Jerix was born in a small village in a distant, poor land. His village was constantly bullied by a small gang of evil orcs. Every month they came in, took what they wanted and left the village in shambles. The peasants had nothing beyond their homes and their land, they simply could not leave. So, they endured this treatment as far as they could, with the knowledge that if they resisted they would be brutally slaughtered.

Jerix hated these thugs and could never see why the villagers, who greatly outnumbered the orcs, could not simply rise up against them. When he was nine he began following around a group of tough men in the streets who had decided to take matters into their own hands. The men were nice enough to Jerix, and a few of them even began to teach him to use a sword. When the orcs next came, the men attacked and were promptly beaten down. As punishment, the orcs began destroying the town, killing men, women and children indiscriminately, regardless of their cooperation or even approval of the plot. When Jerix saw his own family killed from behind the stairs he lost his temper. He grabbed a kitchen knife and attacked the orc that killed them, catching the much more powerful creature by surprise and killing him. Then Jerix turned his anger to the other orcs, who quickly overpowered him. They would have killed him if their chief was not intrigued by his surprising skill and talent. He ruled that since Jerix had killed one of the finest warriors in the gang, he would have to take his place.

He resisted at first, but after weeks of starvation and brutal treatment Jerix had no choice but to cooperate. For five years he traveled with them, learned to fight, to kill without seeing his enemy as another living creature. He harbored a deep hate for his orc captors, and one day when he was fourteen he acted on it. He sold them out to a rival orc tribe, killing the guards to the camp and letting the orcs in. They slaughtered Jerix’s captors, and in exchange for his help they brought him to the nearest human city. There, Jerix became a personal bodyguard for hire to whoever would pay him.

Jerix has now created a reputable company, complete with a number of skilled bodyguards. He never outright breaks the law, but in his mind what his clients has done is irrelevant, everyone deserves to be protected. He pays good money to keep the criminal underworld away from his clients and has developed a number of contacts and allies over the years. He does nothing to prevent crime, so long as it does not affect his clients. He protects all different types of people and creatures, nobles, criminals, businessmen, evil spellcasters. Jerix believes that morality is irrelevant, the world is run on force and gold not good and evil.

He is a talented warrior, but in truth Jerix’s skill is tactics and strategy. He is able to think like an assassin, he knows what weak points to cover and how to set up ambushes. Many of his clients hail him as a tactical genius, able to predict potential assassin’s moves far in advance. In combat he makes good use of his “Expertise” feat and his sneak attacks, preferring to flank his opponents whenever possible. He is certainly no coward, he is always in the fight and always puts his own life on the line. His obsession with keeping his clients safe has often been mistaken for being suicidal or insane, throwing himself into combat against foes far stronger than himself. Of course, he always has a plan, but that does not make the situation any less dangerous.

As a person, Jerix is noted for being particularly negative. His rough childhood has made him painfully aware that the world is not a fair place. He believes the world is cold and death is arbitrary. He cannot save everyone in the world, so he believes it is best to only save the highest bidders. On a more positive note he is strictly honest, does not lie to anyone. He always upholds his contracts to the spirit of the arrangement, not necessarily the wording, and expects his clients to do the same.

Jerix can serve many purposes in your campaign. He could easily have been hired by the villain for protection, and he would add a certain amount of humanity to the evil the group normally opposes. Jerix is not really bad, just negative, and he is really just trying to protect his clients. The heroes may find this understandable or even admirable, though they will have to fight him none the less. He could also be an ally of the heroes, either hired by them or by a friend of theirs. Alternatively, he could employ the heroes as bodyguards in his ever expanding company. He could always use fresh blood, and the heroes may be just perfect for him, willing to be sent to the ends of the earth and to the most obscure locations for him.

Lawful Neutral male human (medium humanoid)
Fighter 6th/Rogue 6th
Hit Dice: 6d10+6d6+24 (77 HP)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 ft
Armor Class: 29 (+15 Armor, +4 Dex)
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+13
Attack: Greatsword +18 (2d6+9) or Light Crossbow +15 (1d8+2)
Full Attacks: Greatsword +18/+13 (2d6+9) or Light Crossbow +15 (1d8+2)
Space/Reach: 5ft/5ft
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +13, Will +8
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 11
Skills: Tumble +13, Hide +13, Move Silently +13, Sense Motive +11, Search +12, Spot +11, Listen +11, Escape Artist +13, Balance +13, Disable Device +12, Ride +13, Climb +12, Swim +12, Jump +12
Feats: Weapon Focus (Greatsword), Weapon Specialization (Greatsword), Weapon Focus (Light Crossbow), Weapon Specialization (Light Crossbow), Iron Will, Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Combat Reflexes, Spring Attack
Special Abilities: Sneak Attack +3d6, Evasion, Uncanny Dodge (Dex Bonus to AC and Can’t be Flanked)

Equipment: +5 Chain Shirt, +5 Buckler, +4 Greatsword, 2,000 GP

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