Nardreg


 * "When you die and join the ancestors, you will tell them of how you died with a curse to Gul'dan upon your lips and blood upon your tusks!" -- Nardreg Dwarfbane

Nardreg Dwarfbane was an orcish warrior of the Bleeding Hollow clan during the Second War who made a name for himself with his ruthless slaughter and de-bearding of a vast number of dwarves during the Horde's occupation of their snowy kingdom. Following his subsequent capture and internment, Nardreg served the young warchief Thrall in escaping humanity and founding the nation of Durotar where his status as a fearsome warrior and respected veteran earned him various positions of authority within the new Horde.

Appearance
Well upon his way to venerable age, this warrior's build is typical of most orcs albiet with toughened pale-green skin and greyed hair. Standing slightly shorter than most, with a hobbled walk, Nardreg is nonetheless an imposing figure with a life evidently honed by bloodshed and warefare; a toughness bred from the harsh cold of Khaz Modan. His tusks are mottled and dull, the left wrapped with a thin orange cloth at the base of the tusk to presumably ward against infection where a crack would lie. Red eyes, no longer blazing with fury, promise a firm hand and wise counsel. His hair is typically unkempt, with only one braid on either side showing a semblance of tidiness. A further two braids fall from a well-defined chin. Across his absent right eye, a leather patch covers an aged battlescar.

Class/Skills/Attributes
Nardreg is now more of a political administrator and strategist rather than a direct warrior. By no means, however, is his skill with the blade diminished. Wielding Beardtaker, the aged veteran is no less of an impressive fighter than the famed warriors on whose lives are the young warriors of Orgrimmar raised to idolise and respect. With wide arcs that goad the foolish into exploiting supposed weaknesses, and follow-up strikes that punish fatal mistakes with a clean death, Nardreg's skills with his polearm are well-honed and well-respected amongst his peers.

He is a fluent speaker of the Common tongue and boasts a rudimentary understanding of Taur-ahe.

Equipment/Apparel
Clad in heavy plate, embellished with spikes upon towering pauldrons, Nardreg fulfills the expectations one would have of a veteran warrior of worthy rank among the new Horde. Adorned across his chest is a tabard proudly boasting the crest of the Orgrimmar and from under the pauldrons drapes a fine cloak. He allows dents, scratches and other evidence of battle to remain present and visible as a token of his experience.

Personality/Traits
It is said that the older an orc gets, the more pragmatic he becomes. Nardreg is no exception to this rule and after personally surviving three of the darkest wars on Azeroth, and many conflicts following them, he more than most understands what is to be lost in bloodshed. Like most of the Bleeding Hollow clan, Nardreg is typically dour and grim. Rarely has he smiled and rarely has he laughed as a result of anything other than dark humour. His bearing is a proud one, and he often takes percieved insults towards his warriors or the Horde very seriously. Oaths, even more so, as he will not swear them lightly; instead demanding the presence of a shaman or rememberer to witness the oath. Although relatively quiet in large discussions, Nardreg is nonetheless a shrewd tactician and his keen eye will drink of every detail before he speaks. However, he is outstandingly stubborn. Coupled with a deep-seated loyalty, Nardreg's duty stands highest among priorities.

He holds a great distrust of the Forsaken undead, and conversely a great respect for the tauren as a result of their original offer of shelter during the Horde's landing on Kalimdor. The Darkspear tribe shares this respect, although the blood elves have distance yet to travel before the stigma of their sorcerous might can bypass the prejudice from the memory of Gul'dan's warlocks.

Of noteworthy importance is his hatred of dwarves. After months besieging Ironforge and warring with the "burrowing vermin", Nardreg stoked a fiery furnace of grudges within his heart. Although loyal to Thrall and his ideals of peace, the impending war declared by King Varian of Stormwind has provided the oppertunity Nardreg has been unashamedly desiring since the end of the Second War; the chance to claim the beard of King Magni Bronzebeard himself.

"Dwarfbane"

 * "He's filled with as much grit as those rock-eaters in the mountain. He'll be the bane of the dwarven king himself if that gate ever cracks." - Kazagg of the Bleeding Hollow clan

During the Bleeding Hollow occupation of Khaz Modan, the realm of the dwarves, Nardreg gained important firsthand experience of the grudging tenacity of the mountain-dwelling warriors. Razing hold after hold, the orcs drove the dwarves out; each of whom would flee into the towering gates of Ironforge. Their mighty capital itself stood unfazed, unbreachable by the orcish horde.

Together with his companions from the Bleeding Hollow clan, Nardreg began an inticement effort to aggravate the dwarves into charging from the safety of Ironforge. Bounding upon dwarven survivors, and military units from the mountain city sent to rescue them, Nardreg reaped a bloody harvest of kills, tallying the number of dwarven lives his axe had felled by collecting the beards of the dead as trophies. The beardless corpses lay in the shadow of the Ironforge, an insult and a warning to the staunch defenders of Khaz Modan who dared to resist the Horde.

Kilrogg's warriors were unable to deny their admiration of the visible grudge held by their august brother; bestowing the name "Dwarfbane" upon him. The aged warrior carries his name to this day, along with the respect and friendship of Bleeding Hollow warriors Hordewide.