Post by vinnytheelf on Jan 1, 2008 16:11:25 GMT -8
The Legend of Graaktor.
The Mekrath clan orcs was a unique band of orcs in that they had no stable base of operations. They traveled from village to village taking what they needed and destroying the rest before moving on They were feared in many parts of Hluneru due to their unpredictability and the trail of death and destruction left in their wake. The Mekrath Orcs never left any survivors and were very thorough in their raids to ensure that nothing and no one was left behind. Few attempted to hunt them down and put an end to their mayhem; none survived.
Graaktor was an orc raised as any other orc; mean, tough, and especially crude. This orc however was especially vicious and cruel and upon reaching adulthood found he had the ability to inspire greater bloodlust and savagery on the battlefield among his fellow orcs. Even worse for anyone in the way was the fact that Graaktor had a twin brother, Kraaktor who equalled Graaktor in battlefield prowess and tactics. Indeed unlike many Orc Clans this clan under the leadership of the twin brothers was truly a sight to behold in combat; if anyone were ever to survive the onslaught.
However one fateful day, the Mekrath Clan stumbled upon the land of Barovia. This land was strangely dark and mysterious to them. Or at least it would have been if those words had any meaning for them; these orcs had not known fear in a very long time. Strange to the land their first victims were a small band of gypsies. Being that gypsies are poor combatants it was a slaughter but one particularly old crone showed no fear and approached the ravenous Graaktor and began chanting. Before he could cut her down she unleashed a blast of power that knocked the Orc champion into the air and back 20 feet. Graaktor was unconscious before he hit the ground. As is custom for the Mekrath, any who fall and cannot be awakened are left behind and so Graaktor was abandoned for dead.
But Graaktor was not dead. Around dusk he awoke in the destroyed gypsy camp. He arose and realized he was changed. Gone was the fury, the anger, the lust for violence. He felt what could only be described as tranquility and peaceful repose. These emotions were previously foreign to him. Unfortunately those were not the last of the new effects upon his demeanor; he then became overwhelmed in the memories of the people he had killed and lives he had ravaged over the years and a new set of emotions washed over him: guilt and remorse. These two new feelings, appearing so suddenly and feeling so alien, threatened to crush the breath from his lungs, but the eternal warrior within managed to resist and he managed to stand.
Graaktor left the field of battle and began to wander. He came upon a small town. Being alone he normally would have avoided the city, but from behind him a hunched over middle aged man lugging a large, bulging, sack over his shoulder bumped into him, passing him and grunting “out of my way half-breed. It’s chackin’ night eh!”
Half Breed? Graaktor was confused. He knew his parents before they fell. He knew he had a twin brother who was no half breed and certainly couldn’t pass for one if he wished it. He passed the man and entered the town. He noticed a nearby temple (of some “good” or “just” god. Again I don’t remember much of the Hluneru pantheon.) and felt drawn to it. He entered the temple and found but a single holy man. The man turned to greet him, but upon viewing Graaktor he gasped aloud. “You! You’ve been cursed by the Vistani! You should not be here!”
Graaktor was again overwhelmed with regret and remorse, but this time they were accompanied by another new emotion; penitence. Graaktor looked upon the priest, “Help me! I... I don’t know where I am... I just know the gypsy woman... please! What’s happening to me!” The priest could sense the sincerity and felt pity for him. He welcomed Graaktor in and began to examine him. Over the course of the examination he revealed to Graaktor he was the victim of a very unique curse; Graaktor’s Orc soul was infused with that of a human. A good soul that seeks out justice and truth. A soul that cries out for atonement for a lifetime of vile acts for the Orc within him was not gone, just merged. Graaktor can no longer be force for evil. The curse will prevent him from again committing an evil act, but its almost unnecessary because the conscience newly infused into Graaktor will forever bear down upon his shoulders with the weight of his past; a past he now regrets and has come to fully understand the pain and anguish caused by the Mekrath. An additional side effect is that he also has taken on some human physical traits
After the revelation Graaktor pledged to the priest and the god the temple was built for to right all wrongs he comes across and to never harm an innocent being again. He would exist as the antithesis of what he used to be. The guilt of his past life might never be lifted, but he will most certainly die trying.
The Mekrath clan orcs was a unique band of orcs in that they had no stable base of operations. They traveled from village to village taking what they needed and destroying the rest before moving on They were feared in many parts of Hluneru due to their unpredictability and the trail of death and destruction left in their wake. The Mekrath Orcs never left any survivors and were very thorough in their raids to ensure that nothing and no one was left behind. Few attempted to hunt them down and put an end to their mayhem; none survived.
Graaktor was an orc raised as any other orc; mean, tough, and especially crude. This orc however was especially vicious and cruel and upon reaching adulthood found he had the ability to inspire greater bloodlust and savagery on the battlefield among his fellow orcs. Even worse for anyone in the way was the fact that Graaktor had a twin brother, Kraaktor who equalled Graaktor in battlefield prowess and tactics. Indeed unlike many Orc Clans this clan under the leadership of the twin brothers was truly a sight to behold in combat; if anyone were ever to survive the onslaught.
However one fateful day, the Mekrath Clan stumbled upon the land of Barovia. This land was strangely dark and mysterious to them. Or at least it would have been if those words had any meaning for them; these orcs had not known fear in a very long time. Strange to the land their first victims were a small band of gypsies. Being that gypsies are poor combatants it was a slaughter but one particularly old crone showed no fear and approached the ravenous Graaktor and began chanting. Before he could cut her down she unleashed a blast of power that knocked the Orc champion into the air and back 20 feet. Graaktor was unconscious before he hit the ground. As is custom for the Mekrath, any who fall and cannot be awakened are left behind and so Graaktor was abandoned for dead.
But Graaktor was not dead. Around dusk he awoke in the destroyed gypsy camp. He arose and realized he was changed. Gone was the fury, the anger, the lust for violence. He felt what could only be described as tranquility and peaceful repose. These emotions were previously foreign to him. Unfortunately those were not the last of the new effects upon his demeanor; he then became overwhelmed in the memories of the people he had killed and lives he had ravaged over the years and a new set of emotions washed over him: guilt and remorse. These two new feelings, appearing so suddenly and feeling so alien, threatened to crush the breath from his lungs, but the eternal warrior within managed to resist and he managed to stand.
Graaktor left the field of battle and began to wander. He came upon a small town. Being alone he normally would have avoided the city, but from behind him a hunched over middle aged man lugging a large, bulging, sack over his shoulder bumped into him, passing him and grunting “out of my way half-breed. It’s chackin’ night eh!”
Half Breed? Graaktor was confused. He knew his parents before they fell. He knew he had a twin brother who was no half breed and certainly couldn’t pass for one if he wished it. He passed the man and entered the town. He noticed a nearby temple (of some “good” or “just” god. Again I don’t remember much of the Hluneru pantheon.) and felt drawn to it. He entered the temple and found but a single holy man. The man turned to greet him, but upon viewing Graaktor he gasped aloud. “You! You’ve been cursed by the Vistani! You should not be here!”
Graaktor was again overwhelmed with regret and remorse, but this time they were accompanied by another new emotion; penitence. Graaktor looked upon the priest, “Help me! I... I don’t know where I am... I just know the gypsy woman... please! What’s happening to me!” The priest could sense the sincerity and felt pity for him. He welcomed Graaktor in and began to examine him. Over the course of the examination he revealed to Graaktor he was the victim of a very unique curse; Graaktor’s Orc soul was infused with that of a human. A good soul that seeks out justice and truth. A soul that cries out for atonement for a lifetime of vile acts for the Orc within him was not gone, just merged. Graaktor can no longer be force for evil. The curse will prevent him from again committing an evil act, but its almost unnecessary because the conscience newly infused into Graaktor will forever bear down upon his shoulders with the weight of his past; a past he now regrets and has come to fully understand the pain and anguish caused by the Mekrath. An additional side effect is that he also has taken on some human physical traits
After the revelation Graaktor pledged to the priest and the god the temple was built for to right all wrongs he comes across and to never harm an innocent being again. He would exist as the antithesis of what he used to be. The guilt of his past life might never be lifted, but he will most certainly die trying.
