All of the Dukes have a magnificent evil laugh. It’s Villainy 101 – no self-respecting Lord of Darkness can achieve greatness without perfecting an evil laugh. But these laughs are always cruel and mocking, echoing instruments of intimidation rather than self-expression. They aren’t indications of pleasure or amusement.
Except, that is, for Gurth the Odious. Gurth alone among the Dukes has something approaching a sense of humor. When Kamu or Eekrah laugh during battle, you can be sure that some evil plan has just come to fruition, or that some Do-Gooder is being faced with the Hopelessness of their Situation. When Gurth’s deep, evil chuckle rolls across the battlefield like thunder, however, it’s just as likely that someone’s pants fell down. (That never gets old.)
Make no mistake - Gurth the Odious is not a nice guy: far from it. His stubby, green claws have poked out of his shapeless robes more than once to sentence innocent people/villages/countries to death, and he’s eaten more than his fair share of Do-Gooders. But it’s quite possible that, while he’s perpetrating crimes against humanity, the hulking Gurth will be chortling the whole while.
The other Dukes find Gurth virtually impossible to conduct diplomacy with, because he takes almost nothing seriously and is erratic and unpredictable. Gurth has even been known to employ jesters from time to time, but then Gurth has been known to eat jesters from time to time, so job applicants should take heed.
