Fafnar Blacktusk

## History

### Early life

Fafnar was born of a tryst between Shieldmaiden Freya and a wandering half-orc adventurer named Kalgor Blacktusk. The village midwife had advised Freya to take the night tea, but the strong willed shieldmaiden chose to have the child anyway. Life was hard for Freya and her child. She had to stop working as a shieldmaiden for the early childhood of her son, whom she named Fafnar as she told her young son of the tale about the linnorm his father slew while he was in Jarn-Burg. Gold was always tight, and her meager savings dwindled to nothing. When Fafnar turned three, Freya was forced to returned to work her for a local Karl, raiding villages for plunder and spoils. She left her son in the care of the other village women, who shunned the child and neglected and abused him in Freya's absence. Freya had taught Fafnar about her patron deity, Tyr, and told him he needs to guard the hearth and home while she was away, and so Fafnar never complained, quietly taking the abuse while faithfully waiting for his mother to return from each of her raiding trips. Unfortunately, when Fafnar was five, Freya returned to the village on her shield, slain by warriors laying in ambush in a village she was raiding. Being an orphan in Jarn-Burg was not an easy life, and it was so much harsher when you are a half breed and a crow to boot. The Karl who Freya worked for took Fafnar in as an indentured servant, and he worked and slept in the Karl's stables, learning to care for the Karl's animals. Treated unfairly, Fafnar endured the abuse of the Karl and his family and retainers for years as he grew up. But as he grew older, he became strong like his father and mother. And at the age of twelve, when one of the Karl's drunken retainers tried to abuse him, he pummeled the man to an inch of his life in a fit of rage. Outraged and fearful of the growing youth, the Karl decided to sell Fafnar to a travelling merchant from Ashsuru, even though the practice was questionable at best according to the law of the Barbarian Kingdoms. Fafnar was chained and spirited away in the hull of the merchant's ship to Khaldun. There, he was put on the block and sold to a pesh plantation owner.

### Tranquil life of a slave

Fafnar was put to work in the pesh farms of his new owner, and life was more peaceful. The weather was sweltering hot, but he no longer had to endure the abuse of those who feared and despised him for who he was. His demeanor became calmer, and he genuinely enjoyed toiling in the farm. Several years went by without much incident, and he began fitting into the life of a slave, working with other slaves in the fields, and slowly coming out of his shell and learning to be part of the community. Unfortunately, his new world would end when a monster attacks the plantation. The monster hunted the slaves working in the fields as prey, and Fafnar witnessed his neighbours slaughtered and eaten as he huddled in his hut, waiting for his turn to die. As the monster rampaged, the plantation owner brought his mercenaries to fight back, but to no avail. The monster slaughtered the entire household guard as well as the owner. Just as the monster turns its attention on its last morsel, the Kapasat arrived. With skill and determination, the monster hunters wrangled in the monster and slew it. The captain of the group rescues Fafnar from the collapsed hut he was lying in and took him in, training the youth in the ways of the Kapasat.

### Unchained One

Fafnar spends the next years of his life learning how to be a monster hunter. He learns about the habits of beasts and also of nature. The harsh desert of Rimalharu provided the perfect backdrop for the young adult to train. He tames a young savanna lion as his hunting companion, naming her Raja. He goes on hunts with his new adopted family, the Kapasat, and earns their trust, eventually becoming a full member. He distinguished himself as a hunter, slaying monsters that plagued the villages in the desert, earning him the title 'The Unchained One'. It was during a hunt in the ancient ruins of a forgotten city that he came into contact with a Waystone and learns he is a chosen, using the waystone after a tough fight to bring a wounded Raja to safety back in Ashsuru. This new revelation sets Fafnar on a new path. He remembers the story his mother told him about his father, and decides to learn more. He joins the Adventurer's Guild and pulls records of the linnorm hunt in Jarn-Burg all those years ago. From that information he learns of Kalgor being his father. From there, he journeys to Jut-Shakamb to meet this stranger.

### Prince of Bastards

Fafnar arrived on the shores of Pakon Uzg on a merchant vessel. As he looked over the metropolis of Jut Shakamb, he could not help but feel a tinge of pride that his estranged father had built all this. He walked the streets of the city, rejoicing in the hum of life from its rowdy inhabitants. He visited Castle Mubarshtaum, but was turned away by the guards at the gate. He then spent time living in the city, thinking of a way he might get to meet his father. The opportunity came when a tournament was held at The Eye of Roaring Applause. Entering the tournament, Fafnar prepared to impress the crowd and his father, whom he learned would be in attendance.

As Fafnar entered the Eye, his heart pounded like no hunt before. His opponent that day was a minotaur gladiator, quite unlike the quarry he had faced before. The opponent taunted him and riled up the crowd, and the pressure of tens of thousands of fans jeering Fafnar affected him. In martial skill, the minotaur was no match for him, but the nerves were making his hands shaky, his decision making slow, and his instincts dull. The fight came down to a last ditch effort by Fafnar as he swung his polearm in a wide arc at the minotaur's feet, catching one of its hoofs with the hook of the polearm and unbalancing the gladiator. Downing his opponent while he was off balance, Fafnar then look at the master of ceremonies, his father Kalgor Blacktusk, and awaited the signal. With the crowd booing Kalgor gave the thumb down, indicating the minotaur should be slain. At that moment, Fafnar had a moment of defiance well up inside his belly, and instead of finishing his worthy opponent, he swung down with his polearm to nick the minotaur's face, scarring him. He then threw aside the polearm amidst the hushed arena and addressed Kalgor.

"I am Fafnar Blacktusk, son of Kalgor Blacktusk and Shieldmaiden Freya. I came to meet my father, who had his guards turn me away from his home, and to fulfill my destiny. I hereby declare Jut Shakamb to be my home, and I vow to be its guardian from this day until the end of days."

Kalgor looked down at the young half orc's eyes and knew it was the truth. He replied in a booming voice, "I see my reflection in your eyes and the blood of Blacktusk in your veins. I acknowledge you as my son and welcome you to my home." He then lifts his arms and address the crowd, "Let us feast today, as one of my scions have returned to Pakon Uzg's fold!"

And with that the crowd erupted into cheers. Somewhere in the stands, a chant begins, "Bastard Prince! Bastard Prince Bastard Prince!" Fafnar hears this chant, but instead of being insulted, he rejoiced in it, and joins the chant, "Bastard Prince! I am the Bastard Prince!" And the crowd cheers some more, and there was much feasting revelry that day.

## Appearance

Fafnar is a half orc with very dark green, almost grey skin due to his long years exposed to the desert sun. His body is covered in ritual tattoos depicting the monsters he has hunted in his youth. He is tall even for a half-orc, and his stature is muscular but lean. He wears his black hair in long braids but is otherwise clean shaven. He generally wears simple hunting clothes that does not hinder his movements, and several well placed straps and pouches for hanging and storing essentials when he is out in the wilderness.

## Friends

Raja- Is a female savannah lion. She is Fafnar's trusted hunting partner,

Lucius Augustus Arcturius- In a mad forest filled with so called allies who would kill you and laugh about it. Lucius was a beacon of sanity. Fafnar felt touched by his new buddy and had what alcoholics would call 'a moment of clarity'. His brother is creepy though.

Amatullah- A chemist from Khaldun he met back in his Kapasat days.. She joined Fafnar in Pakon Uzg and pledged her allegiance to him. What? He never considered himself a 'faction' as Amatullah would call it. Regardless, she is here now, and would not leave him alone with news about the kingdom and other goings on.