Thorgim Nashkellan

Born: 1315 DR

Age: 57

Hometown: West Harbor, Mere of Dead Men, south of Neverwinter

Thorgrim is the Captain of the Guard in Hillbrooke. He was born in West Harbor to Trendon Nashkellan, a farmer, and his wife Meren.

Harborman are known for being extremely resilient, strong physically, mentally, and emotionally. Thorgrim is no exception. He is rugged, stern, and very serious, yet has a strong moral compass and has a compassionate heart. Like most Harborman, Thorgrim values individualism and personal responsibility.

Thorgrim was very close to his father and spent most of his time helping his father work the land. Farming in West Harbor was not easy, despite the fertileness of the land. After all, it was a swamp. In 1325, when Thorgrim was ten, his father died in a farming accident. Thorgrim had a strong sense of responsibility and because he was with his father when the accident happened he felt responsible for his father’s death.

Meren remarried about a year later to man who turned out to be an alcoholic and was physically and mentally abusive to both Thorgrim and his mother. Thorgrim took after his father physically and was tall and strong, even at eleven. When a fight broke out between his stepfather and his mother, which happened often, Thorgrim would get in between them and would take the beating instead.

At thirteen, Thorgrim was grown enough to start fighting back. When he got in between his stepfather and mother, he took the first punch from his stepfather and then to his stepfather’s surprise, he hit back. Caught off guard, his stepfather crumpled to the floor beneath Thorgrim’s blows. Thorgrim’s mother grabbed Thorgrim and pulled him off, begging him to stop. Without thinking, Thorgrim turned his back to his stepfather and pulled his arm away from his mother. He started to turn back to his stepfather when he felt a knife enter his back. The unexpected pain made him stumble and his stepfather shoved him to the floor. Thorgrim watched in horror as his stepfather then wrapped his hands around his mother’s throat and began strangling her. Thorgrim struggled to his feet and tried to go to his mother’s aid when he felt hands behind him grab him and pull him back. The room was suddenly filled with men from the town who had come to investigate the screams. They pulled Thorgrim’s stepfather off of his mother but it was too late. Meren was dead. Enraged, the men dragged Thorgrim’s stepfather out of the house. As Thorgrim lay on the floor, looking at his mother’s lifeless body and listening to the men call for a cleric and a rope, he realized what was happening. They were going to hang his stepfather. Finally, he fell unconscious from the blood loss.

Waking up the next morning, Thorgrim found himself lying in a strange bed. At first he thought he had had a nightmare but the night before suddenly came back to him. He struggled to sit up and saw one of the men who had come to his house sitting in a chair by his bed. It was Grogan, the farmer who ran the farm next to Thorgrim’s. Grogan confirmed that Thorgrim’s mother was dead and that his stepfather had been hanged for killing his mother. Grogan offered to let Thorgrim live with him in exchange for helping him work the farm. Having no other alternative, Thorgrim accepted.

He lived with Grogan for two years, but found it painful to be so close to the memories of his father and mother. In 1330, Thorgrim slipped out of Grogan’s house and left West Harbor, vowing never to return. Thorgrim never knew that Grogan had watched him leave and didn’t try stopping him. He knew how the boy had been quietly suffering and rightly suspected that one day Thorgrim would leave West Harbor.

Making his way north, Thorgrim came to Neverwinter. At fifteen years of age he looked like a full grown man of twenty. He was 6’4” tall, well-built from years of hard farming, and even had a full beard. Looking for work, he came across a young husband and wife leaving Neverwinter and moving to Waterdeep. They had recently come into some money and wanted to start their lives further south. Lying about his age, Thorgrim offered to guard them on their journey south in exchange for payment. After negotiating a contract, they left. They reached Waterdeep in two weeks time and Thorgrim had earned his pay. He had fought off bandits, and a few goblins. Grateful, the young couple paid Thorgrim his due and added half of his payment on top. After reaching Waterdeep, Thorgrim took them to the closest inn, and let them buy him dinner. The young couple told everyone in the inn how Thorgrim had kept them safe on their journey. This caught the ear of a caravan master who, impressed with Thorgrim’s size, offered him a job as one of the guards guarding a caravan to Yartar. Thorgrim accepted.

Over the next five years, Thorgrim guarded caravans traveling the Sword Coast, from Waterdeep as far north as Ten-Towns and as far east as Silverymoon. His reputation grew and in 1335 Thorgrim hand-selected a group of men and formed his own company. They were in friendly competition with other caravan guards but Thorgrim and his company were highly sought after and got all of the best jobs.

By 1344, when Thorgrim had turned 29, he began to tire of guarding caravans. He had amassed quite the small fortune and because of his company’s reputation the bandits along the trade routes knew which caravans Thorgrim was guarding and left them alone. Consequently, Thorgrim and his men rarely saw any action. Contemplating what to do, Thorgrim had an inspiration. He would reform his company into a bounty hunting company. Discussing it with his men and finding out they felt the same way, Thorgrim decided this last caravan was the last one they would guard. After delivering it safely to Waterdeep, Thorgrim visited his regular clients and announced his decision. Obviously, they were none too pleased but Thorgrim’s competition was. As a final service, Thorgrim recommended to his clients which of his competitors they should employ.

Advertising his bounty hunting services, Thorgrim was soon contacted by Candahar Formulgrint, a dwarf merchant. Candahar assigned Thorgrim and his company to find a runaway bride who was supposed to have escaped to Yartar, resisting the marriage her parents had arranged for her. Thorgrim was hesitant until Candahar told him that the bride’s parents were paying good money for their daughter’s retrieval, enough that Thorgrim’s share would triple his total amassed wealth.

Thorgrim and his company successfully retrieved the runaway bride and brought her back to Waterdeep. They had to keep her bound at first to ensure she would not run away again, but Thorgrim ensured she was treated well. His humane treatment helped Thorgrim gain her trust and during the journey Thorgrim was able to help her see that the arranged marriage was for her benefit. By the time they arrived back, the runaway bride was ready to go through with marriage.

In 1345, when he was 30 years of age, Thorgrim and his company were in Waterdeep when one his men struck up a conversation with a young fighter who called himself Lionel. Lionel was eventually to become someone very important to Thorgrim but upon their first meeting they did not get along. Lionel thought Thorgrim was too cautious and too by the book while Thorgrim thought Lionel was young and brash, though he carried himself well and had potential. It did not escape Thorgrim’s notice that Lionel refused to talk much about his past or where he came from but his clothes and weapons were of good quality. The son of a wealthy merchant, Thorgrim thought.

For the next five years, Lionel continued with Thorgrim and his company. He fit in well and was an able fighter. Although he came close to disrespecting Thorgrim a few times, he followed his direction.

In 1350 Thorgrim and his company were on their way to Neverwinter to retrieve a fugitive from Waterdeep being held for them. They approached a small farming village they had stayed in several times to find shelter for the night, planning to continue on to Neverwinter the next day. They were on the outskirts of the village when they were ambushed by the villagers. Obviously of no match for the bounty hunters, they were quickly subdued. Recognizing that the villagers were not acting on their own but under coercion, Thorgrim questioned the villagers and was told what had been happening in the villager.

Three days previous a demon had been foolishly summoned by an inexperienced wizard who had recently taken up residence in the town. The demon had broken loose of the summoning circle the wizard had prepared, killed the wizard and proceeded to subjugate the town, forcing the villagers to bring it what little material wealth they had and when that was exhausted, was forcing the villagers to kill travelers and bring the loot to the demon.  The demon had set himself up a makeshift throne room in the mayor’s house. Thorgrim directed Lavalius, the company’s resident mage, to try and scry into the mayor’s house to confirm the demon was there. Immediately recognizing the scrying, the demon reversed it, learned where Thorgrim and his band were, and summoned in soldiers from the Abyss, surrounding the bounty hunters. Caught off guard, the bounty hunters fought desperately for their lives but quickly lost ground. Despite fighting fiercely, the demon soldiers had the upper hand and within a few minutes only Thorgrim and Lionel were still alive and were slowly being forced toward the door of the mayor’s house. Both Thorgrim and Lionel realized that the demon soldiers were trapping them between themselves and the summoned demon inside the house. Sure enough, the summoned demon inside burst through the door and announced that the two mortals would quickly die at the hands of Terazon. Desperately, Lionel and Thorgrim fought back and began to circle, hoping to keep their three remaining enemies off balance. After a few minutes the two demon soldiers were finally destroyed. Turning to face Terazon, the two warriors surged forward and engaged the demon. The battle raged across the village, and slowly they gained the upper hand, weakening the demon with hit after hit, despite staggering off the wounds Terazon inflicted on them. It was pure adrenaline and fear driving them forward. Finally, Terazon fell to one knee, gasping for breath. Not hesitating, Lionel delivered the killing stroke, his sword buried to the hilt in the demon’s chest. Roaring in fury, Terazon surged to both feet and roared to the heavens. As his body began to dissipate, forcing him back to the Abyss, Terazon promised revenge and eternal torment upon Lionel and his descendants.

The grateful villagers sheltered Thorgrim and Lionel that night and tended to their wounds. The next day, Thorgrim and Lionel continued on to Neverwinter to collect their bounty and were dismayed to find that the fugitive had escaped. Candahar was not going to be happy. The journey to Waterdeep was a hard one for Thorgrim. Most of the members of the band had been men he was very close with; they had formerly guarded caravans together. Thorgrim felt deeply a burden of guilt and held himself responsible for the death of his men.

After arriving back in Waterdeep a few days later, their prediction was correct. Candahar was not happy that Thorgrim’s delay had not only let their bounty get away but he also held Thorgrim responsible for the deaths of the other members of the band. Candahar fired both Thorgrim and Lionel right there on the spot and told them that if either one ever set foot in Waterdeep ever again he would make sure that they were locked away for a long, long time.

With their lives as bounty hunters suddenly at a tragic end, Lionel decided that it was a good time to return home. He told Thorgrim his plan and only then revealed his true identity, asking Thorgrim to join him on his trip home. Thorgrim declined; his own guilt combined with Candahar’s condemnation weighed heavily on him, and Lionel was a reminder of what he had lost. Thorgrim decided to head south and see Baldur’s Gate, as he had never seen that great city, and perhaps go as far as Tethyr. Lionel told Thorgrim that if he ever found his way back north to come to Hillbrooke; he would always have a place there.

Thorgrim did not tell Lionel the truth of why he wanted to go south. He needed to repent for the deaths of his men and the only way he felt he could do that was to deliver the news of their deaths personally. From the bodies of each of his men he had retrieved some personal token. He intended to deliver each token back to the families.

Four of the men, Lavalius, Brytaln, Ryscan, and Phiel were from Waterdeep. Thorgrim had known their families for many years and they knew and respected him. Visiting each one, he delivered the tragic news and returned each man’s token back to them. Each man from Waterdeep had a wife and children. It was hard for Thorgrim to tell them what had happened but he knew he had to do so. They were his men; he should be the one to tell them.

None of the mens’ widows in Waterdeep held Thorgrim responsible and forgave him. Still, Thorgrim did not feel his burden get any lighter. Perhaps once he had found all of the families the guilt would ease.

That left Nasan, Clavell, and Saralas. These three remaining families were farther south. Thorgrim knew that Nasan and Clavell were from Amn; Nasan from Nashkel and Clavell from Athkatla. Saralas was from Tethyr, a small village called Starspire located near the Trade Way, on the north side of the Starspire Mountains.

Thorgrim traveled south from Waterdeep to Nashkel and found Nasan’s family. The meeting did not go well. Nasan was his parents’ only child and while his father understood that Nasan was in a dangerous profession and therefore he did not hold anything against Thorgrim, Nasan’s mother screamed bitter words at Thorgrim and told him he should never have come to them. It would have been better for them not to have known. Thorgrim tried to comfort her but Nasan’s father told him it was just best that he left.

His guilt grew and he dreaded finding the other two families. He almost gave up but his guilt and sense of responsibility drove him forward. Reaching Athkatla, Thorgrim looked up Ecmarsone, a wealthy merchant who had accompanied a caravan from Waterdeep to Neverwinter Thorgrim had guarded years before. Ecmarsone was so impressed with how Thorgrim handled himself that he told Thorgrim to look him up if he ever came to Athkatla.

Ecmarsone knew of Clavell’s family. They were a minor merchant family and Clavell had not joined the family business, wanting instead to adventure and travel. Ecmarsone warned Thorgrim that Clavell’s parting with his family was not a good one and, to Ecmarsone’s knowledge, Clavell had not been home or written to his family for many years.

Thorgrim found Clavell’s family and delivered the news and Clavell’s personal property. The meeting was short. After delivering the news Clavell’s father had Thorgrim escorted out.

Almost overwhelmed with guilt, Thorgrim stayed one more night with Ecmarsone before heading down to Tethyr. Ecmarsone tried to convince Thorgrim to give up this quest and go back north but Thorgrim knew that no matter what, this was something he had to do. His conscience would not let him rest until he found Saralas’ family and told them of Saralas’s death.

The next morning, Thorgrim left for Tethyr. Three months had passed since he set out from Waterdeep. Up north winter was setting in but this far south Thorgrim felt he was in a warm spring season.

Knowing that he was about to enter a lawless land, Thorgrim found a group of adventurers to travel with. In 1347 a nationwide rebellion had take place in Tethyr and the ruling monarch and many nobles, along with their families, had been killed by angry mobs. That left Tethyr with no government and no law enforcement, except for what could be managed locally at settlements and cities across Tethyr. Bandits plagued the Tradeway from just to the south of The Small Teeth down through the Starspire Mountains.

Arriving in Mosstone, a town along the Trade Way, Thorgrim inquired of Saralas’s family at an inn. The innkeeper happened to know some members of Saralas’s family and told Thorgrim they did indeed live in Starspire. He also informed Thorgrim that Saralas’s widow was about to give birth. Thorgrim remembered that Saralas had taken leave from Waterdeep the year previous and went home. He knew now what the man had been busy doing. Knowing that Saralas’s child would never know its father was almost too much for Thorgrim, but he pressed on.

Finding Starspire, Thorgrim stopped at the local tavern and inquired as to where Saralas’s family lived. A man overheard Thorgrim, introduced himself as Isenhal, cleric of Tyr and close friend of the Saralas family. Isenhal asked Thorgrim why he wanted to find Saralas’s family. When Thorgrim told him why, the cleric replied that he had better come with Thorgrim.

On the way to Saralas’ house, Isenhal informed Thorgrim that Saralas was a family name; Saralas’ first name was Darandl. When they got to Saralas’ house, Isenhal introduced Thorgrim to Danaya, Saralas’ wife, and Durand, Saralas’ father. Thorgrim delivered the news of Saralas’ death, returned his token to Danaya, and expressed his grief and condolences. He then waited, expecting them to scream, yell and throw him out of the house. When neither said anything, Thorgrim expressed his condolences again and turned to leave. Durand asked Thorgrim to stay and share a meal with them, also inviting Isenhal. Thorgrim at first declined but relented when both Durand and Danaya expressed their desire to hear stories about their son and husband. They told Thorgrim they needed to hear of Saralas’ life up north and his death. A few hours later, Thorgrim had told them many stories about Saralas and the details of his death. Durand asked Thorgrim to stay the night with them as it was late and he had no business being out on the road. Thorgrim stated he could stay at the inn but Durand insisted.

The next day Durand asked Thorgrim what his plans were. The night before Thorgrim had told Durand and Danaya that his future was uncertain. Suffering the death of his men had left him doubting his life as a warrior. When Thorgrim replied he had none, Durand told him he was welcome to stay with them. Durand owned a small cattle farm and needed help running it, seeing as he was getting up in years. Thorgrim said he would stay, for a while at least.

Days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into years. Danaya gave birth to a boy she named Jacinn. Thorgrim eventually moved into a house of his own near to Durand and Danaya’s. Danaya never remarried and Thorgrim became like a father to her and an uncle to Jacinn, spending much of his free time with the boy. As Jacinn got older and could help Durand with the farm, Thorgrim took over running the tavern and inn. He became accepted by the people in Starspire and respected by them. Thorgrim put away his swords and armor, leaving his life as a warrior behind, vowing he would never fight again. Seeing the pain and devastation it brought to good people convinced him that talking problems through was a better way. Everyone in the town knew that Thorgrim was a warrior in a past life but he refused to fight, choosing to back down and try to talk his way through confrontations with others.

Knowing Thorgrim was never going to teach him how to use a sword, Jacinn asked a couple of other men in the town to do so. Jacinn took to the lessons well and become a proficient fighter. He also befriended rangers who would pass through town and they taught him how to make a bow and practice with it. He practiced constantly and hunted with his bow, bringing dinner home on more than a few occasions.

The year 1358 brought the Time of Troubles. Thorgrim was 43. Tyr, Isenhal’s deity, came through the Time of Troubles relatively unscathed but having no communion to Tyr during this period of upheaval was unnerving to Isenhal. Life after 1358 was more difficult; there was much adjusting to the effects the reordering of the pantheons had on the races and civilizations of the Realms.

In 1365, when Thorgrim was 50 and Jacinn was 15, a band of ruffians began coming regularly into Starspire and frequenting Thorgrim’s tavern. This band was led by Hnan, a callous rogue who, at 6’7” tall, towered over most men. Hnan and his men caused problems for the people of Starspire but were too numerous for the men of Starspire or the local sheriff to do anything about. More than once, Hnan and his men instigated fights in the tavern. Thorgrim, much to the townspeople’s chagrin, would not physically confront Hnan. He would always try to reason with him. Hnan quickly learned Thorgrim would not do anything to stop him, so his harassment of the people increased to the point that whenever he came into the tavern, just about everyone would get up and leave. Hnan made no secret of his lust for the women of the town and made passes at every one of them he encountered, including Danaya. Danaya furiously refused his advances, once going so far as to slap Hnan. When the bandit leader struck her back, knocking her to the floor, everyone looked to Thorgrim to see what he would do. Even this act was not enough to make Thorgrim confront Hnan. He simply walked over, helped Danaya up, and asked Hnan to leave. The bandit leader looked at first like was going to strike Thorgrim, who, to his credit, didn’t back away. Hnan suddenly spit in Thorgrim’s face, laughed and walked out, followed by his men. The men who were still in the tavern walked out, some shaking their heads at Thorgrim’s apparent cowardice, while a few clapped him on the back and told him half-heartedly he did the right thing by not starting a fight with Hnan.

Feeling unstoppable, Hnan and his gang made no secret of their bandit activities on the Tradeway from the Starspire Mountains to Mosstone, to the point of bragging about them and daring anyone to come to their base in the mountains and confront them. Hnan was even so bold as to give precise directions to their base. This would prove to be fatal mistake.

During Flamerule one morning, Thorgrim was at Durand’s farm on the southern outskirts of Starspire, helping the old man and Danaya with chores. Durand had sent Jacinn into the town on an errand. Without warning, Hnan and several of his men surrounded them, brandishing their weapons. Hnan ordered them all inside the farmhouse. Once inside, he grabbed Danaya and  forced her to lay on her back on the eating table. When Durand protested and started forward, Hnan ordered him to stop and turned back to Danaya. Durand ignored him and hurried to help Danaya off of the table. With a quick motion, Hnan turned and ran his sword into Durand’s gut. The look of surprise and pain on the old man’s face caused Hnan to laugh loudly and he pushed Durand off of his blade, letting him collapse to the floor. Hnan then bent down and wiped the blood off of his sword on Durand’s clothing. He stood up and told two of his men to grab Thorgrim and ordered another to keep Danaya on the table. While two of his men held Thorgrim, Hnan struck him several blows in the gut. He laughed again as Thorgrim coughed and collapsed, held up only by Hnan’s men. Hnan grabbed Thorgrim’s hair and pulled his face up. He spit again in Thorgrim’s face and then let him go.

Just then Jacinn walked through the door and was grabbed by two more of Hnan’s men. Jacinn struggled until Hnan struck him the same as he did Thorgrim. He then walked back over to Danaya. Knowing what he was about to do, Thorgrim warned him to stop. Hnan laughed and asked what he was going to do to stop him. Thorgim repeated his warning. Hnan ignored him.

Thorgrim and Jacinn were forced to watch while Hnan and his men ravaged Danaya. She fought back but was simply not strong enough to fend them off. They assaulted her severely, Hnan telling her that this was her punishment for refusing him that night in the tavern. Jacinn screamed for Hnan to stop and Thorgrim hung his head. Shame, guilt, and anger rose up and mixed together in his gut and heart. He felt bile rise up in his throat and mouth, and he retched. He listened to the sounds of Hnan’s fists striking this woman who was like a daughter to him, sobbing in his helplessness. Danaya’s screams got quieter and quieter, yet the assault did not stop. Jacinn sobbed next to Thorgrim, his pleas for his mother’s life becoming muffled cries.

Finally, the house got quiet. Hnan walked over to Thorgrim and pulled his face up by his hair again. Insane hatred burned in Thorgrim’s eyes and before Hnan could say anything, Thorgrim said one sentence:

“You’d better kill me, because if you don’t, I’m going to find you and kill you.”

Hnan simply laughed and stepped back, letting go of Thorgrim. No one in this town, or for that matter, this part of Tethyr could stop him, he said. Hnan told Thorgrim that he owned Starspire and its people. He could do with them what he pleased. He challenged Thorgrim to come find him, but said he knew he wouldn’t; Thorgrim was a coward. He stepped forward and with his sword pommel knocked both Thorgrim and Jacinn unconscious.

Along with some of the townsmen, Isenhal found Jacinn and Thorgrim and shook Thorgrim awake first. Thorgrim went immediately to Danaya and almost retched again. Danaya was hardly recognizable; she had been beaten that severely. Her naked body still lay on the table, on its back. Hearing Jacinn shout for his mother, he turned and caught the boy before he could see his mother and ordered Isenhal to take the boy outside. Jacinn fought but Isenhal got him out. The townsmen asked what happened. When Thorgrim told them, they informed him that they had seen Hnan and his gang leaving the ranch and heading for the mountains. Hnan even looked directly at Isenhal, laughed and told the cleric he had better get inside Durand’s house; he would be needed there. When Thorgrim moved to leave the house, they asked him what he was going to do. He simply replied, “Kill that bastard, like I should have done the first day he came into our town."

Thorgrim went to his house and pulled out his swords. He had never been this furious, and he let it grow unchecked. He needed this fury. Walking outside, he saw a large group of townsmen waiting for him; at the front of the group stood Jacinn and Isenhal. Jacinn carried his longsword and said he was coming with Thorgrim. Thorgrim simply nodded and started off toward the mountain pass.

The group walked quickly in silence. Thorgrim knew exactly where Hnan’s base was. It was early afternoon and the sun was high in the sky. Thorgrim made no attempt to be quiet. He simply stormed up the mountain pass, in between the trees. The shuffling of the many booted feet could be heard far around the group.

Halfway up the pass, the ground flattened out somewhat into a plateau. Off to the right side, a small trail broke away from the road. It led down through the trees into a small depression. Bluffs surrounded it on three sides. Thorgim clearly saw that Hnan didn’t even try to fortify their base, he was that arrogant. The bandit’s base was a simple campsite, with several firepits dug into the ground, and a gibbet in the center, where several dead animals hung by rope. Thorgrim started down the steepening dirt trail, Jacinn and the men of Starspire behind him. Having heard their approach, the bandits were ready for them. Thorgrim quickly searched for Hnan and did not see him. He recognized the men who had been with Hnan and had joined with him in murdering Danaya. The image of her disfigured face and body came back to him and his face burned hot. When he saw the sneering smiles on the bandits’ faces as they recognized him he felt his face burn even hotter, his limbs quickening with unbridled fury. He started to run down the path, going quicker and quicker. With his blades raised in the air, he screamed primal fury, as did the men behind him. The two groups came together, townsmen and bandits. Battle was joined.

Thorgrim’s prowess in combat had not dulled. He felt the heat of the bloodlust filling him in pulsating waves. With one blade he blocked attack after attack and with the other he cut down bandit after bandit. He didn’t know how long the battle lasted. Suddenly, he had no more enemies around him. Looking around, he saw bodies covering the ground, both bandits and townsmen. A great shout erupted behind him. Turning quickly, he saw Jacinn about to skewer a bandit lying prone. Thorgrim shouted for Jacinn to stop. The boy stopped, looking at Thorgim questioningly. Thorgrim ordered the bandit brought over to him, and several of the townsmen, including Jacinn, dragged the bandit over. Thorgrim asked where Hnan was. The bandit spit at him. Thorgim grabbed him, flipped him on his stomach and wrenched an arm behind his back, and applied pressure. The bandit wailed. Thorgrim repeated his question and was told Hnan went off hunting and wouldn’t be back for hours.

Spotting the gibbet, Thorgrim hauled the bandit over to it. He ordered the bandit stood up and two of the townsmen pulled the bandit to his feet, pulling his arms up over his head. Thorgrim hung the bandit by his hands to the gibbet with enough length to allow the bandit to reach the ground if he stood on his toes. Thorgrim told the bandit that he had better hope Hnan came back soon; if he got tired and came down off his toes, he would suffer excruciating pain from the way the rope was tied. To demonstrate, he kicked the bandit’s legs out from under him so he dangled from his arms. The bandit wailed in agony. Thorgrim pulled him back up. Tell Hnan, Thorgrim said, that this was retribution for Danaya and if Hnan was man enough he should come to the town; Thorgrim would be waiting for him. The townsmen picked up their dead and left, heading for town. It was mid-afternoon.

The sun was setting. Thorgrim was sitting in his tavern alone when Jacinn came in. “He’s coming.”

Thorgrim stood up and grabbed his blades and slowly walked outside. Everyone in town was outside, not wanting to miss this. Across the square from his tavern Thorgrim spotted Hnan. The bandit leader told Thorgrim he would pay for killing all of his men. Thorgrim replied he should have thought about that before he murdered an innocent woman and her father.

The two stalked slowly towards each other. Hnan raised his broadsword. Thorgrim kept his blades down by his side. He told Hnan this fight would not be fought with weapons; if Hnan wanted to kill Thorgrim he would have to do it with his bare hands. No weapons and no armor. There was a loud gasp from the townspeople. Standing behind Thorgrim, Jacinn protested. He told Thorgrim Hnan outmatched him in size and speed, and was years younger. Isenhal agreed. Thorgrim grunted he wanted to kill Hnan the old-fashioned way, with his bare hands.

Hnan grinned and said they would do it Thorgrim’s way. He planted his broadsword blade down into the ground and stripped off his studded leather and his shirt. Thorgrim did the same, sticking both of his blades into the ground. They came close together. Thorgrim knew Hnan was years younger than he, was quicker and stronger, but he was also predictable, brash and inexperienced.

Thorgrim kept his senses about him. He matched Hnan’s rhythm and watched the bandit’s movements and was able to predict his attacks. At the same time, he was able to fake his own movements, catching Hnan off guard with a surprise blow to his face or side. He could feel the bandit leader’s frustration growing, causing him to lose focus. He rolled with Hnan’s punches, minimizing their impact. He sensed the bandit’s movements and attacks gradually slowing, and knew he was wearing him down.

Finally, Hnan stumbled while avoiding one of Thorgrim’s blows. Thorgrim sprang on him, grappling the larger man and heaving him to the ground. He quickly sat up and pinned Hnan’s arms to the ground with his knees and began raining blow after blow into the bandit’s face. The world disappeared except for the hated face of Hnan. Thorgrim didn’t let up, until he felt a hand suddenly catch his wrist.

He looked up in surprise and saw Isenhal staring hard at him, his hand gripping Thorgrim’s wrist like a vise. It wasn’t worth it, the cleric said. Killing him would not bring back either Danaya or Durand. At first he tried to pull his arm away, but then Thorgrim nodded, and stood up and away from Hnan. The bandit leader moaned in agony and confusion and struggled to sit up. Thorgim bent over, his hands on his knees, catching his breath, as his sanity slowly returned to him. He watched cautiously as Hnan stood up, his face bruised and bloodied. His left eye was swelling shut. He stared balefully at Thorgrim but made no move.

Never taking his eyes from Hnan, Thorgrim told him to leave Starspire and not to return. If he ever saw him again, he would kill him. Hnan didn’t say a word; he simply turned and started away but then jerked and spasmed wildly as three arrows flew into him. One stuck out the back of his throat; the other two had planted themselves into his chest. Hnan fell to both knees and then fell forward, dead. Thorgrim looked up to see Jacinn standing a few feet away, his bow drawn. Tears ran from his eyes as he just stared at Thorgrim. As he walked toward Jacinn, the boy told him there was no way he was going to let Hnan live. Thorgrim pulled the boy to him in a tight hug, telling him he understood.

Durand and Danaya were buried side by side the next day. A few days later Thorgrim and Jacinn left Starspire. They decided there was nothing left for them there anymore. Isenhal told Thorgrim he knew that someday Thorgrim would stop running and embrace who he was again. He just wished it hadn’t cost Durand and Danaya their lives. Thorgrim told him he wished the same and said that he never should have stopped fighting. As much tragedy as it causes, not standing up for yourself and those you care about will cause even more. Isenhal asked where they were going. To Hillbrooke, Thorgrim replied, far up north. There was a friend he hadn’t seen in over fifteen years. It was time he did so.

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