Hailing from the northern realm of Irrisen, Hjorleif hasn't seen his homeland in years. He doesn't really remember much of it either, a result of a conscious effort to force as much of it from memory as possible.
Most of his family is dead, killed by agents of the White Witches as examples to would-be revolutionaries or just based on false accusations from neighbors with a vendetta. Hjorleif spent most of his childhood in orphanages before he was able to start his martial training among the queen's forces.
He heard of the Heralds of Summer's Return from a fellow soldier; a loose underground resistance group dedicated to fighting against the oppression of the White Witches. Hjorleif's idealism and disillusionment with the status quo led him to join a cell of the Heralds. However, subterfuge wasn't his strong point, and the queen's forces knew his every move. They eliminated the group, but Hjorleif learned of what happened and fled south to Varisia.
He worked his way from town to town, obtaining various jobs from construction to hired guard duty. His latest work was as a caravan guard for a Varisian named Sandru. Hjorleif stuck with this job for longer than usual; it paid well, and he and Sandru took a liking to each other. However, the caravan's travels have been fairly mundane, and Hjorleif has been itching for some excitement. Now in Sandpoint, far enough away from Irrisen to stop worrying about being found, he plans on trying his hand at some adventuring.
