Nerin

Swordbearer

A half-ogre who was part of the Unstoppable Force.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Early Life

Like many half-ogres, Nerin’s early life consisted of being bullied and then becoming a bully in turn. Though a welcome addition to his motherA’s tribe for the size and strength he would bring, it was generally assumed that he would be as dull-witted as others from his father’s side. While full orc children were being taught the tribe’s history and traditions Nerin was being hit with a stick until he learned how to hit back. While others were being trained in weapons Nerin was set to lifting and carrying to build up his strength and stamina. This didn’t sit well with Nerin as his mind far surpassed the rather low expectations of the tribe.
Despite his dislike for the way he was treated, Nerin was aware that no-one could survive the plains alone, so he bided his time and waited. While not being taught like the other children, Nerin took every opportunity to listen in on their lessons, and anything that the adults might be discussing. By playing the dullard he found that many of the tribe were less circumspect in what they said around him as it was assumed he wouldn’t understand.
Nerin finally found a chance to escape his tribe when they were travelling through a region near the Mktulax domains. The tribe came under attack by a large group of hobgoblins and Nerin was ordered to delay the hobgoblinswhile the tribe escaped. Nerin readily stayed behind, but when the hobgoblins approached he immediately threw down his club and surrendered. Nerin’s tribe were easily caught by the hobgoblins and fought to the last orc.

Joining the Army

Nerin was questioned by the hobgoblin commander who was intrigued by the idea of a half-ogre surrendering. He grew more interested in Nerin when he found that Nerin was able to string together a coherent sentence. Rather than being taken as a slave, Nerin was offered the chance to join a unit of irregulars under the command of Gurthed Battlemind.
Gurthed was an aging hobgoblin who has previously commanded units of hobgoblins but was now relegated to commanding auxiliaries. Gurthed saw potential in Nerin and in addition to training him to fight with skill rather than brute strength he also taught Nerin about tactics. Nerin eagerly absorbed these lessons, and learned to speak several languages as Gurthed taught him how to command troops.
After taking part in several battles it was clear that Nerin was a cut above the others in his unit and he was promoted to spearbearer. He was given command of a group of bugbears who turned out to be kindred spirits. The bugbears were well used to their appearance causing others to underestimate them, and once they were sure Nerin was more than he appeared they gleefully taught him all the nasty tricks they developed for ambushing and surprising targets.
After several years of successfully completing missions Nerin was promoted again and given responsibility for expanding the auxiliary forces. He took great delight in breaking in new orcish recruits but despite his deep rooted hatred for orcs he was always careful not to needlessly kill off potential recruits. Nerin’s work was proceeding well until the Unstoppable Force began conquering the other war bands in the domains. Nerin and the other irregulars were called in to help fight but the Unstoppable Force lived up to its name.

Off to the Teeth

Despite a change in leadership Nerin didn’t expect much to change for him, and for a few years it didn’t. Then Nerin was reassigned to a reconnaissance force that was being sent to Teeth. Though there was a change in location, Nerin found his duties were not much different, as he was still responsible for recruiting and organising fighters for the army.
Nerin’s efforts were going smoothly, and he had even managed to persuade his commander to properly equip some ogres, when the reconnaissance force’s base was taken out by a group of elves and dwarves. This group then managed to capture Nerin and in order to keep himself alive he told them everything he knew. When he was freed, Nerin swore an oath not to try rejoining the Unstoppable Force (not that he was inclined to try) before setting out west.

Current Status

Looking for a safe place in the west

Current Location

Barrier Mountains

Gender

Male

Eyes

Brown

Hair

Short, brown, scragly

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Light brown with hints of green

Height

9'7"

Weight

512lbs

Aligned Organization

Unstoppable Force

Related Reports

• Questioning Nerin

Known Languages

• Goblin.
• Orcish.
• Giant.
• Common.
• Dwarven.

Despite not starting to learn multiple languages until after he joined the hobgoblin forces, Nerin was quick to pick up the basics quite quickly. Following the advice of his commanding officer, Nerin strove to develop fluency in these languages so that he could give more effective commands and extract more useful information from captives.

Well Equipped

Nerin had learned that being prepared could make the difference between life and death so he made sure he had a range of tools at his disposal. He had learned a number of nasty tricks from some bugbears and he usually carried flasks of acid and burning liquid, along with bags of caltrops of small metal balls.

Sign of Intelligence

Nerin drew the attention of one of the elven/dwarven Joint Strike Teams when he abandoned his ogre subordinates and pulled up the rope ladder leading to his cave. This may have saved his life as it persuaded that team to keep him around for questioning rather than killing him out of hand.