Aldwyn Rolffson

Erenlander (Wildlander)
Warg – Level 1

Age: 25
Height: 6′ 2″
Weight: 190 lbs
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Favored Region: Central Erenland
Favored Weapons: Longsword and Cedeku

At the age of 9, Aldwyn Rolffson snuck off into the woods (a favored play-place) near his families settlement. He knew that he was not to sneak off, especially while the Orc overseers were on duty, but, being a young boy, this knowledge held little sway over him.

After many hours of playing among the plant life and woodland creatures, pretending that this place, free of the Orcs and their liegemen, was his home, he began to recognize the hunger in his belly (which had not been entirely satiated by the meager berries and nuts he had found and snacked on). As he made his way back to his family home, he became lost in thought. He longed to bring his family here, thinking they would all be safe from further threat of the Shadow. They could all live in the forest together, his father, mother, and even his younger sister (over whom his father had charged him to be the protector – a role which he took very seriously), making their way off of all that the wilderness provided.

As he continued to walk, he realized that, though it was just after sunset, the sky was still light, and the smell of smoke…almost before he knew he was doing it, Aldwyn was racing through the forest, deftly maneuvering around trees and undergrowth, paying no heed to anything except the soft orange glow ahead of him, visible through the sparse canopy of the trees.

As he broke free of the forest edge, still more than 100 yards from the most outlying building of his families settlement, the heat of the flames already began to evaporate the beads of sweat his mad dash had brought forth. The entire settlement was ablaze. From where he stood, he could see his family home crumbled, but still burning. The bodies of countless people, visible through the crumbled walls of the town’s church… the only building large enough for all 150 or so of the residents to meet under one roof… danced with flame. Though he made several desperate attempts to enter the settlement… to search his family home… to try and make out the faces of the people inside the church, the heat of the blaze continued to push him back. Aldwyn stood… helpless and alone.

He had no idea how long he had slept. His sleep had been fitful and full of dreams of his father, mother, and sister screaming in fire. He had fallen asleep in the open… in the same spot from which he had watched his family home… his family… burn.

Though the buildings still smoldered, the fire itself was out. Aldwyn walked through his settlement, or rather the ruins which remained, still feeling the heat being given off by the black piles of ash and burnt wood which was once so familiar to him. If he had not walked this same path thousands of times in his short life, he would have had no way of knowing that it was his home that he now stared at… crumbled to ash.

Aldwyn was surprised at the lack of tears. All he felt was anger. He would avenge his family. He would slay every Orc he came across until he found the ones that were responsible for this. As he turned to walk back toward the relative comfort of his beloved forest, the glint of metal caught his eye… using a nearby rock, Aldwyn pushed away the still warm debris to find the charm necklace which he had given to his sister. He had done extra chores for a month before his father agreed to get it for him. Aldwyn put the charm around his neck and made his way into the tree line. Some time later, lying in the hollowed out trunk of a dying tree, Aldwyn held the necklace in the palm of his hand, and the tears came.

Several years later…

Aldwyn has become quite adept at living off the things which the wild provides. He continues his quest to hunt down the Orcs responsible for the death of his family. Primarily, he relies on stealth to kill… but he does fall back on brute force when necessary.

His own woodland skills, learned through shear necessity, were fortified for a time when he was taken under the wing of a wood elf. The two were traveling companions for two years, but the elf had been captured and killed by a band of a dozen or so Orcs a few weeks ago. To his credit, the elf had slain 5 of the cursed creatures before falling at the hand of the group’s leader. Aldwyn had wanted to intervene, but his teacher had warned him off with one of the many hand signals he had been taught. Despite his own inner rage and the desire to help his friend and mentor, Aldwyn knew that the numbers were against him, so he remained hidden in the shadows of the underbrush.

After the Orcs departed, Aldwyn buried his friend and set off to follow the band of Orcs. He would slay them one at a time if he had to, but he would see the leader beg for mercy.

Having followed the Orcs for several weeks over difficult terrain and, occasionally, having to fall back when crossing great sections of open area and relying on his tracking abilities, Aldwyn found them to have taken up in a small village, which he learned was called Koln.

Over the next several days, Aldwyn observed the village from the protection of the forest nearby. Within a couple of days, he learned the Orc’s patrol schedules, and risked a few scouting trips into the village itself. He learned that the band which he had tracked there was one of many which were called to assist in quelling a perceived resistance, that two Orc’s had been slain the night before Aldwyn had arrived, and that many of the inhabitants had been slaughtered as a result.

Aldwyn had no idea what had happened to the two slain Orcs, but he did feel a kinship toward the people of this village, and determined that he would aid in any way that he could. He would not see the same thing happen to this village that had happened to his own.