple cook, and the player character has the option to transport him to Devil's Crossing via riftgate, which grants the Ironclad Chef side quest. After this he will set up inside the prison as a cook, and will serve soup and tell stories, which appear to euphemistically describe his exploits as the First Blade.

On the way to Homestead
When the Taken discovers Elsa in the Barren Highlands, Ulgrim leaves Devil's Crossing for Homestead. The Taken finds Ulgrim at Deadman's Gulch, where the "cook" is no longer unarmed and is now protecting some stranded refugees he has found. Ulgrim reveals to the player character his former job as the First Blade, saying this is fitting compensation for digging around and finding out about the Taken's former possession by an Aetherial, something they have not mentioned to Ulgrim directly.

As the only way to Homestead is too dangerous for the refugees to survive, Ulgrim asks the Taken to use their unique ability to re-purpose riftgates by passing through the Mountain Deeps, reaching Homestead, reactivating the riftgate there, and returning to Ulgrim and the refugees to have them transported to the settlement.

After this is done, Ulgrim moves alongside Creed, where they continue developing the resistance's strategy. In particular, after the Taken defeats The Amalgamation, Ulgrim advises seeking the support of one of the cults, either Kymon's Chosen or the Order of Death's Vigil.

Loghorrean's summoning and Ulgrim's disappearance
Ulgrim joins the Taken at Fort Ikon, where the protagonist reveals to him that the worshippers of Ch'thon are planning to summon the Loghorrean at the Necropolis. When the player character activates the Necropolis Interior riftgate, Ulgrim transports there and evaluates the situation.

The Chthonian cultists are using vast amounts of blood to maintain a seal which, while not a problem for Ulgrim to breach, prevents the Taken from following. The former First Blade asks the protagonist to destroy the blood wagons so that the flow of blood is interrupted, then to follow Ulgrim into the depths of the necropolis and ensure the Loghorrean is not summoned.

The Taken and Ulgrim turn out to be somewhat late, as Loghorrean is very much alive and has to be beaten in combat. In the middle of the battle, however, void rifts open around the chamber and consume Ulgrim. The player character is forced to finish the job alone.

After the Loghorrean is defeated, Inquisitor Creed learns of Ulgrim's loss to the Void. Even Captain Somer, despite her previous attitude towards the former First Blade, laments his loss.

The search for Ulgrim
Suspecting Ulgrim of being more than a mere mortal, Inquisitor Creed refuses to let him go and believes he may still be alive after being transported to the Void. The inquisitor resorts to occult magic, invoking Solael and Bysmiel, to attempt to summon Ulgrim, which fails as a Chthonian monster materializes in the air and prepares to attack Creed with chaos magic. Creed shields himself from the blast, but is convinced he is not enough of a warlock to try to reach Ulgrim that way.

As John Bourbon and Amala come out of the riftgate and report an attack on Devil's Crossing by a massive Aetherial creation which came from Malmouth, Creed decides on a plan which will allow both to retake the fallen city and rescue Ulgrim. The path to Malmouth lies through Ugdenbog, where the refuge of a coven of witches is located. Creed instructs the Taken to request assistance from the witches there in finding Ulgrim. The inquisitor gives the protagonist a keepsake of the lost warrior.

The witches show familiarity with Ulgrim and express that they would prefer him not to be lost to the Void. They recruit the Taken's assistance, after which they instruct the player character to use Ulgrim's keepsake, now covered by runes, at the Altar of Rattosh to open a Chthonic rift, which may additionally allow the Taken to bypass the aetherfire-consumed lands between Ugdenbog and Malmouth.

Ulgrim's return
Beyond the rift eventually lies Void's Edge, where Ulgrim is sitting near the Loghorrean's corpse. Ulgrim is heavily injured and delirious, and the Taken has to convince him to remember them as his friend. Ulgrim reveals that he was ready when the Loghorrean was banished into the Void, and defeated the monster for a second and probably the final time. Ulgrim's injuries prevent him from fighting his way out of the Void alongside the Taken, so he requests the protagonist to clear the path for him while he follows through the shadows.

As the Taken finds a rift leading out of the Void, both warriors find themselves at the Lone Watch, past the aetherfire blockade and not far south from Malmouth. This location is inhabited by cultists of Ch'thon, still battling their Aetherial foe all across Mourndale. Ulgrim tells the protagonist to fight their way through the battlefield towards Malmouth Outskirts, and reactivate the riftgate there.

When this riftgate is reactivated, Ulgrim transports through. Since the bridge into the city is raised, Ulgrim sends the Taken through the only way inside – the sewers – where surviving members of Malmouth Resistance may be located (and as it turns out, are located). When the Malmouth Sewers riftgate is captured by the player character, Ulgrim transports through and reaches the resistance's hideout.

When the resistance's former base in the Steelcap District is recaptured, Ulgrim, having recovered about as far as it is possible, moves there in preparation for the final battle against the Aetherials in the city. By the time the Taken captures the Crown Hill riftgate, Ulgrim has recovered enough to follow through with a small contingent from the Black Legion and participate in this final battle.

Ulgrim's final instructions to the protagonist involve destruction of several ventilation shafts so that the sealed entrance to the Fleshworks is forced to open. Ulgrim does not follow the Taken through, and leaves it upon the player character to defeat Theodin Marcell singlehandedly.

After the Shaper of Flesh is defeated, Ulgrim returns to the Resistance's base in the Steelcap District. He can discuss plans for the future with the protagonist.

Possible ascendant?
Inquisitor Creed suspects Ulgrim of being not a mere mortal, but an ascendant. This suspicion is based on that Ulgrim's fighting skills seem far greater than would be expected for his apparent age, and Ulgrim's recollection of long-past historical events being as detailed as a memory of a direct witness. Additionally, the name Ulgrim apparently belonged to a mythic figure in the past. These suspicions fueled Creed's desire to reclaim Ulgrim when he was taken by the Void in the battle with the Loghorrean.

Some of the refugees Ulgrim protected at Deadman's Gulch also mention Ulgrim fighting better than seems possible given his apparent old age. A witch from the coven of Ugdenbog also referred to Ulgrim as a "legend".

Quotes

 * "It was known that anyone of significance who fomented discontent or posed a real threat to the rule of the emperor might be visited by the First Blade. I had never stirred such controversy but I always imagined, if such an encounter took place, I could put up a respectable fight. I never got the chance. Taken unawares, I was disarmed before I even knew what was happening. Had he sought my death, I would not have even witnessed the killing stroke fall. However, he seemed more interested in answers instead and, in turn, provided me with an account of his own events that confirmed my worst fears. The First Blade revealed that, only days prior, he had been forced to turn his knives on the Emperor himself, by his own command. Despite the myriad safeguards protecting the Emperor, both mundane and arcane, he had become host to an Aetherial. Through strength of mind, he had usurped his possessor long enough to summon the First Blade, command his own execution and charge the assassin with ensuring that his son, the young prince, survive to reclaim the throne. His last commands issued, the Emperor's consciousness slipped once again under the control of the Aetherial and a desperate battle ensued. The First Blade reported that he believed the Emperor and the Aetherial within him slain but, given his inexperience with the entities, could not say anything for certain. He relayed that he had secretly taken the prince and put him into hiding but declined to elaborate. The First Blade said he intended to retire his imperial title and had chosen the name Ulgrim, which made me curious as to whether it was an intentional reference to the mythic character." - Journal of Inquisitor Creed - 8th Entry
 * "The emperor's spymaster and assassin. His name was stricken from all the records. His very identity erased so he could exist outside the boundaries of the law. This gave the emperor great freedom in handling matters some would deem objectionable to the throne. All knew it, none would dare bring it to light lest they have a meeting with the First Blade. He was truly unparalleled in his art; feared even by the Nightblades of the noble houses, many of whom silently met their end at his hands. One might question the morality of his job but not the ruthless effectiveness of his performance. I will say though, he did deliver a form of justice to many corrupt and vile men. He silenced many conflicts before they could grow into larger and bloodier ordeals." - Inquisitor Creed