Height: 6'1"
Weight: 200 lb.
Age: 28
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Dark brown
Skin Color: Tan white
Body Build: Athletic
Distinguishing Feature(s): Large scar on his chest from right shoulder to diaphragm; keeps hair in a short military-style cut; many small scars from his military service; keeps the jawbone of the orc who killed his brother on his person at all times to remind him of his pledge to protect the people from the orcs
Erik Truvinas was born in the city of Falconia. His parents, John and Marie Truvinas, were lesser nobles of the region and made their fortune running a fairly successful merchant company in the region. Erik was born with an older identical twin brother named Quinn and they would later have a younger sister named Allison, who was 6 years younger. As both Erik and Quinn grew they were surprisingly athletic and their father had them trained in the ways of combat. The boys took to their training like fish to water. By the age of 16 the both of them were unrivaled by any of the other students. The master that was teaching them took both of them out of the regular training programs and began to instruct them separately.
In the next 4 years the brothers would rise to become Lieutenants of the patrol units for the borderlands area from their successful raids and heroic efforts in the hamlets they helped defend from orc raids. The boys had become quite masterful in fighting together. Quinn had taken to using a large great sword while Erik had excelled in using a broadsword and shield. The brothers moved so fluidly on the battlefield when they fought near each other it often struck fear into the hearts of their enemies just seeing the way they moved together combining the offsetting defensive attacks of Erik followed through with a swift swing of Quinn’s great sword to fell enemies in an instant.
However the summer of the boy’s 20th year, one raid did not go as smoothly. The orc clans of the area had banded together in order to capture them. When Erik and Quinn’s platoon made it to the area they were supposed to be patrolling through the orcs struck from behind cover and before the platoon could react they beset. The rest of the platoon was shot down with arrows while the brothers were snared in a net and dragged off to the orcs camp.
When they arrived the brothers were thrown into metal cages and locked up until the following morning when they were told they would be used as a rite of passage for some of the newer orc recruits. The brothers would be put through 2 of the most hellish weeks of their lives. They were used as sparring partners for the orcs trying to earn their way into the raiding parties. If the orcs could defeat one of the brothers in hand to hand combat they were allowed to join the parties. So, for 2 weeks the Brothers endured the hell of fighting in an arena of orcish laughter while trying to find some ray of hope to keep them going.
It was at the end of this 2 week period that things took a turn for the worse. Up until that point, the brothers had managed to either win their fights or lose them in such a manner that they were not too seriously injured. But after 2 weeks, the Orc chieftain’s son was ready to earn his place among the raiding parties. Quinn was chosen as his partner for the initiation. Normally the chieftain’s son would have been a challenge at Quinn’s best, but with his weakened state from the weeks of imprisonment and highly lackluster care they were given in between the fights, Quinn was at his limit. What happened after that could hardly even be called a fight. The chieftain’s son was merciless. He would inflict serious blows to Quinn’s abdomen but ensure that he remained standing so that the fight would not be called. After about 5 straight minutes of Quinn being unable to land a major blow on the chieftain’s son the unthinkable happened in front of Erik’s own eyes. The chieftain’s son landed a hard right hook into Quinn’s jaw. From the look of it the force of the blow shattered Quinn’s jaw and broke his neck at the same time. Erik couldn’t believe his eyes as he hysterically called out to his brother to answer him. But it was too late. Quinn was dead before he ever hit the ground. The orcs laughed and pointed at the lifeless body of Quinn as they cheered and moved to the Chieftain’s son to congratulate him on the fight and welcome him into the raiding parties.
Erik was shocked. He couldn’t take his eyes off his brother’s body, even as the orcs dragged the body off and took it out of his sight; Erik would stare at the spot where his older brother had lost his life to a malicious and devious orc. The following day, the chieftain’s son kept walking by the area where Erik was being held and glancing over at him with an evil grin on his face. Erik was infuriated and vowed that if he ever got out of that cage, he would find and kill the chieftain’s son with his bare hands if he had to.
It so turned out that 2 days later, the tracking parties who had been sent to find Erik and Quinn’s missing platoon showed up with several more platoons to wipe out the orc encampment and save whoever they could. Erik was freed from his cage during the melee that ensued and retrieved a broadsword from the body of a fallen orc and rushed off in search of his enemy. It didn’t take long for Erik to locate his target, the chieftain’s son. He was standing outside of the battle watching as it unfolded. Erik charged towards him with a bloody scream and leapt at his brother’s killer. The chieftain’s son laughed with mirth as he saw Erik headed his way and prepared to battle.
When the two of them met, the little skirmishes happening around them seemed to be miles away. Erik saw only his opponent and pressed the attack with everything bit of strength he still possessed in his body. Early on in the fight the orc landed a serious slash to Erik’s chest leaving a large, but shallow, gash from his right shoulder to his diaphragm. Erik didn’t even feel the blow as he continued to press the attack. They were evenly matched, as Erik had caught the chieftain’s son off guard with his bloodlust. He had not expected a human to possess the amount of hatred that he could sense coming from his opponent. The chieftain’s son was being pushed further and further from the spot where they had first started to clash. With every swing of Erik’s broadsword the orc would have to take a step back. Then, the orcs foot stepped back and hit the wall of a tent and he stumbled, momentarily losing his footing. Erik leapt at the opportunity and slashed the orcs left thigh open. The orc screamed in agony as the blade slashed through his flesh and spilled a large amount of blood onto the ground around him. Erik then removed the orcs weapon from his grasp with another slash to his forearm, rendering it useless, and kicked him in the chest sending him sprawling to the ground a few feet away. Erik stared down at the bleeding, whimpering orc before him, his chest heaving from rage. Then he drove the tip of his sword through the orcs belly and twisted it around violently enjoying every moment of the orcs agony. He leaned in close to the orcs face grinned the same evil grin that the orc had given him the day after his brother was killed. Then Erik stood up and drove his sword through the back of the Orcs throat and removed his jaw with a deft swing.
Erik would keep the orc chieftain’s son’s jaw bone as a reminder of the horrible events that befell his family in those 2 weeks. He vowed to never again allow anything like what had happened to his brother and he happen again.
Erik met up with the commander of the rescue team and thanked them for coming to aid him and to find out that the rest of the orcs that were not slain had retreated away into the hills. He was then debriefed about the circumstances of his capture and containment much to the horror of those who had been within earshot of the debriefing area. Although Erik had not mentioned in his story the fate of his brother yet, the Captain seemed to see what was coming in the story and got straight to the point and asked what had happened to Quinn. Erik looked up in astonishment at this question and stared with his mouth hanging slightly open not quite sure if he had heard the captain correctly. But the captain repeated the question with a more grave expression on his face this time. And Erik slowly answered in a whisper. He gripped the jaw of the chieftain’s son in his left hand and gritted out what he had done during the battle at the encampment. The captain stared at the jawbone gripped tightly in the hand of the man in front of him in shock, and slowly looked back up at Erik’s face. He then told Erik to rest for a while as the rest of the team gathered the wounded and killed of the Falconian forces for transport back to the city.
After the debriefing was over, Erik went and found his brother’s body to bring back to his father. He wrapped the body in a cloth gingerly and put it aside from the rest of the casualties. He had no idea what he was going to say to his family when he returned home to Falconia. He wasn’t even sure he would be able to face them. But, deep down, he knew that he had to return. He had to accept what had happened and try to figure out what he would do when he returned home.
It was a 2 day ride back to the city. When they arrived, Erik retrieved his brother’s body, secured a wagon to use as transport, and set out towards his family’s home. The captain accompanied him from the barracks towards their home. They were both silent as they rode the wagon toward what would surely be a bittersweet reunion.
They pulled up in front of the family home that Erik grew up in with his brother and began to step down from the wagon when suddenly, the door burst open and Allison bolted out with a smile on her face to embrace her returning brothers. Halfway to meet with Erik however, she noticed that something was off about him. She leapt into his arms and welcomed him home with a big smile as their parents came to the door and stepped outside. Allison then asked where Quinn was as the boys usually came back home together. At this point the captain stepped down from the wagon and proceeded to stand next to Erik. Erik didn’t know what to say as his younger sister looked up at her brother’s face expecting to hear that he was still at the barracks and would be joining them shortly after. But all Erik could do was look down and away from his family, feeling ashamed for something that was not his fault. Allison’s grip loosened when Erik looked away, and she slowly backed away in shock. Erik looked back at his sister and fell to his knees with tears streaming uncontrollably down his face for the pain of the news he was about to have to give to his family Their parents rushed forward as he fell and looked up at the captain for clarification. Then the captain explained what had happened to the boys over the past few weeks and explained the fate of their oldest son. Allison and their mother clung to each other and cried while their father kept his composure and thanked the captain for telling him. He then stood Erik up and walked over to the wagon with him. Erik, with tears still streaming down his face stood blankly next to his father while they unloaded his brother’s body and brought it to the parlor in the house.
Over the next few days, preparations were made for Quinn’s funeral. He was to be buried in the Truvinas family plot behind the house in a small ceremony for the Truvinas’ of the city. Afterwards, many people who had heard the news of the passing of one of the heroes of the borderlands stopped by offering flowers and their condolences to the family.
Several weeks later, Erik returned to his duties as a borderlands patroller. He had recovered almost completely from his ordeal both mentally and physically. He had a new resolve. He would not allow what had happened to him to happen again. Before he left the city on patrol, he made recommendations to the training protocols of border guards to make the new generations more prepared to deal with ambushes on the roadside. The motion was accepted and they began to draft what would, in a few years time, be the reformation of border guard units being increased in size to try to avoid any future captures and unnecessary fatalities in the line of duty. And on a more personal level, Erik vowed to protect everyone that he could from the threat of orc aggression on the borderlands and wherever he may be at any given time.
Erik still holds a hefty grudge against any orc and is not too trusting of half-orcs.
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