Jorvin Starbreaker
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Jorvin Kazrinsson of Elder Clan Starbreaker (Dw: ᛃᛟᚱᚡᛁᚾᚴᚨᛉᚱᛁᚾᛋᛟᚾ) is a Dwarven noble and former Grand King of Urguan and was responsible for the restoration of Clan Starbreaker to prominent status among the Elder Clans. He was the second Grand King of Urguan after the Kingdom’s restoration in the Arcesian Period and he was the first Dwarf of Clan Starbreaker to ascend to the throne of Urguan, and one of the most famous members of Clan Starbreaker as a result.
Jorvin’s reign was tumultuous when compared to his predecessors. Throughout Urguan was in a near-constant state of war, first with the Orenian Empire during the Sutican War, immediately followed by the outbreak of the costly Inferi War, which led to the exodus of the continent of Arcas. The remainder of Jorvin’s reign oversaw the exodus of the Urguanite people to the continent of Almaris, where he established a new capital in the abandoned Dwarf-Hold of Kal’Darakaan. Suffering from significant wounds, mental and psychical in the aftermath of the war, Jorvin silently abdicated, and left the capital for several decades to raise his son in peace.
After his reign, Jorvin remains most well known for his part in slaying the Aengul Gazardiel, as well as ruling as a competent wartime leader, and shrewd politician.
Contents
History
Jorvin was born in Kal’Tarak in the Kingdom of Kaz’Ulrah little over a decade after it had established itself as the primary Dwarven nation, following its conquest of the Third Grand Kingdom of Urguan in 1636. Due to the nature of its formation, Kaz’Ulrah was home to a culture far more militant than its predecessor, something which influenced many Dwarves, including Jorvin in his youth. Jorvin was the son of famous Dwarven scholar and mage, Kazrin Starbreaker, then Clan Father of the Starbreakers. Due to his father being a primary advisor to the monarchs of the Kingdom, as well as being tasked with preserving much of Dwarven history, Jorvin did not spend much time with his father during his youth, and was instead primarily raised by his mother, Maeven Ironaxe-Starbreaker, a prominent Officer in the Ulrahite Vanguard until her death in battle during the Third Atlas Coalition War.
Jorvin was educated by his father throughout his late teens to his thirties in classical Dwarven literature and history, learning Ancient Dwarvish in preparation for a scholarly or religious career. At the behest of several Clan Elders, Jorvin was also educated in his lineage, and the history of his clan dating back to The Blood Age. Since youth, Jorvin, like most Starbreakers, has believed the arts of Golemancy and Runesmithing to be his birthright as a descendant of Paragon Gotrek, the founder of those arts in Dwarven mythology. After the death of his mother, Jorvin enlisted in the Vanguard of Kaz’Ulrah in preparation for an Imperial attack on Kal’Tarak. His fears would be realized, as a vast army under the command of Emperor Aurelius Horen, along with Prince Cassius Horen besieged the city in 1692.
After a grueling siege, Kal’Tarak fell to Imperial forces later that year. The Dwarven Kingdom, already sapped for manpower due to its feuding with the other Dwarven Warlords, did not possess the necessary manpower needed to man the defenses, and instead had to rely on the ill-disciplined remnants of the armies of Krugmar and Nordengrad. What followed was the complete dissolution of Kaz’Ulrah as a Kingdom. Many survivors of the sacking that followed fled to the other Dwarven states which had formed in the aftermath of Urguan’s fall. Jorvin, along with his clan, made the journey across the continent to the newly formed Kingdom of Agnarum. Jorvin spent several weeks after the journey recovering from his near-fatal injuries form the siege, but once he had recovered the young Starbreaker swore an oath atop Mount Azgaraz, to never again let such a cruel fate befall the Dwarven people.
Jorvin joined the Legion of Agnarum shortly after, and dedicated himself wholly to the profession of soldiery, abandoning scholarship in the process, much to the disappointment of his father. While a soldier in the small Azgarymos Legion, Jorvin was tasked with patrolling the border with the Empire of Mankind, which surrounded the Dwarven enclave on all save the southernmost border.
Towards the end of the Atlesian period, Jorvin’s father Kazrin abdicated the seat of Clan Father to his eldest son, beginning a reign that would last close to a hundred and twenty years. The first actions Jorvin took as Clan Father was to expel his uncle, Torkan, a suspected Khorvadic cultist from the clan. Jorvin took Torkan’s youngest children, Lulubelle and Karvek, under his arm, raising them as his own. Lulubelle would go on to accomplish feats of great heroism in her later life, earning many honors in the Legion, and slaying a drakaar during the Atheran Expedition. She would later succeed Jorvin as leader of Clan Starbreaker, following his self-exile.
By the beginning of the Arcesian period, Jorvin had risen to the position of Lieutenant in the Dwarven Legion, being the youngest officer within the Legion at a time where many Longbeards still held command. As Lieutenant, Jorvin was primarily tasked with overseeing the policing of the capital city of Kal’Varoth, due to the Legion suffering from significantly depleted numbers at the time, Jorvin often oversaw patrols and sweeps of the underway personally.
Jorvin’s rule over Clan Starbreaker was one of reinvigoration, for the first time in many centuries, Clan Starbreaker had arisen to a position where it was the most numerous of Cave Dwarven clans, the only familial clan of that subrace to remain. Clan Starbreaker, which had been viewed poorly prior to the reign of him and his father, once more commanded respect among the Dwarven populace, something which it could be argued, it had not held since the days of the last Starbreaker Runelords.
During the later years of King Fimlin’s reign, the Kingdom of Agnarum was reformed into the Underrealm of Urguan. As the single undisputed Dwarven nation, this is often marked as the end of the ‘Kin-strife’ or Dwarven Civil War. Jorvin, in his small role, was part of the founding council of the nation, voting in favor of the reformation, and retaining his seat as Lord of Clan Starbreaker for many years thereafter. Later in life, Jorvin would be the last member of the First Council to remain active in Dwarven politics, up until his abdication as King.
Upon the outbreak of the Three Months' War Jorvin, like many Dwarves at the time, did not see that much combat. Instead, as a lower officer in the Legion, Jorvin assisted in organization, logistics, and garrison duty. Jorvin only saw combat twice before the war’s end. Jorvin participated in the Dwarven occupation of the Orenian throne room until a peace treaty was signed. At the war’s end, King Atandt abdicated under pressure from the council. His replacement, Utak Ireheart was elected unanimously, and appointed Jorvin his chancellor.
Jorvin's time as Lord Chancellor was a tumultuous one, as it was not until he began butting heads with King Utak, and several clans on the council, chiefly over foreign policy. Tensions ran high as the council was soon divided into two cliques, the Royalists, led by Clan Frostbeard and sponsored by the King, and the Traditionalists, headed by Jorvin. Eventually, tensions grew so hot between the two groups, a council meeting was called, and nearly devolved into civil war as the two parties drew weapons on each other. Following this incident, the council was dissolved, and stripped of its powers, which were then absorbed by the office of the King. Nevertheless, Jorvin remained a close advisor to Utak throughout the rest of his reign, helping with matters of diplomacy, and serving briefly as Grand Marshal of the Legion, before stepping down in favor of the more experienced Axel Ireheart, shortly before the beginning of the Urguan-Krugmar Grudge War.
Jorvin remained as the semi-official right hand man of Utak up until his abdication. Having been endorsed by Utak before his departure, Jorvin won the following election for the kingship, running against Dorimnur Goldhand, and the infamous Charles the Bald. Even before his coronation, Jorvin worked to quickly begin implementing his policies, in the hope of revitalizing Dwarven culture. Shortly after becoming King, Oren began an invasion of Sutica with the intention of capturing its leader. Jorvin believed this to be a perfect opportunity to prove himself as a competent leader, and shortly after declared war siting perceived slights by the Orenians, Norland was drawn into the conflict shortly after forming an alliance with Urguan. The war continued for several years, leaning heavily in Urguan's favor until an armistice was signed by Sutica, thus ending the conflict just as the Inferi demonhosts had begun their invasion of the continent of Korvassa to Urguan's south.
The Korvassa was quickly overrun, and the Inferi swelled in power exponentially from the ensuing bloodshed, with many of the descendant nations in a panic, Jorvin quickly turned to shore up his southern defenses, vastly expanding the Dwarven Navy, and constructing a series of forts along Arcas's southern coasts, where the Inferi were expected to make landfall. Jorvin personally led several naval actions against the horde from the city-sized Dwarven dreadnought, the Dwedsmark. When the counter-invasion of Korvassa began in the final decade of the war, Jorvin led the Dwarven contingent, which saw some of the thickest of the fighting during the reclamation campaign. It was during the final battle of this campaign where Jorvin, wielding the reclaimed Hammer of Urguan, slew the Aengul Gazardial, as he attempted to bring about the end and rebirth of the world.
Jorvin remained Grand King for almost a decade after the conflict, and in the twilight years of his reign oversaw the colonization of the abandoned Dwarfhold of Kal'Darakaan, which became the new capital of the Grand Kingdom, following the destruction of Arcas. Nearly a century of one war after another, soon began to take its toll on Jorvin, who found himself increasingly alone, as few of his friends and mentors survived the fall of Arcas, or any of the conflicts prior. In the seventh year of the second age, after finding himself increasingly unable to fulfil his duties as King, following months-long bouts of melancholy. Jorvin silently abdicated, leaving Urguan until such a time where his mental health improved.
Appearance
During his time as King, Jorvin was among the wealthiest men alive, owing to the riches of Dwarves, as such, he wore some of the finest clothes available, dyed with only the most expensive inks. Gold thread, gold amulets, and gold rings were a stable of his attire, as well as the dark purples and grays of his clan. On the battlefield, Jorvin wears only the finest, heaviest armor available, in true Dwarven fashion. He has wielded numerous weapons depending on the occasion, but was most often seen wielding two-handed warhammers, war axes, and seaxes.
Mentality
Jorvin Starbreaker was, even at his best an exceptionally dour and grim individual, opening himself up to only a rare few, namely his immediate family, and wife. Having fought in many wars over the years, Jorvin suffered from severe 'war-weariness' (PTSD) and melancholy (depression) which manifested itself in angry, often unprompted outbursts. Despite this, during his reign and even before it, Jorvin could often be described as overconfident, or arrogant. He held a deep sense of duty towards the Dwarvish people, and believed it his duty as a member of an Elder Clan of the Dwarves to guide the others. Because of this slightly condescending approach towards common clans, as well as his great and often expressed pride in his lineage, this led to him unintentionally coming across as a classist individual. Jorvin was not a violent Dwarven Supremacist like his predecessors, but was nevertheless deeply untrusting of outsiders.
Family
Jorvin sired two bastard daughters early in life, both of whom were legitimized after their discovery. In 3 SA Jorvin married Dhaen Grandaxe, they had one child, Jorvin's only son, Kazagrim, shortly before Jorvin's abdication.
Legacy
Jorvin remains deeply respected for his actions during the Inferi War, and lifetime of service to the Dwarven nation, however he was not universally liked, as many among the Mountain Dwarf clans disliked him due to his quarrels with King Utak, during his chancellorship. Jorvin could also be viewed as power hungry, ruthless, and ambitious. Despite this, Jorvin's legacy remains mostly positive.
Trivia
- Jorvin was once briefly excommunicated from the Dwarven Faith following a feud with Clan Grandaxe gone bloody. This was reversed shortly after by the next High Prophet.
- During the final battle of the Inferi War, Jorvin briefly wielded the Falchion of Malin in battle alongside the Aengul Malchediael before reclaiming the Hammer of Urguan.
- Common is not Jorvin's first language, owing to the scholarly background of Clan Starbreaker, it was one of the few clans where Dwarven was spoken fluently, a rare sight outside of the Dwarven clergy.
