Thane Harkensen
One week ago...Lieutenant Blath Hornraven studied the parchment upon his desk and smiled devilishly. "Ander, fetch Thane Harkensen for me," he bellowed into the adjoining hallway.
"Aye, sir, right away, sir!" came the answer from his aide, and presently the door at the end of the hall slammed shut. A few minutes later, the sound of hurried feet rushed up the hallway and the firm rapping of knuckles announced a visitor.
"Enter!" barked Blath, and a well-muscled man of considerable height ambled through the doorway. He was sweaty and wearing sparring clothes, his short brown hair plastered down upon his head. He approached to the proper spot, arms length from Blath's desk, and his right arm swung up in salute. The motion caused his sleeve to fall down, exposing freshly healing tatoos of Ship Rethnor about the man's forearm.
"Thane Harkensen, reporting as ordered, Sir," Thane reported in, his piercing eyes focused at a spot on the wall behind Blath's desk, his rich tenor voice sounding strong if perhaps robbed of emotion.
"At ease, Thane," Blath commanded, and picked up the page of parchment. "We've got a job for you. A chance for everyone to get a little bit o' what they want," Blath teased, testing Thane for a reaction.
Thane kept staring at the wall above Blath's head. "Don't feel much like no job at the moment, sir, if you get my meanin'," Thane responded, rich voice again flat of emotion. "But I go where I'm sent," he conceded. "What's the job, sir?"
Blath frowned and stood up. "You're a good lad, Thane, but it's been near a month since we ran that drow bitch Necromancer out of town. I know we lost a lot of good men, some of them your friends, but you need to get back to it," he sidestepped the question, addressing the man's obvious hurts first. He cleared his throat and waggled the parchment to draw Thane's attention to it. "This here is a contract to provide a guard for the next, and last, caravan to leave Luskan for Ten-Towns before winter hits and closes the pass," he explained. "Taerl's men are too beat up to handle it," he continued, chuckling maliciously. "So it falls to us of Rethnor. We do the job right, it might become a regular gig starting next spring. I think you understand how important this is to our good Captain?" he asked, voice rising with the import of the question.
Thane sighed and looked his commander in the eyes. His gaze seemed haunted, irrational even, and for a moment Brath really thought that what the cleric of Tempus had told him was true, that soft-hearted Thane had cracked, from stem to stern.
"I go on this caravan, I won't be back for many months," Thane stated, plainly but very much truly. "Might not come back at all," he mused, observing the obvious but for some reason the obvious needed to be said. He pointed an accusing finger at the parchment contract. "I don't come back, does my family get a portion of the wages due?" he asked.
Blath did his best to hide a smile of victory. He knew how Thane tended to think, and by bringing up his family in this manner, Blath was sure that Thane was leaning towards agreement. "Yes! Yes of course it does, Thane. Standard contract, routine protections against loss of life, all those things," he replied soothingly, covering the white lie with a toothy smile.
Thane considered for a moment longer. "When. Where. Who do I talk to, and where do I sign?" he said by way of acceptance.
Blarth placed the parchment on the desk and rotated it so Thane could sign it. "Make yer mark there, son," he indicated, handing the man a ready quill for the purpose. As Thane made his marks, Blarth explained the time, place and contact for the departing caravan. Thane nodded his understanding, saluted his commander, and was dismissed.
Blarth waited until Thane was well out of earshot before he sat down and laughed with hearty contentment. This is perfect! he thought. No matter what happens, Ship Rethnor will gain prestige for this, oh yes! he exulted. Poor Thane. So soft, so innocent, not a thuggish bone in his body, and so, so foolishly brave, he reflected on the strapping twenty-something warrior-healer that had just left. Either this mission will change him, make him useful again somehow, or it will kill him. Either way works for me, he concluded, his dark thoughts known only to himself.
Character Description
Thane Harkensen is a Luskan through and through. Born into the Harkensen family, whose fortunes have been bright due to his father's position as the head scribe for the Arcane Brotherhoos, Thane was found to be a disappointment in things intellectual. Stocky of build and kind of heart, his 'poor' mind barred him from ascending into the ranks of scribing where most of his siblings seemed to be bound.
He was apprenticed out to Ship Rethnor as a young boy to learn the ways of soldiering. This was considered the best available choice for Thane to obtain an honorable position within the city and not be an embarrassment to his family name. To put it simply, Thane excelled in all that was asked of him. He made bonds with his fellow apprentices and tended to his duties well. In good time he was made a soldier himself, and his kind heartedness won him the opportunity to be trained in medicine and given a promotion. His role became that of Company Medic, a soldier who tended to the men around him during battle to keep fatalities to a minimum.
To be continued...