Orest / Orrusti
Orrusti the Lion
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History
Orrusti, the son of Oleg, Merchant of Novgorod and Yrsa, the wife of said merchant, was always a rebellious soul. During his youth he would often leave the comfort of his home, which often changed, to challenge others of his age to stick battles. Over time his skills and confidence grew and he then yearned for the life of a warrior. However, this was not the wish of his father, who sought after Orrusti to become a great merchant such as he. So, against his fathers wishes, he eventually ran away to begin a new life as a swordsman. As luck would have it, he ran into a man named Rulav, who taught Orrusti the ways of the sword and shield.
Come Orrusti’s 16th birthday, he took up his weapons and joined a group of thirteen mercenaries. This particular group was focused on jobs guarding trade caravans passing to and from Byzantium. The group became a popular escort for several merchants, one of whom did a lot of business within Novgorod from Polotsk. This merchant, whose name was Freygeirr, was the man the group dealt with most. He also was given top priority over all other tradesmen, as he was known to pay the best, and even let the group take what they wished from the aftermath of any scuffle they got into. Orrusti however, had his own reason for dealing with this man, as Freygeirr had a daughter, Svala, who also traveled with him at all times, the likes of whom Orrusti was quite taken with.
The group of mercenaries was attacked by a large group of bandits, Svala and her father were killed, and Orrusti went into an infuriated rage and killed about twenty of the thirty or so men who attacked the caravan. He coated his shield in paint, mixed with the blood of the bandit leader, and later on added a design to it to make his mark. He continued on as a mercenary, however his hostility towards raiders grew, and his ferocity in battles where he fought to protect others became a widespread word. One year after that, he had taken over leadership of the group, now consisting of little over forty members. He was meeting up with his latest contractor, who was on a trip to Byzantium and needed a group of mercenaries to guard a very valuable load. This turned out to be his father, Oleg, who too had grown in prosperity and fame.
Now Orrusti spends his life guarding his father’s caravan from raiders and bandits. His father hides his disappointment that Orrusti did not become a great merchant, however he is still proud that his son became a well known fighter.
Although he now works with his father, they still often get into family bouts. Be ready to see father and son fighting it out on the field of battle!
