Hey there Scribes! Robbie had an interesting challenge for us today. He needed a backstory for three different characters that all worked together. The three half-orcs are followers of the God of War, which made them immortal in some way. Tolrik the Barbarian is redirected when he dies, Draden the Cleric doesn't age, and then Hacon the Paladin is immune to most illness and damage. This wasn't something I've ever done before, but I was up for the challenge! Here it is!
Tolrik
Tolrik was born into your average town living an average life. His half-orc mother raised him on her own, doing the best she could for her son. The town always treated him and his mom differently than anyone else. There were other half-orcs in the town but everyone started clear of the two of them. They were treated respectfully, but they almost seemed to pity the mom. They looked at her with her infant son with sadness in their eyes. His mother never paid them any mind, but it always bothered him that everyone looked at them with such sadness.
He went through his life without any friends due to his often violent outbursts of rage. His mother was his only true friend, living her life as a bartender at a local inn. But there was always something missing from his past and his current life. Where was his father and why would no one talk about him? Growing up, everyone would avoid the subject altogether. There weren't any pictures of him around the house and no mention of him anywhere.
Once he was an adult, he decided he wanted to go into the local military to aid in battles. He enjoyed the art of war and wanted to be apart of the action. He left his hometown and set out. His squad wasn't prepared at all and got destroyed by a massive monster deep in the woods. Everyone died… including him. His subconsciousness floated into the blackness as the monster took his life. He thought about his mom and how he would never see her again. He thought about his future and his past all in one. He followed a small bright light in the distance. Right before he reached it, it was as if he was being pulled from the sky, free falling into a huge pit. His body jolted as if he had hit the ground going a hundred miles a minute and he was back. He was alive! But how? And why? How long was I out for? What is going on? He thought as he stumbled his way back to the town, without his fallen comrades and wanting answers.
When he returned, he was praised for being the sole survivor. He was seen as a hero in his town! Tolrik returned home to heal his wounds. His mom was pacing in the living room, a worried look on her face. She was relieved that he was alive and embraced him in a big hug.
"My baby, I'm so glad you're okay," she exclaimed.
"Mom, there's something I need to tell you," he replied nervously. Tolrik explained the situation to his mom and her face went pale. She sat him down and began to tell the tale.
A long time ago, she had been one of the town's best warriors. She could slay any monster and any enemy without even breaking a sweat. In the line of duty, she met a man. He was the most fierce in battle and was known for his war glory. He was known around the town to be a sort of ladies man, always with another girl every night. But even still, she fell in love over a mission they had together. When they returned home, they conceived a child. The man warned his mother that this would not be any ordinary child. He would have great magic abilities that would make him the best warrior in the world. A day later, he left for a mission, promising to return. But, he never did. He left Tolrik's mother alone without her lover to raise a child on her own.
Tolrik's mom stopped the story, tears in her eyes as she gazed out the window. She cleared her throat and said, "But, he was no ordinary man. Instead, he was actually the God of War," she paused and stared at Tolrik, with hurt in her eyes. "You're actually a demi-god, son of the God of War. I knew you had magical abilities, but I never knew what they were going to see. I see now that it is the gift of resurrection. I'm so sorry I never told you before. Please forgive me. I was only trying to protect you."
Tolrik's mind raced with this new information. That explains why he was brought back to life! There's no other way! He hugged his mom and comforted her, reassuring that everything was fine and she did what was best.
With this new-found knowledge, Tolrik left his local army to set out in finding some answers. Eventually, he found Hacon. And the story continues.
Hacon
Hacon is another half-orc, but he lives the extravagant life. He was born and raised in a very rich and powerful family, with a loving but stern mother and father. His family was one of the nobles of the town and had a lot of stake in the politics and religion of the town. Because of that, Hacon was homeschooled with his siblings within their castle. This was so he couldn't interact with the outside world. But, he desperately wanted to be friends with the kids outside and play with them.
Throughout his childhood, Hacon never got sick, not even once. He even fell out of a tree in the courtyard and should have broken a bone. Instead, he just had a small bruise that disappeared within a day. It seemed odd to him but he never questioned it. But, his mother was convinced that he was a God. His father hated it when his mother said that and they would fight constantly over that. One day without the father knowing, his mother took him into town when he was a child to the local church. After seeing that he could withstand any illness and almost all damage, they deemed him a God. The town went wild! Their savior was born!
From there, things got out of control. The town worshipped this child as a God. He was talked about in churches all over town, his face was in the newspapers, everyone was talking about Hacon the savior. His mother took him out of the homeschool and put him in the most prestigious religion school to make him the best paladin the town had ever seen. His father grew angrier every year. He hated his child's "gift" and grew cold and distant. He would argue every night with his mother and things seemed bad for their relationship.
But years went and Hacon was near finishing his schooling. Right around that time, he started getting weird notes at school about how his life was a lie and he needed to know the truth. He thought it was just a prank from one of his many friends so he ignored it. One day, he was walking home from school when he was cornered in an alleyway by three hooded figures. They knew he was immune to damage but knew he could still die if they tried hard enough. They spoke, "We need to tell you the truth. You deserve to know."
The story they told was something out of a fable book. A mysterious man rode into town one day boasting about his glory in battles. He was a very handsome and smooth talker. He requested a meeting with the family to see if they needed assistance with guards. They hired him as a personal guard to Hacon's mother. The two became very close. They began to have a secret affair without the father knowing. Then one day, the guard left without a trace. A few weeks later, his mother was pregnant with Hacon himself. The father found out and was furious, but pretended he was the father rather than this mysterious guard.
The figures stopped talking and nodded to the middle one. The person spoke up and said, "The guard was no normal man. He was none other than the God of War, and you are his son." Dumbfounded, Hacon didn't reply. He just sat in shock for a while. The figures let him go without another word and he sprinted home to his castle. This has to be a lie!
He rushed home and found his mother in the library alone. He confronted his mom and told the story of what he just learned. She turned pale and had a sad smile on her face. "It's true," she whispered after a second. Hacon stormed out of the castle feeling like his life was a lie! What should he do? After taking a walk, he calmed down to clear his head. He returned to the castle with a new sense of purpose. Well, it must be my duty to serve a higher purpose. I must serve this God of War with my gift.
A month later, Hacon finished his schooling and became a well-known paladin. The townspeople loved him and his gift. Tolrik had come into town after hearing a rumor of a God-like man being there. The two found each other and shared their stories. They were indeed half brothers by the same God of War. They agreed to team up to find this so-called God of War and figure out their purpose.
Draden
Draden is another half-orc, but he doesn't live a perfect life. He was born and raised by a single mother as well. Her mother never mentioned his father when he was growing up or even would recognize that he had a father. She kept saying, "You're my perfect miracle."
His mother was known around town as the crazy lady of the town. She would talk for hours on end about gods and goddesses and how they were populating the earth with demi-god children. No one believed her. For years, the town harassed Draden and his mother. No one ever believed her story of a God of War coming and laying with her, which in turn gave her Draden.
At the age of his young adulthood, he started to notice something different. Draden never seemed to age. No wrinkles, no dark spots, nothing to show he was aging. It seemed like he was frozen completely in time. The town started to notice. They accused the mother of witchcraft and dark magic. It eventually came to a boiling point. The town arrested her for dark magic and chased Draden out of the town.
This was over 120 years ago. Draden still hasn't aged a day since then. He thought constantly of his mother and what became of her. He now lived alone in a run-down temple deep in the forest. Within this temple, he has devoted his life to the God of War. He knew in his heart that he was his father and that's why he couldn't age.
Tolrik and Hacon stumbled upon a town where there were rumors of a crazy witch in the forest that never aged. It was rumored that he kidnapped children and ate them to stay youthful! Interested, the two set out to find this so-called witch. But what they found was none other than Draden. The cleric told them the story and they were the first people in over 100 years that had believed his story. He was overjoyed! The three decided to team up and start searching the land for the God of War so they could finally have some answers!
The original idea was requested by Robbie James Blower. It was written by and edited by us, Bards of Lore. We take no credit in the creation of character!
Great idea! Really enjoy this!