Korlam
Korlam spent his early life with
his Nomad tribe, The Mounted Fury, part of the Black Bone Khan. He learnt the
skills of a hunter from his mother, Calam, and
believed all she had told him about how his father had died when Korlam was 5 fighting Aurelians.
When he hit age 11 Korlam began to grow like many of
the boys were, however Korlam grew huge, passing
several of the full-grown men in height and breadth within six months. It was
not just his immense size that marked him as strange though, he had almost
demonic strength and a thick coat of coarse hair-fur grew on him. Friends began
to shy away, but the Elders seemed to know what was going on. Finally his
mother and the Shaman talked to him alone.
Korlam's father, Karzam
had not died fighting the Aurelians, he had died rescuing Korlam's
mother. Just before term Korlam's mother had been
kidnapped by a cult to evil sorcerous powers. On the alter in their dark temple Korlam
had been born, intended for use in a sacrifice to their demon god Mok. Karzam had led a party of
tribal warriors to get them back and arrived just as the ceremony reached its
height. Karzam killed the priest, but the seer cursed
the child, and threw a snake at his father, it’s bite
killing him instantly.
The growth Korlam was going through was part
of that curse, as was the hair et all. Unless he
turned to the Cult’s Dark God, he would remain this way, and all his children
after him. The Shaman did not tell his mother or Korlam
himself the curse would stunt his intellect; instead he tried to suggest Korlam’s size and strength would make him a mighty warrior,
but Korlam was not listening by then. He ran away
from home that night.
Living off his skills as a hunter and one step ahead of the tribe Korlam continued to grow and change. During his wanderings
he met Kamlim, a cousin of his and a fellow runaway.
They became best friends and Kamlin helped Korlam over his depression. The pair eventually returned as
winter set in, and both suffered equal punishment from the Elders.
By Korlam's 16th birthday he was fully-grown
as a 7½’ giant. Some of the other nomads asking to see him
when tribes met on the trails across the steppe. War came to the tribes
shortly after. The Aurelians beginning to push into
nomad lands thinking them ‘empty’. All the nomads that could carry a weapon
took up arms against them, but the Aurelians were
superior opponents. Calam took a wound that would
leave her short of breath and gasping for the rest of her days. She would not
suffer long.
While refreshing their animals the tribe encountered a party of
‘explorer/adventurers’ and let them travel a short way with them for mutual
protection. The priest of that party mistook the nomad religion for sorcery and
slipped away. He returned with an Aurelian platoon
who massacred the tribe. Kamlin died in Korlam’s arms and he saw his mother cut down too. However
despite his wounds Korlam survives with a burning
hatred of Aurelia within him.
A disease in his wounds nearly killed Korlam,
his face left scared because of it. Korlam recovered
and joined the Khan’s organised attempt to push back the enemy. Despite his
size Korlam's skills as a hunter are put to use in
the Rangers unit. Chasing a squad of Aurelians down
leads his unit into a well-planed canyon ambush. The nomads are easily
defeated, however, rather than kill the nomad captives the Aurelain
Corporal ‘sells’ them to a wealthy Armour Smith in need of muscle for his
forges and mines.
Korlam spends 5 years as a slave
working the mines and bellows, becoming fairly skilled in mining and
blacksmithing. He also worked in the house and struck up a friendship with
Maria, his master's wife. At the height of an extremely hot summer the slaves
revolted and fought their way out of the compound/fort where they were kept. Korlam and a small group of slaves found them-selves
dead-ended in the house facing down heavily armed guards when Maria screamed
from the upper balcony. Torn between the Mistress and the slaves the guards
were easily defeated. Korlam still holds the image of
Maria blowing him a goodbye kiss in his mind's eye.
Korlam travelled deeper into the Aurelian Empire were slavery was not practised. Starved of
cash and facing a life of crime (crime = evil = cult to Korlam)
or enlisting Korlam joined the Empire’s army. Somehow
(Maria’s influence, though he never knew) Korlam
found himself in a non-combat role as a bodyguard to General Crowe. After 3
years and a promotion to corporal, the situation in the south with the Raptanian’s deteriorated and the General moved to the
front. Korlam was re-assigned to a unit that saw
heavy action. In a major battle at
The victory was short lived though. In 6 months the war intensified and
Korlam was involved in major fighting. He fought at
the Battle of Xaron
Refreshed the Aurelians attacked at Torvine, a battle they should have won, but Rapshain assassins broke the rules of war and murdered
General Crowe and his command staff causing the Aurelian
army to fall apart and retreat in confusion. Torvine
was quickly followed by Kenton Field a massacre from start to finish. Aurelia
lost 50% of their troops. Half of Korlam’s squad was
dead in 10 minutes. Korlam himself took a major wound
to the abdomen and lost 4 teeth to a Rapstain
swordsman. Luckily he survived the killing field and retreated with the rest of
his force. General Crowe's defeated successor was replaced that day by General Sergent but Korlam missed his
victorious battle at Knotted Ash due to his extensive injuries, spending the
battle assigned to the Quartermasters office.
The Aurellian victory at Knotted Ash marked
the second turning point in the war. Many soldiers were mustered out, Korlam amongst them. Also mustered out was Alexius Garenia, a former solider and quartermaster, and one of the
few beings nearly the same size as Korlam. The two
travelled together but the strange, almost monstrous pair could find no
permanent work. Eventually they went into business themselves. Alexius handling the mercantile side; Korlam
the labour, animals and security.
To keep away from the mess in the south Korlam
and Alexius trade mostly in the north and west. They stay out of the Central
Heartland's as few will trade with two pug-ugly man-mountains, even if they are
ex-soldiers. Up on the borderlands their faces are far less likely to lose them
trade and their business practices, less questioned.
Korlam
Height: 7’ 5”
Weight:363lbs
Hair: Reddish-brown. Very extensive and long, quite wild. Reaches
mid-back.
Eyes: Blue-violet.
Physical Description:
- Extremely large and broad shouldered. Twice as wide and thick through
as a normal man, all of it muscle. Looks too big, almost
supernaturally large.
- Covered all over in inch long coarse body hair. Wears full beard. Rarely
seen without coverings.
- Wide square face with strong chin. Wide flared
nose, obviously broken several times. Deep brow line
with small eyes. Nasty scar across forehead and down
left cheek. Small disease pock marks on face.
- Body covered in scaring, most covered by hair. Major puckered scar
wound across abdomen cuts a line through body hair, obviously a sword cut (to experienced eyes).
- Has a unit tattoo on upper left shoulder, somewhat hidden by hair,
had it done when he
joined General Crowe’s bodyguard unit.
Disposition:
Korlam is a warrior. He can and
does use his physical size to scare opponents, however
he is not a bully and attempts to draw together any unit he finds himself in
into a cohesive fighting force. He does this partly out of instinct and partly
out of drummed in military training.
Punctual as military training demands, Korlam
hates people who are late or lie to him. He is often dishonest but never out
right lies (and he never realises the contradiction either). There is a weak
amoral streak in him, but he will never sell out or betray a group or cause
that has proven itself worthy. He often considers any group that does so his
‘tribe’.
Korlam’s has 2 major weaknesses: he
is afraid of the Cult of Mok and their curse. Korlam has been VERY careful not to shire any children and
has no intention of doing so. He has watched orgies and whores and resisted
every attempt to make him join in. This is something he will become completely
intractable on. Pressure can and has lead to violence over the matter. Not that
he’s the ‘other way’ either, just terrified of what the curse could do to any
children. Korlam is also afraid that the Cult of Mok will come looking for him, or any children too, he was
a failed sacrifice after all. He intends never to convert and never, ever to
give in to them. He has not met any cultists yet, but keeps a wary eye out for
them.
Korlam’s other major weakness is a
well-hidden fear of heights. Mountains are all right provided he doesn’t look
directly at the drop or if possible the view. One of his nightmares is being
flown up a mountain to a
While an ex-solider Korlam doesn’t go in for the loud behaviour many do. Socially he is a little slow and his size makes many things difficult for him so he is generally quiet, but he certainly isn’t afraid to join in when needed, esp. with friends who know him.