Kraadu
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- "Tarki ti tug zark ûr nûgakmogug (Humans are only good for torturing)"
- — Kraadu
Titles held by Kraadu
- Za Shum Dushatar Kraadu (The Great Wizard Kraadu)
- Za Shum Ash (The Great One)
- Shum Goth (Great Lord)
- Za Ashdurbûk (The One-Who-Rules-All)
Contents |
Appearance
Kraadu is an Orc of above average height, though only slightly, standing no taller than 170cm (5'7"). His forehead is small and bears no hair. Unlike most Orcs he is lucky enough to still have both his small, pointed ears. His large brow barely covers his large, dark, penetrating eyes; eyes filled with ambition. His eyes rest upon a short, bumped nose of which the tip of bends inwards towards his thin lips. His face is slim but his jaw is large, filled (unusually) with perfectly straight teeth, although green, chipped and sharp. He once walked with a stoop and usually with the aid of a staff. Although the oldest Orc to ever grace Tolagâl he is still fairly young in comparison to other Orc magicians of the past who lived well over 1,000. His prior back injuries were due to the days, weeks and even months he spent bent over a cauldron mixing vile orcish potions. Though in recent years he has learnt to bend magics to his will and has eliminated this disability.
He is neither particularly strong nor fast, unless using his magics. He is, however, definitely an extraordinarily intelligent Orc. With his vast knowledge of the black arts, his wisdom granted by his advanced years, and his natural sly and calculating nature. He bares no scars, no lost limbs, ears or fingers, unlike many Orcs. Most Orcs believe this is because he is so powerful when in truth he manipulates magic to heal his wounds; though this is secret as he would never reveal his weaknesses. Brown was always his original raiment, though after disappearing from Tolagâl for a few years, he returned robed in black and gray.
Kraadu always presented himself with a sense of authority, most Orcs do not even look at his face, his sheer presence is terrifying. It is almost although he hovers across the ground. The Dushatar was known as a spiteful Orc, bearing many grudges. Though there are Orcs he trusts, you would have come to find they were mostly manipulated to his will or follow purely out of fear.
History
The Wanderer
Kraadu began life over 800 years ago, born into a small unknown clan of forest orcs in the wilderness of Vesper. For a brief time he lived quite contently in these outlying woods but ultimately grew bored as he came to adolescence and destroyed the clan that raised him. Kraadu wandered Sosaria, both above and below it, among the forests and beneath the earth in the dungeons of the world. Finding no interest above ground he spent the vast majority of his life under the mountains of the earth where most evil beings in the world dwell. Here he learnt much from other Orc-kings and various other evil creatures he served. For 600 years he pleasured in the wars and the cruelty of this world but he knew he had no place among the empires below the earth, his jealousy drove him from the dungeons and he sought strength, wealth and glory above the earth.
When he arose from the dungeons he was robed in a grim shade of brown and knew nothing of the new world. He sought only to wreak havoc upon [[[Humans]] in Vesper and Minoc, seeing this territory as his ancestral homeland and the Humans as invaders. Driven by his ambition for power he gathered a small force of wandering Orcs and ransacked both towns on several occassions. It was at this point in time where Kraadu befriended Mehdi Ibn Salaad, a suspiciously sinister figure who caught the interest of Kraadu by offering him Human slaves to abuse and torture. Mehdi also aided the Orc in sneak attacks on the town of Vesper and both profited significantly from their endeavors, one such was a gladiator match Kraadu agreed to participate in in exchange for gold.
Unfortunately for Kraadu his victories were few and short lived. Vesper largely outnumbered his small ragtag 'Clan' and managed to fight off many of Kraadu's attempts successfully, killing many of his feeble, inexperienced Orcs.
About 6 months passed before he and his Clan were set upon by the Severed Heads Clan of Orcs, who were exploring the eastern parts of Britannia. Kraadu's clan was taken as slaves and their encampment was destroyed. This defeat lay in their superior numbers and in their experienced leaders. Mekka Urdgrub, a fierce well-experienced Warchief, large of build and might. Also Saktoth, a shady, crude Orc of superior magics. Most of Kraadu's Clan fled or were killed by the Severed Heads.
Enter Saktoth
Kraadu spent relatively little time as a slave within the Severed Heads Clan. Though the life of a slave was grim he successfully managed to manipulate them and soon became an official member of the Clan. Kraadu's knowledge of magic interested Saktoth and many of the youths and lesser members of the Severed Heads Clan were terrified of the black arts. Kraadu rose through the ranks of the Severed Heads and came to fight as an equal alongside his new masters against their enemies of the time; the city of Trinsic. The Dushatar fought well and brought much glory to their cause but he did not once forget that these inferior Orcs were his enemies. Kraadu's ambition boiled within him once again. Jealous of Saktoth and the strength of his Clan he concocted a plan with the remnants of his original band, those fearful of him and those who reviled Mekka and Saktoth. Together they isolated and fought against Mekka in secret and won; respect for the Warchief had dwindled over the years. Mekka's defeat was swift, he had become fat, arrogant, slow and clumsy.
Unbeknown to Saktoth, his Warchief lay battered, disgraced and exiled; and he was next on the list. However, Saktoth had bigger plans, plans to open the dark gate of Nokhmahr and destroy the world. Kraadu was slow to act on this, having briefly disappeared to find a way of ridding himself of Saktoth, only returning on the eve Saktoth attempted to open the gate. Luckily, Saktoth failed in his plan and was sucked into the gate himself and lost, thought dead. Kraadu was then entrusted to protect his new clan and handed the mysterious book that Saktoth had used to open the gate by the remaining Orcs. The Dushatar informed his new minions that he would do all possible to return Saktoth to Britannia but in reality he gloated over the Clan's loss. He considered the Severed Heads of little value. Their leader and Kraadu's greatest rival was dead. Kraadu considered these Orcs inferior and that they would soon meet a similar fate to their previous master. Once he had done away with them Kraadu could then return to his search for true power.
Genocide of the Severed Heads
Soon after Saktoth's demise the Guardsmen of Yew caught wind of the Severed Heads clan being weaker. Alas this was true, many Orcs were in disarray of Saktoth's disappearance and their new leader, Kraadu, showed little interest in guiding them. Kraadu, amused by his own malice, could not contain himself. The Dushatar set up a brutal slaughter of some innocent Yewish peasants, a slaughter that was clearly Orcish, their corpses had been mutilated and half-eaten. The Guardsmen of Yew discovered this atrocity and assembled themselves in great numbers ready to strike back at the Orcs and destroy their fortress in Yew, the Severed Heads' home, ridding Yew of an Orcish presence once and for all. Their attack came without warning and the Orcs were overwhelmed. The Militia encroached on the frail wooden fort from the north and south, burning it to the ground and killing all the Orcs within. Kraadu did little in that battle and vanished in the middle of it taking a few loyal Orcs with him and fled west to a secret Orcish outpost in the Mountains to devise a new scheme for the future.
Several days later, Prashnak, loyal Orc scout of Tolagâl, had escaped a similar conflict in the Orc Valley and begged Kraadu for his help. It seemed although the Humans of Yew were hell bent on removing all Orcs from their lands. However, united, the remaining Forest Orcs and Cave Orcs slaughtered the Guardsmen and drove them from Tolagâl valley. With the Yew Orc Fort in ashes Kraadu agreed to be allies with the cave Orcs of Tolagâl and moved his remaining forces to the valley. Kraadu was promptly assigned the new "Dushatar" ('Knower of Magic', Wizard) of Tolagâl.
Rise of Tolagâl
Finding his new position within the harsh Orcish kingdom of Tolagâl extremely comfortable, Kraadu found himself content. This alliance between the two Orc races benefited him hugely. The Orcs of Tolagâl had came from beneath the earth and he felt everything about them was superior to the other Orc clans that lived throughout the forests of the world. Here Kraadu felt right, but this feeling was not long lived.
True to his nature, he soon he grew envious of the current Leader of Tolagâl; Magrekh the Gothai. Of appearance, Magrekh was similar to Mekka, fat, frail and ultimately useless. Of mind he was less than Mekka. Magrekh was completely unable to lead his army of Orcs, he was content sitting in his throne room counting his gold and eating. Once Kraadu learnt the truth about Magrekh he grew angry; he would not serve under another inferior Orc. However, aiding Magrekh was his own magician; an Orc by the name of Warrblag. Though he considered his power of no significance Kraadu hated him greatly for monopolizing the attentions of the Gothai. It wasn't long before Kraadu devised an excellent plan to rid himself of both Warrblag and Magrekh, but in the mean time he lead Tolagâl to many a victory around Yew, each of which were selfishly fought to aid his own cause, and through this, his thirst for power grew.
Under Kraadu, who considered himself the true leader of Tolagâl, the Orcs prospered and grew to strengths seen only once by the first Ashdurbûk, Vrashk, and even beyond. The bulging armies of Tolagâl terrorized Yew for many years, upholding the defense of the Tolagâl Valley and even managing to expand it, if only slightly. Under Kraadu, Tolagâl managed to enslave a number of Yewish citizens into building a brand new 'Gothai Court', a palace for Magrekh. Although built for the moron Magrekh, Kraadu designed it himself and foresaw that one day he would rule from the magnificent building himself.
The new Dushatar was also keen to uphold an alliance between Tolagâl and the Undead, whom assisted the Orcs in their numerous assaults against the inhabitants of Yew. The two successfully held the Guardsmen of Yew at bay and out of their territory and even lay siege to Stonekeep itself on several occasions. They also held the Eastern Outpost, keeping the Tel'marian Mercenary Company, The Kotodama Clan Samurai and the Shirefolk of Yew in their place. The Orcs and Undead even managed to extend their wrath upon the Celts to the north.
The Search
Years had passed in Tolagâl and Kraadu had relentlessly studied the mysterious book that was previously used by Saktoth to open the gate of Nohkmahr. He departed in secret in search for za jâb raz laugshat ('The Word of Evil'), a relic of extraordinary power, letting only Xnath know of this, bestowing the young Orc with a ring that could inflict pain upon wielders of magic. A weapon to keep Warrblag in his place.
Despite the new glory of Tolagâl, Kraadu was not satisfied. Although the Orcs had managed to cause a lot of havoc they had not expanded their territory by a great amount nor had they totally subdued the inhabitants of Yew. Kraadu hoped by obtaining this relic he would be able to finally get a stranglehold on Yew and extend his power beyond and eventually conquer the whole of Britannia, bringing absolute victory to himself and Tolagâl. Kraadu left, leaving Magrekh to lead Tolagâl. He had hoped that his loyal minion, Xnath, would have been able to hold the army together, along with the help of other loyal Orcs such as Brodgar and Vrorbag.
The Matgûl
On Kraadu's search for the 'Word of Evil' he encountered a wretched creature by the name of Ru'Kra deep under the mountains. He was a goblin of sorts, a lesser orc, who was keen to impress this powerful new, magic-wielding Orc from the surface. Ru'Kra spoke to the Dushatar about a corpse of a necromancer and lead him to it. The corpse had just been dumped. Not caring why, Kraadu continued with his plans; abusing the magic of a Necromancer would be extremely beneficial to his cause. Upon further inspection the body proved to be none other than Marduk Akil, whom Kraadu had had brief encounters with in the past. Upon leading Kraadu to the Necromancer Ru'kra became angry and demanded his payment. With no intentions of actually rewarding the Goblin, Kraadu killed him and used his blood in the summoning spell to resurrect Marduk as a sinister Matgûl. Kraadu informed Marduk, now a loyal, mindless, yet powerful, slave to prepare for his return to Tolagâl. And so he did. Kraadu continued his search for the 'Word of Evil'.
Eventually, after many years of searching, Kraadu returned once more from the depths of the earth to claim his rightful place as the Ashdurbûk of Tolagâl. This time Kraadu returned somewhat different in stature; his hump has vanished and his health had returned to that of a youth and black and gray were now his raiment. Equally different was he of mind; less quick to anger and violence but equally sly and cunning. His magic had become greater; he was now able to conjure illusions to further his manipulations.
The Last Ashdurbûk
During Kraadu's departure Tolagâl had been ruthlessly attacked by the Guardsmen Militia and most of the former Orc capital lay in ruins. The incompetence of Magrekh had brought Tolagâl to its knees. Upon his return, Kraadu was extremely distraught, he entered the Gothai's Court, residence of Magrekh, to find the fat, useless king grievously wounded; impaled upon a gate spike to a former slave-pit, having his throne room floor collapse beneath him during a previous attack on the Court. Without much of a second thought, Kraadu suffocated Magrekh and claimed himself the new Ashdurbûk of Tolagâl to the remaining Orcs, dubbing Xnath "Za Ashdurbûkob Naakh" ("The Ashdurbûk's Hand", General).
A short period of prosperity once again came over Tolagâl during Kraadu's reign. The Guardsmen of Yew were far too busy suppressing the rebel forces of Vesper and fighting off the Samurai to the east to even notice the growing strength of the Orcs.
The Ashdurbûk even struck an alliance with Umbra to further his goals of truely ruling all; using the Matgûl to negotiate the terms of the alliance with the arrogant necromancers. However, all this scheming came to an abrupt end once the Vesper situation had stabilized. The Guardsmen assembled to smash the forces of Tolagâl from the north. The Orcs also found themselves on the receiving end of Kotodama Clan's wrath from the east, having terrorized their villages for months prior. Umbra failed to uphold their end of the bargain, being far too busy arguing with the Drow. The Alliance was dissolved before it ever got put to use.
The Fall of Tolagâl
The nation of Tolagâl had long seen its day and could not stand up against the, now vastly superior, forces of Yew. The Guardsmen Militia succeeded in completely annihilating the tiny Orc state of Tolagâl (which at this point was merely a few towers carved into the mountain surrounding the Orc's mine). The vast majority of the Tolagâl inhabitants were slaughtered on sight.
With the Guardsmen rapidly approaching from the north the Orcs set out to meet them in combat. Although outnumbered and under-equipped the Orcs fought savagely, killing several of the Militia's finest men. Ultimately, the Orcs could not withstand such an attack and were forced to retreat deeper and deeper into the valley as their own numbers were significantly reduced by the onslaught. Eventually the Guardsmen encroached upon the Ashdurbûk's Court and besieged it, however, Kraadu had long departed and had left a 'suprise' for the Militia; several canisters full of oil and a loyal (or perhaps just stupid or even mind-controlled) Orc slave sitting with a torch in his throne room. Kraadu knew defeat was upon Tolagâl and destroyed his own palace as a final mocking blow to the Militia, denying them any satisfaction.
Xnath lead Tolagâl's forces against the invading Guardsmen, by order of Kraadu, but once he realised that defeat was imminent he beheaded his personal bodyguard and fled the scene of the battle. He has not been seen since. It is thought the General of Tolagâl indeed survived, having left the remainder of his army to die in his stead. Having their buildings destroyed and the majority their army massacred, the few Orcs that managed to escape into the relative safety of the Garmogatz, and down into the depths of the world, have never been seen above ground since. This was the last day of Tolagâl.
Kraadu was not among the corpses recovered and burnt by the Guardsmen Militia.
Kraadu's Demise
Little is known about the demise of the Ashdurbûk Kraadu. Few think he was actually slain, there is no evidence to suggest this. Kraadu was a notorious sorcerer, if any Orc survived it would have been him. He is thought to have retreated under the mountain, back down into the bowels of the earth with the few surviving Tolagâl Orcs.
Some say he still wanders the lands of Britannia in the guise of an old male hermit, kidnapping and torturing those he comes into contact with for some petty pleasure. Some believe he takes the guise of a youthful aide to a land baron in Yew, hoping to set the peasants against the Militia as a last act of vengeance against the wretched Guardsmen.
It's all just speculation, of course...
Personality
Sly and calculating. Two-faced and power hungry. Extremely arrogant; rarely speaks to those below him.
He absolutely loathes all whose rank is greater than his own. Those he hates would not notice his malice, manipulation is another expertise of his. He uses people for what they are worth, he would have no problem killing anyone if it helped him achieve his goals.
He despises all creations besides Orcs. No other race has yet to prove themselves worthy of his acceptance, not even the Undead.
