Gender: Male

Race: Dwarf

Lvl suggestion: 1-5

Where was he born?

Our character was born in the city of Carran on the Western edge of the Northern Sanction. There were other Dwarves in the city but it is dominated by humans. Carran is the smallest of the 3 regions controlling the Northern Sanction but it is not regarded as vulnerable. Through hundreds of years of training and handling, they have tamed and bread griffons into the ranks of their army. The Griffon riders of Carran are said to rival the strength of the Order of the Phoenix in Erast. This is a common discussion and cause for many brawls in the many bars and inns across the Sanction.

Who are his parents?

His mother and father were Nustrid and Fokrir Flataxe. They migrated to Carran from the Drawehn Hills to the west. The Drawehn hills were a pathetic excuse for Dwarven living according to Fokrir. He was raised on the tales of glory and fortune his grandfather would tell. The Dwarven empire and influence used to rule the entire continent. But when the Sky Forge went cold it all came crashing down. The powers of the Northern Sanction were too busy infighting to help the Dwarves fight off Orc and Drow. The Dwarves were eventually routed from their mountain kingdom and exiled to the west, into the Drawehn Hills. Forced to live a life above ground, the Dwarven people became bitter and full of sorrow.

Carran was not a Dwarven region, but Fokrir thought he could bring honor back to his family by settling there and becoming a successful blacksmith. Maybe one day, he would unlock the secrets to re-ignite the Skyforge and restore glory to his people. It was not long however, before Fokrir realized the hatred Dwarves held for humans was mutual. Even with a new born son, none of the established smiths would hire him. When he eventually did find work it was in a stable, shoveling shit.

Fokrir grew angry, resentful, and drunk. He took out his frustrations and failings on his son. Nustrid was able to get his attention sometimes to shoulder the burden, but only sometimes.

What was he doing before this adventure?

Because of his father, home was the last place our character ever wanted to be. He spent every second he could out on the streets of Carran. He would avoid most areas around the castle or anywhere he could see an excess of guards. He developed a penchant for stealing and pick-pocketing. Through his little exploits he made a couple human friends who seemed to enjoy the same activities. They were brothers, Conlan and Cornan. They had an upbringing not unlike our young Dwarf’s so the bond was quick to form, and strong. The trio spent their time skulking in the shadows, unknowingly honing skills that would serve them greatly in their adult lives.

In early adulthood, Conlan made contact with a man name Lachta (Lock-Ta), who was looking for young “professionals” like them to help his crew. Lachta was a Dusk in the guild of the Immortal Night, a crime syndicate with roots stretching across the entire Sanction. The rumor was that their headquarters was located Erast but in reality, no one knew where they the seat of power stood.

The three made quite an impression. They could steal, fight and more. Conlan loved his daggers but Cornan was a true swordsman. You’ve never seen someone like him with a blade — it was like watching a bard play his greatest tune. Over the years they earned a name for themselves on streets of Carran. Even guards would move out of the way as they walked down the streets at night. Our character never told his mother where his money and reputation really came from, and she never asked.

Nustrid’s favorite nights were when her son would take her to the Silver Pear. It was one of the nicest taverns in the city and everyone catered to her every need. She never noticed Conlan and Cornan with their eyes on the crowd, making sure everything went “smoothly”. The human patrons would squirm in their chairs, wanting so badly to fire glances of judgment at the dwarven pair. The brothers made sure those looks stayed aimed at their own plates.

Why did he leave his previous life?

Things went on like this for years. The three of them never started a crew of their own, in spite of Lachta’s insistence that they do so. Why would they? They could earn everything they needed and more and Lachta had his other lackeys to handle the work they didn’t want to do. He couldn’t punish them. They were more son’s to him than employees at this point and he was more of a father to them than they ever had. Their relationship broke all the rules of the guild but Lachta was the ranking member in Carran so no one could do anything about it.

Lachta was getting on in years, in his early 50’s, when he started acting strange. He was much more paranoid (than usual) and on edge. He was never the muscle of the group — he didn’t need to be with his “sons” around. But he started carrying a sword and shield with him everywhere. He slept with the shield on top of him like a blanket. He was jumpy and talked a lot about his “Northern Contacts”.  The three didn’t know what he meant and he refused to explain further.

Stranger still was when Lachta decided to break the three of them up. Our character awoke one morning and went to the Salty Sea Inn where they would meet daily to discuss business. He found Lachta sitting alone at their table, looking like a dog who had eaten his master’s shoe.

“Where are the boys?”

“I sent them north” Lachta said quietly, not raising his eyes.

“North? Tha fuck do you mean North? I’m sick of this shite ‘in the north’ you’ve been babbling on about for weeks.”

“They had to go north don’t you understand!? They can save me!”

“Lachta, what the fuck did you do with me brothers? Tell me right now.” Our character didn’t realize it at the time but one of this battle axes was already stiff in his right hand.

Tears began to well up in Lachta’s eyes and he said “I’m sorry, it couldn’t be me.”

“Right, I’m going to go find them now. If I find out anythin’ has happened to them, you’ll want an army here with ya when I get back” and with that, our character left the inn. He gathered supplies for travel, strapped his two battles axes to his back and set off with the only clue he had, North.

What did he leave behind?

He’s leaving behind the only city he’s ever known. He never traveled more than a day or two outside the city. If there was any trouble outside of that range, they had people to handle it. He told his mother he would be back soon and he left some money to keep her afloat. He gave the innkeeper at the Silver Pear 10 gold to keep a room open for her whenever she needed it. They didn’t need to talk about it but they knew it was so she could get away from Fokrir if she needed to.

What does he want?

The only thing that matters is finding his brothers. No matter how long it takes or where the road leads, he will find them. He will manipulate, bribe, bloody or murder anyone who gets in his way even if they are Immortal Night’s themselves.

 

Featured Image source: https://ndc880117.deviantart.com/art/Bioshock-Infinite-Dark-alley-444269254