Renshu the Orschan

**Renshu the Orschan** is half-orc male fighter played by Nasrul

## Character Sketch

Renshu never forgives or forgets betrayal and will go to the ends of the world for vengeance. Renshu also believes that while respect is due him because of his position, all people regardless of station deserve to be treated with dignity. Renshu's oath of loyalty to his imperial sovereign is unwavering. One of Renshu's flaws is the paranoia that leads him to often hear veiled insults and threats in every word addressed to him. Such dark thoughts only fuel his anger.

## Biography

Born to a Spluerian mother and Orschan father who met during the War of the Orcish Incursion, Renshu grew up as a loyal subject of the Spluerian Emperor, Shang IV of Makoulan. When his parents were killed resisting Wyrmissa's invasion, Renshu was raised by his grandfather, a masterful warrior of House Makoulan who hoped to use Renshu to bring down the Chaos Wyrm and all who serve her. He came to the Solitary Isles seeking servants of Chaos, carrying his family's blade, "Traitor's End".

One notable target of Renshu's was Hadonis, a crusader deserter who had left Renshu's father to die an inglorious death. Renshu tracked Hadonis to his lair, and with the help of Shera Torlak and Zendra Kuthutulu, defeated him, though he resented the fact that Shera had dealt the killing blow.

After the success of that mission, Renshu was approached by Thadeus Moonsong, retired Legionnaire and innkeeper at the Golden Griffon Inn. Renshu, along with Zendra and Shera, was to escort the aarakocra Aaera of Aaqa to Silatan Island, and there convince the sole inhabitant of the island, Ramon the Burned, to give up the piece of the Rod of Seven Parts that he possessed. They were joined by Zuch Achtunge who made his own way to the island. Upon arriving, however, they discovered that Ramon has been killed, and his fortress occupied by Orschans. Renshu and his companions drove off the Orschans, recover the piece of the Rod, and were awarded ownership of the now vacant keep.

Roughly a month later they assisted Thadeus with another task - solving the recent spate of murders in Bongenio. Two new companions joined them on this adventure: Mercy, Thadeus' adopted daughter, and the mysterious assassin Farvadin, a member of the shadowy Thieves Guild of Bongenio.

Shortly after, Renshu was contacted by Bolin, who claimed to have information on the death of Renshu's father. Renshu travelled to Mokeria to meet this contact, only to fall into a trap from his enemies, from which he barely escaped. The journey was a failure except for one thing - the identity of another one of his father's betrayers - Khyron Bloodsworn, the very same man who was now Captain of the Ducal Guard of Bongenio.

After a perilous journey at sea on a makeshift raft, Renshu rejoined his companions while the heroes made their way to Granite Mountain Prison aboard the *Gannet*.

During the sea voyage, a storm damaged the ship, forcing the heroes to make an unexpected landing at a coastal strip of Tempest known only as the "Dark Place". Here the heroes tangled with a gacholoth, and barely escaped from their lives. With the ship seaworthy again, they continued on their way to the prison. Unfortunately due to a bad meal, Renshu was violently ill and unable to assist the others as they made their way inside.

Luckily, the infiltration was a success, and Agmar and Thadeus were rescued and brought safely on board the *Gannet*. Unfortunately, upon the ship's return to the Solitary Isles, Renshu and his companions discovered that Fort Makmon was under siege by the forces of Khyron Bloodsworn.

Entering Fort Makmon through the secret entrance, the heroes managed to lift the siege, with Zendra slaying Khyron Bloodsworn to break the ranks of the enemy. The spellcaster Skaven Umbermead also died in the battle, but the other two commanders escaped. The leader of the occupation, Pierce McBrian, disowned Khyron and washed his hands of the blackguard's actions, but still refused to end the blockade until the chaos cultists were dealt with. Thanks to a tip-off from Raoul "The Crow", the heroes identified the leader of the cultists, Eliasia Ebon, and hunted her down to the Isle of the Basilisk.

Renshu did not join his companions in the mission, as he was contacted by Larissa Bursun, the widow of a gladiator who Renshu had accidentally killed in a bout gone bad. He went to offer his condolences and support, but the meeting ended up becoming much more intimate. After this tryst, confused and ashamed, Renshu went out to seek Aaera, seeing if she had succeeded on her mission to find any more pieces of the Rod of Seven Parts.

Unfortunately, they were separated, and Renshu became a prisoner of the kuo-toa of Bhal-Hamatugn. He managed to escape at the same time as the other heroes of Fort Makmon were entering the city looking for Zenith Splintershield. He joined with them, battling the erinyes Aushanna but, suffering heavy injuries, had to rest outside in safety until the others emerged with Zenith. But he was sufficiently recovered to accompany the others back to the surface.

A month or so later, Dovinio Alariat, King of the Solitary Isles paid a visit to his realm from Macrodonia, and the heroes of Fort Makmon were invited to the traditional buffalo hunt. During the hunt, the king was murdered, and the heroes caught up in the turmoil. They found themselves ranged against Freija Doorgan, the Royal Mage of Macrodonia, who had masterminded the regicide as a way to place Dovinio's pliable son on the throne and rule through him. The heroes recovered the crown of the Solitary Isles and crowned Dovinio's sister, instead, defeating Freija in the process.

In the following months they took a ship to the Isle of the Ancestors, where they met Maavu Arlintal in Redgorge. Arlintal tasked them to find Alek Tercival, and request that the paladin withdraw his challenge to the captain of Cauldron's guard. Tracking Tercival to the Demonskar, they followed him through a Soldara gate to a distant vault in the Avera Desert. Here Tecival was killed by Nabthatoron, whom the heroes subsequently defeated.

Marooned in the Avera Desert, the heroes made their way to Balthasar, an isolated outpost on the edge of nowhere. The city's tower bore the sign of the Smoking Eye, but to enter it the heroes had to solve that horrific crime that had been committed behind Balthasar's walls. Borric Thalmann, a merchant lord of Balthasar had been killed in an arson attack, and the three suspects fled to an isolated subterranean lair in the desert. With the conspirators revealed as Yuan-Ti, the heroes defeated them in battle, as well as the terrifying yuan-ti leader, Yith'sehta. They returned to Balthasar in triumph, and were granted access to the tower only for Graymalkin, Shera's familiar, to transform into a humanoid sorcerer and beg them to journey with him to the demonic realm of Occiptius.

On Occipitus they faced the tests of the Smoking Eye, accompanied by the former Graymalkin (now calling himself Kaurophon). After passing the gruelling challenges they reached the final test, where they were betrayed by Kaurophon, who hoped to claim the power of Occipitus for himself. They defeated him and were transported away. Renshu awoke to discover himself in Fort Makmon, much later his companions would join them, having escaped from the ruins of Castle Genio.

Their next mission required them to infiltrate the distant port of Scuttlecove, a den of pirates and other reprobates. There was an increase in crime in the Solitary Isles, and narcotics originating in Scuttlecove were believed to be the source of it all. Disguising themselves as pirates, the heroes accompanied their old enemy Jonath Lever on the journey.

Once in Scuttlecove they quickly identified the Porphyry House as the source of the drug, and making tenuous alliances with Kedward Bone and Tyralandi they infiltrated the brothel finding the ringleader, Wulvera, and killing her along with her minions. With their mission successful they left the island but Captain Lever, intoxicated on sannish, took them in the wrong direction and they ran aground on the infamous Isle of Dread.

To get supplies and assistance in repairing the ship, the heroes beseeched the villagers of Mora for aid. The village offered any help it could in exchange for finding its lost Zombie Master, Tilorak, and ending the magical storm that wracked the island. After braving the catacombs beneath the village, the heroes found Tilorak, now an undead monster, and defeated him and his kopru allies, ending the storm.

However, after the heroes returned with both supplies and labourers to their ship, Lever had gone, along with several of the crewmen. Villagers from Tanaroa confirmed to the heroes that Lever and his companions had left for the centre of the island, seeking a giant black pearl in the temple on Taboo Island.

As the group trekked through the island, they met with the mysterious rakasta and were shown the way to the central plateau. At the sole crossing, they were attacked by a swarm of pteranodons and a rogue tyrannosaurus rex. In the battle, Renshu was carried off by a pteranodon, but he fell unconscious during the terrifying ride. When he awoke he was in the pirate settlement of Rat's End. Captured by the pirates there, he spent a night in a prison cell until he was freed by a mysterious woman in green. This woman, though appearing to be his benefactor used some sort of enchantment to knock the warrior unconscious.

He awoke some interminable time later, deep in the bowels of the Shrine to Zotzilaha in the ruined city of Tamoachan, but reunited with his companions. Braving deadly traps, fearsome creatures, and cursed undead, the heroes eventually escaped from the temple, emerging on to the surface above where they reunited with Grinkle, Zendra's henchman. The goblin helped them escape the pursuing dragon and brought them to the village of Uskarn, where Captain Lever and their ship awaited them.

Upon their arrival in Uskarn, however, they discovered a dead body of an exhausted hermit, and a further complication of their ship being impounded by the village leaders. In order to have it released, they were required to investigate the mysterious death of the hermit. This would take them to the hermitage of Firewatch Island. There they uncovered the fate of the hermits - an attack by undead creatures known as "the Drowned". They fought off another assault from the creatures, rescued the survivors (including Renshu's sister, Kimiko, and then brought them to safety in Uskarn, before the headed off to find the source of the undead menace, a place called the Pit of Hatred.

## Notable Possessions

Renshu wields his grandfather's blade, Traitor's End.