Torm of the Axos Mountains

Barbarians of Lemuria: The Breath Of A Demon God

Torm was raised in the Axos Mountains among his people. He was just old enough to be considered an adult when the men in his tribe marched to war against the decadent, encroaching foreigners. The war was short and brutal, and there were many casualties. Torm was one of them. But fate spared him, and although defeated, he still lived. As to the war, Torm was never quite sure of the particulars about why his people were fighting (was it over control of a river, or a fertile valley, or something else?), or even who won. He still doesn't know. But war's a near constant among his people, so it matters little. It only matters who lived and who died.

As a captive of the decadent foreigners, he was sold to the slavers. At auction, Torm was purchased to go work in the salt mines. A slow death sentence, the mutters said. He had to learn to hide the boiling hatred for his captors, and learn to feign manners and submission. He had to learn their stupid language. But he was never a very good slave. He always seemed to earn the ire of the slave masters. He never quite got used to the idea that some people were "better" than others. And that his captors were "better" than him. And that they had to be treated with defference and respect that they hadn't earned. Naturally, Torm had to plan his escape.

When the time came, and he (and several others) executed their escape plan, it all went wrong. The guards somehow knew that there'd be an escape attempt that night. Surrounded, but having not yet surrendered, Torm saw the look exchanged between the Guard Captain Clovis, and one of the escaping slaves. He saw the slave throw down his weapon, and move aside so the other slaves could be dealt with. And he saw that the guards didn't raise a hand to him... instead, they stood aside. It was obvious that he was a traitor. He'd betrayed his fellows to the slave masters. Torm's aim was true, and the spear he'd captured earlier soared through the air. The traitor died at the feet of the guard captain. Torm survived that night as well, but has never again taken a beating as severe as that one.

The mine's foreman decided that Torm, who was still a mountain of muscle despite the deplorable conditions at the mine, would make a good example to the others. He was sold to Darius, a man who managed gladiator slaves. The mutters said that it was a fast death sentence. It was a good deterrent for the other slaves. The idea of being put in a ring, and living or dying depending on how well you could swing an unfamiliar weapon, for the amusement of others, terrified most civilized people.

But Torm wasn't civilized. He thrived in the arena. Hell, sometimes women even bribed their way in to visit the gladiator, one on one. And that's where he met her. Claudia... raven haired, ice blue eyes, beautiful. Oh, she was old enough to be his mother, but well preserved, and still quite vigorous. She was wealthy, supposedly a nobleman's widow who'd relocated here recently. She visited the pits frequently, and Torm became one of her favorites. The day that she asked him if he'd kill someone if it brought Torm his freedom, he answered with, "Just one?"

And it eventually came to pass that Claudia bought him, and together, they killed people for profit. She wasn't truly noblewoman. She just played one when she needed to, to get close to her target. She was an assassin. One who'd had the misfortune of loosing her most recent trainees. She needed help to take a general's head for the bounty it would bring. She'd be the bait, and Torm the executioner. Her plan went off without a hitch, (well, nearly... she did end up having sex with the general, which wasn't part of the plan as it had been explained to Torm), and Torm became her new protege.

He already had brawn, and a killer's heart. He just needed to learn stealth and guile. After a job turned sidewise among the hanging gardens in fair Balaron, and he was told at the last minute that in truth, their job wasn't just to kill King Rom, but also his whole line (including the children), Torm realized that he couldn't do it. He let the princeling go, and told him to run and hide. Then Torm walked away, literally in the middle of the job. He didn't even go back to the rooms Claudia had rented. It was straight to the docks, and boarding the first vessel that was departing for a port he'd never heard of. When your girlfriend and mentor's an assassin, and you quit in the middle of a job without a word, an amicable separation isn't likely. You want to put some distance between you and her. And if your paths cross again, you'd better hope that you see her first, because she might just say, "Hello," from the rear, with a slender blade between your ribs, just so.

Torm has been on the move ever since. He tells himself that he isn't still running. That he isn't constantly looking over his shoulder worried that she'll be there, but that he'll live longer if he watches his surroundings. And he hears rumors that from the city-state of Balaron, a boy-king named Sargon who's an uncanny tactician and has never lost a battle, is on the march, carving out a new empire.

Attributes

• 2 Strength
• 2 Agility
• 1 Mind
• 1 Appeal

Skills

• 0 Brawl
• 3 Melee
• -1 Ranged
• 2 Defense

Secondary Attributes

• Lifeblood................14/14
• Hero Points..............5/5
• Advancement Points...0

Careers

• 1 Barbarian
• 0 Slave
• 1 Gladiator
• 2 Assassin
• 0 Mariner

Origin:

• Axos Mountains

Boons:

• Hard-To-Kill: You are particularly solidly built. Add +2 LB to your total.
• Quick Recovery: Living in the mountains gives you better endurance than many. When recovering after a combat, you regain an additional LB point, on top of the half you recover normally.

Flaws:

• Illiterate: You cannot read or write and you cannot choose a career with literacy as a requirement.

Gear:

• Light Armor (1d6-2 Dmg Reduction)
• Garrote
• Stiletto
• Broadsword (1d6+Str)
• A few gold coins sewn into jerkin