Chanu Krezna

Like many heroes-to-be, Chanu was born in harsh times. His human mother was taken captive by an Orc raiding party over two decades ago. Her "owner" quickly bored of her, but when it was found that she was with child, her life was spared (for a while, at least). The Orcs had no tender feelings for their half-blood children born of these circumstances, but they were fond of taking their spawn and using them for entertainment. After Chanu was born, his mother's usefulness had expired, so she was put to the blade.

Loosely translated, "Chanu" means "cur dog" or "mongrel" in the tongue of the Orcs. It would imply a worthless beast who is only good for out taking your frustrations. And while half-orcs (especially those sired with prisoners) were often called "chanu", the actual mongrels were treated better than they were. In any case, this was the closest thing to a name Chanu ever actually had, and it was fitting for his life. For ten long years he was used in dog-fight style matches to earn his owner a fair sum of money, slaves, and other valuables. He learned to be strong, tough, and quick in order to survive. And for ten long years, he stood undefeated, as the punishment for loss in these fights was usually death.

He did lose one fight, though, and his owner lost his favourite slave in the deal. Subjugated by a large grey wolf, he was badly hurt but not dead. His owner threw Chanu back in his cage with the intention of coming back later to make him pay severely for his loss. After he had left, Chanu came to his senses enough to know what was coming. It was a struggle, but he managed to get the cage's lock picked using a bone splinter from his last meal (two days prior). He escaped into what became a terrible thunderstorm, but he made it less than a quarter mile from the settlement before his body collapsed beneath him. In anger and desperation, he cried to Kord -- the only god he'd ever known besides Gruumsh -- for vengeance. Lightning struck the oak tree he was using for shelter, and he promptly fell unconscious.

At dawn the next morning, he was awakened by battle cries. A small human army was assailing the village in which he had been raised. He returned to the camp shortly after the Orcs were defeated. As it were, the contingent was a work camp en route to a new quarry. They recruited “Hans” (they were unable (or unwilling) to pronounce Chanu) into their ranks. There he met a young man, with whom he made quick friends. A few years later when Sebastian took his vows as a Paladin of Kord and set out, Hans followed him into a life of adventure.