Markus Stern is a man who has been redeemed from a dark past. The heroics of his later years has made up for the follies of his youth, though he is too proud to admit it.

His father was a professional executioner, as had their entire line for as far back as family memory served. It was a grim family tradition, but one in which the Stern's took great pride. But fate saw to it that Markus' father met a wonderful woman that eventually became his mother. She was of the minor nobility, and that she would deign to be courted by a commoner, let alone one with such a bloody duty, caused no small amount of scandal in her social circle. But fall in love she did. She became the roots that stopped the Stern family wandering. Markus was born in a proper city, and instead of being a freelance executioner, his father became an official municipal judicial executioner. Despite this change in status, his father still imparted the family business skills onto Markus. His father always believed Markus would follow in his footsteps. However, Markus' mother saw a whole world of potential in her son. She was an accomplished scholar, and taught her son all manner of esoteric knowledge on top of an impressive base education.

For a time, life was good.

But when Markus was sixteen winters old, and just starting to contemplate his life path, the machinations of nobility destroyed his idyllic life. Marku's father had carried out the sentence for a young noble who had been caught dueling illegally. His brothers, drunk on wine and vengeance, set fire to their dwelling in the middle of one dark winter night. Only Markus survived.

Consumed with the need for vengeance, but bound to iron clad ideals instilled by his father, Markus went about his retribution in a much more deliberate and clever fashion. He brought his parent's killers to court, and actually managed to win the case. Predictably, the young nobles fled the city before the verdict could be rendered. As is par for the course, the court issued a bounty for their return.

Thus given an excuse for legal death-dealing, Markus tracked down his parent's killers, and took their heads. He returned to his city with his bloody trophies, and not only wasn't he punished for such action, he was rewarded with gold. With no other prospects, and with all the gruesome skills taught him by his father, Markus took to the life of a bounty hunter.

For seven long years, he used his superior intellect and family trade to hunt all manner of criminals. And though ostensibly it was for righteous justice, coin and blood were all that stirred his heart. His was a cold life, but he was so good at it nothing could persuade him from his dark path. He didn't care who he caught, or why. And unless the bounty specifically called for living marks, he always brought corpses. He eventually moved out from the drunkards and cut-purses of the poorer districts to richer bounties. If there were calls for Orc scalps, or the hide of a rampaging Troll, he would go forth and hunt these foes. Not for any sense of altruism, but for the coins that would fill his coffers.

Life probably would have continued that way, had he not met his future companions. It took a long time, and more adventures than he could count, but their genuine good will and acts of selfless heroics broke through his cold exterior. He started seeing the value of genuine friendships, and he started feeling the need to do the right thing for it's own sake. And finally, he learned in his heart, selflessness. As more than once during their grand adventures was he willing to lay down his life for something other than simple gold. He had found his heart again. He had found a new family.

When their heroics could not longer be easily counted, and all the great evils of their time were vanquished, it was time for him to finally live his life. But all he knew were brutal skills, and oddly specific academics. For a few years he tried to be an honest constable. But he was too independent for the life of rules and regulations of normal lawmen. He tried founding a mercenary company in order to lead a group of men in agendas that he desired. But he was no leader of men, and the venture barely lasted two years. Without many options, Markus fell back into bounty hunting for a while. But that all changed when he met the woman who would eventually become his wife. Liane Gerster was, and is, an apothecary of tremendous skill, and an infinitely gentle soul. He joy and kind spirit called to his still healing soul. It took some time for him to propose to her, but she had fallen for him and turn. They married, settled down in the big city, and have two beautiful daughters together.

Serafina is eight, Catrin is four, and they are the light of Markus' life. He would kill for them. He would die for them. And he would be fine with either option. Not wanting to leave his family for months on end as a bounty hunter, Markus put his keen mind to other use. With his skill at managing his own finances, Markus decide to become a money lender. He had enough gold to start his venture, and the reputation to warn off those who would try to take advantage of him. It is a lucrative business that he uses to provide for his children. And every once and a while he has to track down those that won't repay his loans, which keeps his old skills sharp.

So if he is ever called back to action, he will not be found wanting...