At the age of five, the small hunting
community in which Magnor was born was sacked and burned by a humanoid
horde led by a small band of giants. He narrowly escaped slaughter by
hiding deep in the snow underneath a horse carcass. Alone and starving, he
fled the hungry wolves that had arrived to scavenge the grisly scene that
was once his home by climbing the nearby cliffs into the unforgiving Griff
mountains. Several days later he was found, nearly dead, by a
Mountain Dwarven roving patrol. The Dwarves carried him back to their
subterranean home where a cleric of Moradin brought him back to health.
(" there is something about this human child...") He was taken
in by the clan, assigned to a hearthguard named Rilga U’gaardun and
taught the warrior ways of his hardy new people.
By the age of thirteen it was becoming obvious that he
was different. ("reckless boy! You really must stop banging your head
on the archway all the time, or you’ll turn your brains into mushroom
pudding!".) He was a very quick study in battle school, excelling in
giant-felling technique and with the feared Dwarven waraxe, among other
disciplines.
At sixteen, he was already making a name for himself
among the clan in the roving patrols. One day on patrol, his squad was
ambushed by two hill giants. One of his comrades was hit square with a
boulder. He dragged his friend to the safety of an overhang in the rock,
only to watch him draw his last breath in his arms. The death of his squad
mate, coupled with the bitter memories re-stimulated by the sight of the
giants was all the young Magnor could take. With a bloodcurdling scream,
he flew into a merciless death rage and singlehandedly fell the giant and
caved in it’s skull.
The honor garnered upon him by the clan was
unprecedented by a human among Dwarves. In an ale-soaked celebration, he
was awarded the nickname "Giant Crusher" and granted his choice
of assignment within the clan. After a long, misty-eyed consult with his
hearthguard "mother", he realized that what he longed for most
was to travel the Oerth and seek his place among the great warriors of
legend in the tales of bards and the books of sages.
So, with the blessings and farewell of his clan, he set
out to the south and beyond...
