Nordbert Cotton
Not much is known of Nordbert Cotton, other than that he is a contact of 'The Baron', a mysterious figure and crime lord of Noor. Thumbus Shagstock had been sent to Noor to make contact with the baron, and was to do this via Arun Toole, another of his contacts in Midwater. When the halfling didn't show, Toole directed The Party to him instead.
After speaking a password conversation to the barman at 'The Perceval' tavern in Noor, Warto O'Malley and Juan went upstairs to room 14, where they met Nordbert for the first time.
They were surprised to learn that he already knew of their exploits, particularly that he was supposed to be meeting a halfling, and that Warto had killed said halfling. He correctly assumed that Warto had been sent by Slazik the Dog, a long time rival of Alfons the Noble in Goldack, the latter having sent Thumbus Shagstock. He inferred that Slazik had sent Warto to steal the deal from under the nose of Alfons.
He commended Warto and Slazik for their initiative in stealing the deal, but warned sternly against any further scheming. He explained that only two living people had ever actually seen 'The Baron', but that he needed help with someting big and so was willing to expand his inner circle.
By way of a test of their worthiness, Cotton set them to a task. An avid collector of magical items, one of The Baron's men was attacked couriering a pair of daggers, which The Party were to get back.
Prior to their leaving, Nordbert gave Warto and Juan four rings to distribute between his party members, and warned that taking these rings off at any time would be construed as an act of aggression against the baron on their part.
After they found the thieves guild, Gromp-Ghar paid a visit to Nordbert. He was displeased that he had not brought the daggers, but seemed quickly intrigued by the half-orc. He told Gromp that he and Hinrich were not the villains that they were made out to be, and that what Lukas Fellner had told them was not strictly true - that Nordbert wanted the werewolf to come to him so he could help him control his curse. He also told Gromp that should he want to learn more of his past, that he should stick with the Baron.
Finally, he chastised the group via Gromp one more time, and told him that they now would need to go and retrieve Lukas, who they'd allowed to escape.
When the party moved against the thieves guild, Hinrich brought Nordbert along with them to do so. It was then that Tordenn Kasios recognised Nordbert as a member of the Mountain Lions, a group of giant hunters deployed as specialists to defend the outposts on the edge of Warres. He had saved Tordenn's life on the day his villiage was destroyed.
Hinrich and Nordbert proved a highly effective duo against the thieves guild, almost immediately convincing Izak Cossmann to dissolve the guild and join the Baron, and then defend them against his old compatriots in the trap that Dexa Bindevar and Tula Obinsk sprung. Ultimately though, the two may have been killed if not for the intervention of the party. He helped to destroy the guild, and left with Izak, but not before re-itering to the party their importance - and his doubt that Gromp and Tordenn, both connected to him and Hinrich, had come to them coincidentally.
They next saw him as he waited for them outside the entrance to the thieves guild outside Noor. They brought him the subdued Lukas Fellner, who Cotton re-assured them he would watch over and help. Melvin, Lukas' friend, insisted that he go with the werewolf, to which Nordbert agreed.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Nordbert looks to be a capable and physically fit man in his late 40s or early 50s. He could be described quite easily as very handsome, white hair framing a clean shaven pale face and intense purple eyes. Despite his profession, he has very little scarring, in stark contrast to his compatriot Hinrich Thiel, also a member of The Baron's men.
He dresses well, betraying a degree of nobility to him, although whether this is by birth or through his work, this is not currently known.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Nothing was known about Nordbert's personal history prior to his recognition by Tordenn Kasios. The cleric, however, as soon as seeing him remembered that he had seen him once before - on the day that his parents were killed and his village destroyed by the frost giants of Thrym, high in the Warres mountains.
When Tordenn was a teenager, living in the mountains of Warres, he was sent by his father – the local blacksmith – to retrieve some materials. On his return, his village had been destroyed, and his parents killed, by Frost Giants.
He remembered the village he once called home when he returned to it, the carnage, the destroyed buildings, the metallic smell of blood, the bodies littering the streets of his home – frost giants, soldiers of the mountain lions, and his people.
He remembered vividly one last soldier – at least a captain by his estimation - standing – exhausted and bloody – in the middle of the town. Blood trickled from his nose and mouth. His breaths were ragged and pained, and he stood over the bodies of two frost giants. His long, white hair was matted with dirt and blood. Tordenn remembered as he looked at him, a mixture of fear, exhaustion, and deep sympathy set in his face. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever.
Then, over his shoulder, young Tordenn saw as two more frost giants emerged from the blizzard that had set in the town. Nordbert followed his gaze, saw the giants, and turned back to him. Tordenn remembered him mustering what little energy he had to cough three words towards him:
“Run, boy. Run..”
And so Tordenn ran, as Nordbert ran towards what the boy assumed to be his death in defence of a young boy who he did not know.
The next mention of Nordbert was of the blacksmith, Stella Bauer, who also hailed from the same mountains. She explained that the man had been travelling to Noor, and travelled with her as a companion, protecting her on her way. He continued to look out for her in the city for a few years, until he eventually went missing with Stella presuming that he had died.
Employment
Nordbert works for the mysterious 'Baron' of Noor, supposedly it's primary crime lord responsible for the theft of sap and distribution of a potent drug made from it, Sharpsugar.
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