Lorn Tilernos was born into a noble house in Lastwall intimately associated with the Knights of Ozem. His older sister Jessa was already a Knight of growing renown, and his father had served until having to cut off his own arm to prevent the spread of a necromantic rot while putting down an undead assault. He was everything expected of a young Knight to be, brave, handsome, strong, until while out riding with his older sister they were captured by orcs.
Jessa fought bravely, but was simply out matched by a full orc raiding party. Lorn was simply no match for the hulking brutes fury, he barely managed to wound an orc before being knocked from his horse and then into unconscious ness as he struggled to rise.
Given over to the orc shaman Lorn was bound and helpless as he watched the creature torture and sully his sister before him. All his dreams of bright valour were relentlessly crushed, as he was beaten and humiliated again and again. Eventually he managed to free himself of his bindings, and drag himself over to Jessa, who could only plead with him with her eyes such a ruin had been made of her, as they heard the orcs returning. Lorn covered her mouth and nose with his hands and by the time he was torn away by the orcs she had passed.
Two days later the Knights came, Lorn had been captive for three weeks, and was a physical and emotional wreck. After months of treatment, and healing he was unable to see in himself the proud young Knight he took his arms and left trying to find some form of redemption, or forgetfulness. Every night he dreamed of Jessa convulsing under his grip, dreamed of her eyes, going from grateful to panicked, he relived her death and the tortures inflicted upon him.
As a wandering warrior he had some small success, saving a village from ghouls in company with the militia, and saving a woman from thugs. But he was ever haunted by his past. Eventually he approached Thrushmore...
Lorn was raised to be devoted to Iomedae, his mother is a Priestess, his sister a Paladin, and his father a devoted Knight. It was never something he questioned until the ordeal with the orcs. Now he is wracked with doubt, is Iomedae worth following, is he worthy of following her?
The Shaman enjoyed testing his magic and alchemy upon his victims and Lorn's torso bears all manner of gruesome burns and marks from such tortures. His face remains completely unmarred, the shaman deliberately leaving it undamaged for some perverse reason.
Lorn's former fiance Kerriyan Maybliss, a few years younger than him, and essentially an arranged Marriage between noble families tied with the Knights of Ozem was deeply in love with him. They had only been courting for a few months before his capture and Kerriyan was heart broken, first when he was taken, and then when after returning he told he he felt he had to go and that she should forget about him. Kerriyan hopes to become a Knight now, though she had been training as a Priestess. Lorn had loved her to, but after his rescue he did not feel worthy of her.
The orcs of the small Screaming Nail Tribe who captured Lorn have been wiped out. Lorn has a burning desire for vengeance, but nowhere to direct it. Truth be told the ease with which the orcs took him down still terrifies him.
