PC - Corax the Barbarian (Chris B PC) - Hoard-Wardens Clan

Barb-4, Bear Totem 
Prof +2 ST 16 (+3) DE 16 (+3) CO 18 (+4) IN 10 (+0) WI 8 (-1) CH 15 (+2)
Rage 3/Day, Reckless Attack, Danger Sense.
AC 17 HP 45
Greataxe (magic) ATT +5 dam d12+3/+5
2 handaxes ATT +5 dam d6+3/5, d6/+2

Corax’s Father Thrum was a respected elder within the Hoard-warden Clan who had won his privilege repelling Gnoll raids during his youth.  At the age of 21 Thrum had lead a warband north to take the head of Skuller Halfclaw, a particularly vicious Gnoll Chieftan who had been tormenting the Hoard-warden lands for nearly a generation.
It was during that foray that Thrum caught the eye of Taris the Shieldmaiden. Indeed some say it was right there on the bloody remains of old Skuller that Thrum put Corax in Taris’s belly.  What was certainly true was from that moment on in peace and in war Thrum and Taris were always at each other’s side.
The passing of Skuller led to an uncommonly quiet time in the northern forest and after few short years Taris found herself again with child. Unfortunately when the land is quiet men have a habit of falling to idleness and then to boredom and petty squabbling. Thrum’s brother Drix was one who fell to such follies. Drix was 9 years Thrum’s junior and deeply jealous of all that Thrum had gained in life.  Drix lacked Thrum’s skill with the axe, he lacked his mettle, his cool head, in fact Drix was in nearly every imaginable way Thrum’s inferior. But worse of all was the lust in Tarix’ loins for his brother’s wife.
And so it was that Thrum and Drix drifted apart, but life moved on. Taris’ belly grew fat and her time was drawing close. Thrum and the boy Corax headed out to hunt the familiar grounds close to the sea’s edge on the southern side of the forest.  Once the baby came there would be little time for hunting.
After a few days Thrum and Corax returned home with a great bounty only to hear the screams of a babe carrying from the hut. Spurred on by the joyous sound the father and son raced towards their home.
There they found a baby girl lying in the eviscerated entrails of her mother, the stench of blood and shit and puke heavy in the air.  Surrounding the woman was a mass of bloody fur, bone and iron.  Taris had not left this world quietly she had taken at least 20 of the Gnolls with her before, beaten and dying she had sliced her own stomach open and plucked the baby out, trading her life for the life of her unborn daughter.
Lief was a special child, for it was said that the old spirits had been reborn in her. Corax didn’t know much of wise words and prophesies, but he did know that his sister was one of the kindest and most beautiful girls east of the Castellan Mountains. His duty in life was to ensure she was happy and safe and to judge the worthiness of any who dared pursue her.
Corax’s life settled to a steady pace, his 13th birth came and he was announced as a man to the tribe.  That spring Corax had his first opportunity to take vengeance on Gnoll-kind.  As the bear woke from his winter slumber so did the warriors of the Hoard-warden Clan, Corax joining his father on that year’s campaign to rout any Gnoll band foolish enough to cross the forest boundary.  Corax’s teens passed quickly fighting shoulder to shoulder with his father each spring and summer before returning to hunt and fish together preparing the winter bounty in the Fall.
The year Lief turned 14 and Corax was 19, Thrum had set out to the Clan Moot along with Drix and the rest of the Hoardwarden delegates. A month later their uncle Drix to tell them that the whole party had been ambushed on the road by a group of Tristor Elves and only he had managed to escape their deadly assault.
Drix told Corax that his duty was now to look after Lief in place of her father and that Lief would come to live with him until she could marry.  Corax could barely contain the bile in his guts, he flew into a rage at the lecherous bastard chasing him for almost a mile before returning to comfort Lief over the loss of their father.
The next morning Corax awoke bound, gagged and drugged.  Powerless his huge frame was being hauled towards the coastal path by the Slaver’s gang.  Though the thickets he caught a glimpse of Uncle Drix stood talking with the lavishly dressed Slave master.  Ahead a mane of blond hair and a girl, not yet exhibiting the full curves of womanhood, was being carried along up the same path. Corax knew it would be the last he would ever see of Lief. 
Four days and four nights they were at sea, on the fourth night Corax’s vivid dreams grew in intensity, Lief’s voice rang in his ears. A figure appeared in the darkness before him, Lief? No. His mother? Maybe.   Suddenly the ship heaved to one side, an almighty crack rang in Corax’s ears and a blinding light stunned his senses.
When he regained his wits he found himself in the inky black waters, his bonds cut. The stern of the ship stood upright in the water a dozen yards away bobbing for a moment, before quickly disappearing below the waves.  A storm whipped the sea up around him and rain pelted down from the heavens. Dancing lights glinted in the distance exposing what could only be a settlement on the shore. Corax swam.
He woke face down on the beach, the early morning sun beating down on his back and face.  The heat and position of the sun told him he was many miles south of his homeland.   The events of the past week raced through his mind, the loss of his father, his sister, his home, his people. He lay there with nothing in this life other than the loin cloth around his waist.  His eyes lifted towards the dunes and there he saw the strangest thing.
Standing upright, haft driven into the coarse shale was a Double-bladed Great-Axe of the type well known to his clansmen. Hanging from the vicious central spike was the claw pendant his father had worn for as long as he could remember.   Had Lief done this, was she somehow alive? Pathetic thought. Ghost stories and magic fables were nonsense for children and brain-rotten elders not a blooded warrior of the Eyestones Jungle.  Corax put the pendant on and lifted the axe, pausing to feel its weight and balance before setting out towards the town in the distance.

Eyestones Jungle (Dense Forest, Wet): This area is named
for the huge dark gem deposits found in rocky outcroppings
within this jungle. Prized by mages for crystal balls, it is said that
nomadic Altanian tribesmen living in the area often wear gem
necklaces enchanted to prevent being seen or heard. This tribe
is known locally as the Hoard-Wardens. They wear no armor
except shields but fight by ambushes and swift hit and run
tactics with blowpipes and darts coated with Sleeping Vine sap.
Many rare plants grow here, including blue whinnis, madness
causing red lotus and even the dreaded black variety. Encounters:
Altanian tribesmen.