Orri

Player: Torn

Character Full Name: Orri Blackhammer

Character In-Game Name: Orri

Nickname(s): The Black Bear

Association(s): The Alliance, Blackhammer clan, King Bronzebeard

Race: Dwarf

Class: Warrior.

Skills and Abilities: Thick hide – Years of living in the snowy landscapes of Khaz Modan and traveling the icy realm of Northrend have given Orri heightened resistance to frost.

Keen Sight – Orri has excellent eyesight and a good eye for detail. He can spot the smallest changes in any familiar landscape and has a good eye for possible hidden valuables.

Long reach – Orri has much experience fighting with his trusty halberd and makes good use of it's long reach, this makes it easier for him to keep enemies at bay, wether it be on foot or riding his bear.

Age: 143

Sex: Male

Hair: Receding black hair, the top of his head is bald. Big, bushy beard also black.

Eyes: Storm grey

Weight: 88kg

Height: 1,52m

Usual Garments/Armor: Orri wears a chain vest under a set of thick black leathers. When traveling in cold areas he dons a large black bear fur. He is never seen without his favorite black hat.

Other: He never leaves his halberd. He uses it is a weapon, a walking stick, to fish and hunt. Pretty much anything he can think of when he needs it.

Alignment: Neutral Good

Personality: Orri is an all around jovial fellow although he can be quick to anger. His mood changes often and without warning. One moment he may be yelling at you and the next laughing that roaring laugh he is known for. His short temper may lead some to think he is a bad person when he really isn't. Orri will always offer a helping hand or kind word to those who need it and if his purse allows it, will buy anyone a drink who is willing to listen to his stories.

His thirst for adventure and exploring the unknown has caused him to lead the life of a wanderer. His solitary travels make him yearn for companionship and so he is always open to make new friends and join ventures with others. He nurtures a special fondness for Gnomes, who he considers his shorter cousins. One thing I can not stand however is demons and anything to do with dark magic.

Loyalty to his friends is important to him and he expects the same in return. Honor does not matter to him so terribly, he is not afraid to fight dirty if it can save his life or the lives of others but he will never attack a foe who can not defend himself nor will he execute someone if there is another way to settle the matter.

History: Orri was born in Khaz Modan, in his fathers holdfast: Beornhall, built by his great-grandfather Lord Beorn Blackhammer. Clan Blackhammer was once a rather large clan but was decimated during the War of the Three Hammers. Orri's father, Lord Orwin Blackhammer had barely survived the war and returned to Beornhall with a fraction of Blackhammer's armed forces. Over the years the clan recovered, although it would never become as large or prosperous as it had before the war.

Orri was raised by his father, and his wife, his tutor an old dwarven priest by the name of Gvaldi, his fathers steward Vignir and Beornhall's old master-at-arms Hafur. Orri was the eldest son of Lord Orwin but was not raised to take his place because he was not his trueborn son. Orri was the bastard son, born of a woman Orwin had met during the war. He was always treated well and was allowed to keep the Blackhammer name, but it was made clear to Orri from the start that he would not become lord of Beornhall, that title would go to his younger half-brother Birnir. Orri was relieved to know he would never become lord, seeing the strain it put on his father and the rigorous upbringing his brother recieved. Although not a lordling himself Orri still accompanied his father and brother on visits to other clans and to Ironforge. He was present at banquets and festivals, games and hunts and suffice it to say it all bored him to death.

Orri was taught how to read and write, the history of the Dwarves and the Alliance races and some basic mathematics. Most importantly he was taught how to fight, how to survive in the wild and battle tactics. Hafur, the master-at-arms taught him the basics of fighting with swords, axes and maces but even as a youth Orri favored the halberd. The long reach of the axe's blade, the pointed tip and the myriad of uses it had made the halberd the most sensible weapon to Orri's mind.

One day Lord Orwin returned from a hunting trip and brought his bastard son a gift. It was a bear cub, healthy and strong and with fur as black as Orri's beard. Blackhammer's had always favored bears over the ram's some other clans used as mounts. So Orri with the help of his father raised the cub to be his mount, his companion and his ally in battle. He named it Beorn in honor if his great-grandfather and the founder of clan Blackhammer.

As Orri reached full maturity he joined his fathers men on patrols and outings undergone in the name of King Magni. He fought troggs and trolls and various enemies of the dwarves. He was eventually given his own squad of men to command in his fathers name. Being free-spirited and rather wild the young Commander Orri decided to take his small band of dwarves exploring instead of staying home to fight enemies within dwarven lands. This angered both his father and brother who said him irresponsible and reckless to take Blackhammer soldiers away from where they were most needed. The soldiers themselves however were excited to leave Khaz Modan and see the world.

So Orri and his band of dwarves traveled the Eastern Kingdoms visting various human kingdoms and settlements and seeing the high elves for the first time. On their travels they encountered many friends and foes alike. They aided humans in driving back enemies and traveled with other like-minded adventurers. Soon enough Orri's thirst for adventure inspired him to lead his band across the sea to the frozen realm of Northrend. Accompanied by a group of human fighters, one dalarani mage and an elven ranger the dwarves explored the ancient continent and had many grand adventures involving the monsters of the north.

The human sellswords often joked that Orri and his Blackhammer men were more like sellswords than soldiers or bannermen. Orri became rather fond of the idea and when the band returned to the Eastern Kingdoms he proposed to his dwarven comrades and their newfound allies that they found a mercenary company. The dwarves warned him that should he go down this path his father and brother would never take him back. Orri decided it was worth the loss of family ties and his dwarves all followed him along with the humans and the one elf.

Over the years his company grew, there were always people willing to pay for the services of capable soldiers. Blackhammer Company became known for loyal and honest members and fair prices. Orri always fought right alongside his men, even after they had recruited enough mercs to allow him to sit back and enjoy the coin coming in. His ferocity in battle and the likeness his men saw between the black bearded, black-armored Orri and his bear companion earned their leader his nickname: the Black Bear of Blackhammer. The First War came and went and Orri was paid by a noble house in Stormwind to bring his company and fight under the lord's banner. Many of his mercs died in the war against the monstrous orcs and in the end Orri was forced to take the rest of his men and retreat. He traveled with human refugees until his reached Khaz Modan. There he settled in Kharanos and bought a hall for his company.

Upon returning to his homeland he recieved news of his lord fathers death and that Birnir was now lord of Beornhall. Saddened by the news of his fathers death Orri went to Beornhall where he made peace with his brother. The two now closer than ever formed an official alliance between Blackhammer Clan and Blackhammer Company. Peace was not long-lived for soon enough the Second War started and Khaz Modan was under attack.

Together Orri and his lord brother joined forces and fought valiantly in the name of their king Magni and the Alliance. Lord Birnir Blackhammer fell in battle and left behind no trueborn heirs. Beornhall itself came under attack, being close to Khaz Modan's border and the ancient hall was left in ruins. Orri and his Blackhammer Company were badly beaten and his brothers clan was all but gone. After the war Orri marshalled the remains of Blackhammers forces along with his own men and assembled them all in the ruins of Beornhall. There he stood, the Black Bear, amidst the ruins of his clan and with a heavy heart he disbanded the company and the clan. Those clan members left ventured to Ironforge and the remaining mercenaries left to find a new life.

Many questioned the motive behind Orri's decision. It seemed odd that a man who had lost nearly everything would so willingly abandon what little he had left. Orri spoke of this to no one. Quietly he sold the hall he had bought for his company and with no one but his trusted bear companion he left Khaz Modan.

Orri traveled far after that. He re-visited many places in the Eastern Kingdoms, ventured with a group from the Explorer's League back to Northrend. There he lived for a while, traveling and surviving and discovering new places and creatures and things. After his time in Northrend he traveled to the new continent of Kalimdor where talk of war and demons was brewing. There he discovered the Night Elves, the Tauren and to his surprise Orcs. During the course of the Third War where Orri did his duty as a dwarf of the Alliance and the last member of Blackhammer clan, he fought alongside elf, human and orc alike. His hatred for the orcs receded during that time and his soul found peace.

Now Orri still travels the world in search for new adventures and excitement. Reaching middle-age and further has not dampened his wild spirit in the least. He is always willing to try something new and can be found pretty much anywhere.