Nodwick grew up the second son in a family of wealthy merchants. Always restless, he was never able to focus on the task in hand, and spent most of his time dreaming of the adventures he would have. His strict father packed him off to a grammer school to be "settled", with the aid of a large stick. He endured this harsh regime for two years, and then absconded with as many valuables as he could pack, age thirteen, determined to find his own way in the world. He was robbed within two hours of arriving in the capital, and had his fine clothes stolen. In a few weeks, he had to face a great number of realities, but was too stubborn to return home.
At first he learned to earn food by juggling or telling jokes, taverns would provide a meal and a bed in the stables for such a performance. It wasn't long before he began to supplement his earnings filching small items from the inebriated patrons. On occasion he would be caught, and would have to flee, but he was always fast enough to outpace his pursuers.
It wasn't long before he became a talented small-time thief. With no formal training he restricted himself to small jobs; picking pockets or robbing empty houses. He learned to defend himself with a small dagger, but never had cause to kill with it, finding the killing of innocents morally repugnant. He managed to subsist in this way for two more years, until an unfortunate event while breaking and entering. The house he was attempting to rob was supposed to be empty, but a butler return home early found Nodwick with a pair of silver candlesticks in his pockets, and collared the boy before he could escape. Locked in a pantry while the man went to fetch a member of the watch, he was just able to wriggle through a tiny window.
Thoroughly frightened at his first real apprehension, and worried about being identified (though he knew, objectively, that the chance was tiny), he left town as soon as possible, hitching lifts or walking, and determined to find a more legal task.
Bruno spent all of his life on a bean farm. Growing rapidly into a huge youth, it was always his job to split logs or hoe the field. He also travelled to market on their old wagon, at first with his father, and then often alone. When alone, he would often become lonely, and pick up those travelling in the same direction. Any thoughts of larceny on the part of the hitchers quickly evaporated at the sight of a pile of beans and Bruno's massive physique. One of these hitchers was Nodwick.
As the bumped along, Nodwick spun a tale of adventure and derring-do of his time in the big city (made up on the spot, of course). Bruno listened hungrily to these exciting stories, bemoaning the lack of excitement in his own life. With an eye for opportunity, Nodwick quickly outlined a plan, in which they took the wagon and money from the beans, and set out to become brave adventurers. While Bruno agreed to the principle of the idea, he steadfastly sold the beans and returned the wagon and money home before setting out with Nodwick.
For the past two years, they have been earning money in any way they can; working at a tavern, with Bruno on guard duty and Nodwick performing, or as point guards on a caravan, or in any other way money can be made. Bruno does almost all of the fighting, while Nodwick negotiates all of the deals. Both secretly consider that they are getting the best of the deal.
Bruno leads a very carefree, uncomplicated life now. he leaves all of the irritating details up to Nodwick. He gets food, fairly light work, and sees the world, and all he has to do in return is hurt a few people Nodwick assures him are "bad". His happy, open face, muscled body and chiselled features make him extremely succesful with women, and he takes it upon himself to disappoint as few of them as possible. For him, life looks good.
Nodwick's world-view is a little more complicated. All he does is sort out deals and scout out employers, while Bruno does all the work. He takes care of all the money, supplementing it every now and again when he passes a patron even drunker than normal. He envies Bruno his easy-going manner and success with women, while mocking his lack of intelligence whenever possible. However, he cares deeply for the simple soul, though he takes care not to show it, and may well need Bruno far more than Bruno needs him.
Recently, the pair enlisted to guard a "company of scholars", who turned out to be something much more than this. However, Bruno took such minor details as the sudden appearence of an eight-storey tower in his stride, while Nodwick looked for an opportunity to examine this power more closely, and has refreshed quite a bit of the latin he barely remembered from school, fleshed out with magical terminology. Since then, they have both proven their loyalty and worth; Bruno experienced a vision in a magical pool while trying to rescue Megera, while Nodwick had his leg broken by a magically-induced earthquake.