Nikolai left his small town after he discovered his true parentage. He is the son of Jorgi Elvanna, a Jadwiga scion of Elvanna the current witch queen of Irissen and an Ulfen serving girl. One of Elvanna's youngest sons, Jorgi was given freer reign and chose to spend his time at a remote outpost doing the military service that most Jadwiga males are required. Jorgi developed a sense of camraderie with the Ulfen soldiers stationed there, not nearly as cold and backstabbing as his fellow Jadwiga. Jorgi fell in love with Brid, a serving girl and he saw to setting her up in his house so they could be together. When Brid became pregnant, word went back to Whitethrone and Elvanna sent soldiers to kill the woman and half-breed and bring Jorgi home.
Ulfen loyal to Jorgi took Brid into the woods to a remote cabin where she could have the child and buy Jorgi time to arrange to smuggle her somewhere safe. Brid's sister, a soldier named Gunilla, was watching over Brid and the newborn when a witch came to the cabin. She was not an emissary of Elvanna, but a formidable witch of one of the older Jadwiga bloodlines that had fallen out of power. Through divinations, it was revealed that this child would bring about the downfall of Elvanna and to ensure that he would grow up to do this, she cast several powerful spells on him, protecting him from the winter witch's spells. The emissaries of Elvanna were closing in however, and the witch told Brid that all three would surely die if she wouldn't sacrifice herself. Brid made Gunilla swear to raise him to be a good person and to tell him the truth when he was old enough to understand. Gunilla fled with the baby and Brid remained to sate Elvanna's vengeance.
Gunilla went as far south as she could manage, settling near Heldren. Jorgi was taken back to Whitethrone never to be seen again. Shortly after Nikolai's 20th birthday, Gunilla became ill with something resistant to even healing magics. On her deathbed she confessed Nikolai's true past and the fate of his real parents. He took up Gunilla's old greatsword and resolved to return to Irissen and set things right.
