Nurin Jarnthane's page

1: Burning Hands, Expeditious Retreat, Frostbite, Magic Missile, Shield, Shocking Grasp, True Strike
0: Acid Splash, Arcane Mark, Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, Disrupt Undead, Flare, Ghost Sound, Light, Mage Hand, Open/Close, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost, Read Magic, Spark

The Axe will be our redemption as it was our failure. As he had done every night since he found it, Nurin gazed into the pitted head of the waraxe, knowing redemption was impossible.

Nurin Jarnthane is the eldest son of five children of Runil and Glorna Jarnthane of Shieldwall, a waning dwarven settlement on the edge of Northern Reaches. His father ran an inn in the city. Nurin grew up with sad tales of the great dwarven holds and the fall of Dammerhall. The Jarnthanes had been sworn to house Tharnhammer, battle-squires and weapon-bearers to the King and his family. When Dammerhall fell, most of the Jarnthanes perished too. Now they were a disgraced name.

During the chaos surrounding the fall of the seat of Tharnhammer, Runil had been attached to a cousin of the Tharnhammers, Grunwald Tharnhammer. They were leading a force against a series of drow raids. The dwarves were divided and confused at that time, leaving the force much smaller than it should have been. The drow ambushed Grunwald, and in the slaughter of battle, Runil’s nerve broke and he fled. He had been carrying Grunwald’s axe and shield, and his departure left the Tharnhammer nearly defenseless against the drow. As Runil fled the caverns, he could hear Grunwald’s fury at his cowardice. With his last dying breath, Grunwald cursed Runil and his whole line. The few survivors of the battle told of Runil’s treachery, and honor was stripped of what remained of the Jarnthane house. The Axe of Grunwald was lost.

It was this legacy into which Nurin was born. After the battle, Runil had little choice but to retire and he became a simple innkeeper, never allowed to know the glory of battle again, never to hold a weapon again. His wife, Glorna had been a captain herself, and she joined her husband in his exile. Nurin grew up as a innkeeper’s son, but he dreamed of restoring his family’s name and taking his place beside the king’s family again. Without his father’s tutelage, the task fell to Glorna to train her son. Between time serving tables, preparing beds, and cooking meals, she drilled her son in combat and weapons. Still, Grunwald’s death curse was tangible. Magic washed off the Jarnthanes at times, meaning a simple cut or injury might take days to heal rather than a simple trip to the temple. The great songs of battle and dwarven might seemed not to touch their hearts, and the blessings of Torag had no effect on them.

Eager to understand the curse, Nurin sought out the secrets of arcane lore. He studied every book he could get his hands on, noting anything about magical curses. When he was old enough, he left Shieldwall seeking human mages who might give him insight where dwarves had no experience. He learned much about magic and learned to blend spell and blade into one. He learned of death curses and the power they contained. Over the years, Nurin believed he understood the nature of the curse. It was linked to the axe Runil had stolen and the only way to break it was to return to Dammerhall and wield the Axe of Grunwald in defense of the Tharnhammer line once again. But the Axe was lost and with Dammerhall closed, it was all but impossible.

Several years later, Runil fell ill and without magical help, he could not recover. Nurin returned home too late. His father had died three days before. Among his things, however, Nurin found an old ironbound chest. Inside lay old blankets, but at the bottom was a old waraxe. The Axe of Grunwald, thought long lost had been sitting in his father’s study this whole time! Whatever magic the axe had held seemed to be gone, and Dammerhall still remained closed, but this was first time in his whole life Nurin believed that the curse could actually be ended.
His father had been the coward, and he was dead now. With the axe in hand, Nurin decided to seek out those who might help redeem his family.

Nurin is an average sized dwarf, but his strength is clear. Many looking at him would believe he is a strong warrior. They would be both right and wrong. While Nurin can wield a blade as well as many, his real power comes from his years of magical study. Stemming from his arcane study, Nurin has a patience other dwarves may not with magic and the unknown. Still, he bears a hated disposition toward elves, seeing little distinction between the drow and their cousins. His family’s disgrace has put a chip on his shoulder as well, making him defensive to other dwarves and quick to try to prove himself.

He now travels with the Axe of Grunwald, a fine dwarven waraxe, his armor, and his spellbook. His body is fit and his mind is quick. He has a ruddy complexion and light sandy brown hair and beard. His arms are burned and scarred in many places, not from battle but from his magical experiments. Fire, lightning, acid and frost have all touched his skin and marred it in some way.

The Jarnthanes were sworn sword-bearers and squires to the Tharnhammer family until Runil's cowardice put the family to shame. Nurin seeks to restore that lost heritage and end the Grunwald's death curse on his line.