Ithermoss
04-14-06, 01:46 AM
Character Picture (http://www.deviantart.com/view/15124149/)
((Gold: 129,295 from the Red Hand Treasury account, and 1031 of my own))
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:w08rzFZdXOcJ:www.althanas.com/world/showpost.php%3Fp%3D105004%26postcount%3D57+%22red+ hand+treasury%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2&client=firefox
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:QNQNDiie0n8J:www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php%3Fs%3D9d7f5bf64434682fb43275dbcd560 30c%26threadid%3D7625+miner+versus+the+living+rock +althanas&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=firefox
Name: Rakh
Other names: Sad Brother Oblivion, Hammer of Hromagh, and formerly known as Ithermoss Hec'Bahal.
Height: 6'0
Weight: 182
Gender: Male
Hair: Dark brown mohawk
Eyes: Brown
Age: Appears mid 20's, although he has been quite recently remainfested.
Race: Weregoyle – When Rakh was manifested, he was given the body of a human. When his form was crafted by the Thayne themselves, namely Hromagh and Y’edda, they instilled within him the ability to augment his form with the features of beasts, and even merge fully with one who allowed his temporary control. Scholars classified him as an augmented human, up until his pivotal encounter with the kendergoyle, Chromanon Rockskin. In the battle, she wounded him, and in so doing, passed on her curse to him. From then on, with the changing of the moon’s phase in tune with the tides, he would slowly turn to stone. Uncontrollable at this point, he simply had to make sure he didn’t get caught in an inopportune location when he shifted.
Class/Occupation: Tribal Chieftain, lesser avatar of Hromagh, trademaster, and miner. He also possesses a keen interest in brewing.
Appearance: His former appearance was broad-shouldered and proud. His face would appear featureless to most, as where his nose and mouth would have been, there was a flat plate of flesh-covered bone. Two nostril-slits lined either side of his face in parallel to each other, while two hollow eye-sockets yawned emptily at passers-by. Tall, pointed ears rose a good four inches above his head. He usually kept his eyes (or lack thereof) bound with a torn scrap of cloth from his long-lost friend Adele's dress. When his wings were at full span, they stretched a full fourteen feet. A massive tail stretched another six feet in length; almost as long as he was tall. When he was cursed by a N’jalian Mage, though, a blight of undeath had befallen the half-drake. His flesh dripped with rot, and blood ran incessantly from open wounds that refused to knit back together. His midsection had been rotten all the way back to his spine with only a few scraps of muscle still connecting his torso to his hips. His appearance tended to change, depending on whether he was wearing the Cerement of Joonh. (See below)
Since he was remanifested however, his body has taken the form of a human. He's very athletic, possibly more so than Ithermoss was. There's a very primal, very tribal air about him that relates his strong belief in his faith.
Clothing: Naught more than a loincloth to cover the essentials, but his bits of jewelry and ornamentation serve as clothing enough. His ornamentation isn’t merely cartilage and ear piercings mind you, but rather piercings that fit under muscles and between bones. He has a bar under his right bicep, a bar between the two bones in his left forearm, two rings through his trapezius behind his neck, two fat eyebrow piercings, and more to come. These are not simple decorations; they’re symbol of his reverence to his patron deities.
However, he does decorate them with knuckle-bones taken from animals, and other sorts of small charms and trinkets. When he walks, his collection of teeth, scalps, bones, and claws hanging from his piercings rattle like dry bones hanging from a wind-chime, producing an eerie sort of melody upon which he builds a focusing trance. He has an affinity towards feathers and other sorts of pelts as well.
Personality: Kind, but reclusive. If you're a tradesman, or even related to one, he'd invite you for dinner and even put a roof over your head. If you've done him, or his kindred wrong, then his wrath is all encompassing. There are things worse than death, no doubt, and he can afford to do them all. He acts the part of the lord, rewarding his subjects with rings and other honors, but in his modesty, he refuses all rank and status. He has made a fortune, but surrounds himself with nothing more than he needs. Quite secretive, Rakh puts heavy emphasis on functionality and purpose. Sentiment, however, does have its place in his heart.
Not considered smart by any stretch of the word, Rakh is, however, wise beyond his years. What little he knows, he can adapt to most any situation. He knows nature and the ways of the natural world. He's got the discerning and reasoning mind of a human, but he lacks the intelligence to understand a lot of what is going on. For this reason, his home language is mostly verbs and nouns. Culturally, he has a gold-hoarding instinct (much like his draken ancestors) and worships a totem-like god.
Although he has been remade in the flesh, the core of who he is still exists. He holds the same values, morals, and loves as he did before. Similarly, he also holds the same fears. He both hates and fears what could be called 'technology,' and is something of a Luddite. As he is of simple stock, he fervently distrusts anything that he cannot explain (which can be a great deal often times). Magic and technology are two things he often mixes up, and has simply come to distrust both. His philosophy is that mortals must not be the source of their own supernatural power, and that such power must come from a source; a deity. However, he's too prideful to acknowledge that he doesn't understand technology and magic, and is very quick to write them off as 'evil.' He's got areas where he shines, but he's definitely got his personality flaws as well.
Weapons:
1. J'mphada: Twin ankh-hammers. Weapons of untold fame and honor, made of simple iron
2. Shepherd's crook: One of his favorite weapons, as it's a tool as well. Liviol.
3. Twin spiked bucklers: Two small shields that strap to the forearm, covered in spikes. Prevalida.
4. Archus: A simple dagger made of crystallized salt from the coldest dunes in Salvar. Cuts with searing pain, although the wounds it leaves are clean.
Armor: “Armor is for the weak.”
Special Skills:
Pandemonium's Fist: Named after his fortress under Mt. Drakenthrone, Rakh has developed his most powerful mining tool into an attack rivaling the most skilled mage. He can exhale air faster than sound can follow. The result is a sonic blast so potent, that solid objects are oscillated often to annihilation. At range, Rakh seems to be screaming with great effort, while no sound comes from his mouth. Damage to the ground, and whatever stands between him and his target is the big tip-off. When used at a farther range, the effects aren't as potent due to the diffusion of sound. Rocks would shake, and maybe crack. Bones would feel as if they were being subjected to an extremely heavy bass. At close range rocks have shattered, and bones have been ground down into dust. In effect, whatever is caught within the sonic blast cone is shaken to pieces, depending of course on the target’s movement, and range. Used once or twice a battle, maximum. When mining, about every five posts. When questing, two or three times a thread, maximum.
Spirit Augmentation: He has been divinely endowed with a sort of animal empathy, but to a much greater extent. The ability allows him to take on characteristics of a target animal, and possibly assume the animal’s shape altogether. If he focuses on one of his charms, for example, he can gain boosts in strength, agility, and boosts in his sense of sight and smell. For example, of he focuses on his bear-claw necklace, he can benefit in strength and endurance. His wolf’s tooth might allow him a boost in agility and his sense of smell. These are just minor changes, however. He often takes on a sort of lesser hybrid form when he does this. In extremely rare cases, full transformation into the target creature is possible. This is only possible, however, if the form is one he’s well familiar with. Usable up to two times a day.
Spirit Merge: However, there is another level to this ability that is more powerful. So long as he earns the target animal’s trust, he will be able to merge with the animal entirely and become a full hybrid for a short time. The two of them share a consciousness in such a state, which can make thinking and problem solving rather difficult. Lesser functions come more easily, like fighting, running, smashing things, hunting, eating, and relieving oneself. Such boosts to his ability are never more than he can control, however. Due to the taxxing nature of this ability, since it boosts his abilities to such a degree, he can only use this ability once every couple of days.
Possessions:
I've kept track of all his (and therefore, the Red Hand's) possessions in the following link.
http://www.geocities.com/infacreep/stock
Other possessions include the “Cerement of Joohn,” a wrap of N’jalian spidersilk that conceals the wearer’s true appearance. He also posesses an urn of Ithermoss's ashes.
Weaknesses:
Simpleminded: Rakh is not the smartest guy you'll ever meet, by far. His tribal roots have significantly lowered his ability to understand things like technology, magic, and the like. In fact, he can rarely ever tell the two apart! Things like that are just mysteries to him, and more often than not, he regards them as evil (i.e. "Bad Magic").
Character History
Origin of the Dragonkin
Upon creation, the deity named Draconus the Ancient established a monarchy so powerful that even the combined forces of elves, dwarves, and men couldn't hinder it's path. In so doing he forged a kingdom whose limits knew no bounds. Because of his magical nature, Draconus the Ancient had the ability to mate with any creature of his choosing (which he did). The result was the thousand sons of Draconus, from which the majority of all draconian tribes claim descendence. The result was all the separate races of Dragon, Wyvern, Drake, Drak, Drakeling, Fairy-Dragon, etc. Then, for his own reasons, he vanished from existence, sealing himself behind five stone wards. His children were puzzled, and attempted to revive him by collecting the wards together. It was no use. Draconus was waiting for something; someone who was worthy to know the secrets of the ages. The disheartened sons of Draconus flippantly discarded the seals with the knowledge that whoever the Fated was, he would have no trouble with finding the five wards as they would seemingly find him.
The First Blood War
Upon Draconus's disappearance, however, his multitude of children began a war for domination: slaughtering one another for the sole right to rule over all of the worldly realm. The last two organized tribes standing were the dragons and drakes. The deciding battle, the battle at Drakenthrone, led to the Dragons' domination over all draconians. Millennia of disorder then ensued. The drakes were banished to the caves and underground, forbidden to ever see the Sun. For this reason, it's often rare to hear about a drake. However years ago, the descendent of the Drake-Lord Drim Bakh'Bahal, claimed the right to re-unite his ancestor's army as his own. The Last Drakenlord: Ithermoss Hec'Bahal.
The Last Drakenlord
Adele, the only human to actually understand his wiles, was a girl of 13; a thief and an orphan. Her brother was slain by a faction known as the Knights of Dawn (which Ithermoss was later to discover), and later so was Adele. Ithermoss vowed from then on that he'd avenge her death. The Knights of Dawn, just to clarify, are a faction consisting of pure-blood humans that have deemed all other sentient species unfit to walk the cities wearing anything but shackles and slave brands. Human or otherwise, if they stood in their way, they were assassinated or enslaved.
Attempts at rallying an army to assault the main Knights of Dawn compound failed, as he found that his backing was weak. Taking up the quest to unite the draconian empire (after an ancient schism which then led to civil war) proved nearly impossible. He attempted to rally those around him that were loyal to the cause. The expedition that was sent out lost their will to carry on with the fight, and the faction's evil was allowed to endure.
Ithermoss then sought for the riches to buy his own army, which was, of course, bound to fail. He spent his days digging away in a mine, gathering resources for his big plans. It was on one of those days that he dug a hole straight into a grave chamber of one of his tribe, a 'Ward-Guardian' by the name of Jolm. His legend was thought to be myth: an ancient drake that actually held in his possession a key (in the form of a stone, octagonal charm. Also referred to as a seal and a ward) with which one could bring Draconus the Ancient thundering back into existence. The legend spoke of a warrior fated to revive the dormant god, and that he alone would be able to find the wards to do so. Perhaps an active god would listen to his pleas for help. His desire to destroy the Knights of Dawn still held fast.
Each ward sealed off an aspect of the draconian patriarch: spirit, body, conscience, power, and knowledge. When all were collected, the physical manifestation of Draconus would seemingly take corporeal form out of thin air.
He had collected two, and was searching for the third when both he and one of his army (however led astray) came face to face in the Prismatic Tower, named Atli Od' Pora or, in the human tongue, The Tear of the Ancients. Ithermoss believed that the fighter had killed the rest of the expedition, those that had set out to attack the Knights of Dawn along with him, which included the woman he once loved. In the battle, the two wards that he had collected were smashed, and both the spirit and power of Draconus the Ancient were released into Ithermoss's body. He then began the arduous task of controlling his volatile anger, desperately attempting to keep Draconus's mindless wrath from flowing unhindered and forfeiting control of his own body.
The third ward fell into his grasp in that battle, the ward that sealed away Draconus's conscience. For reasons of his own, he didn't release the Conscience's power until the other two would be found. Conscience hindered only by might, not intelligence, would be too great a burden for him to bear.
In search of the fourth ward, that which locked up Draconus's physical body, he discovered that it had already been smashed. The army he led was pitted against that of a Knights of Dawn general as they attempted to retake the city that Ithermoss's force had captured. The ward that locked away Draconus's physical body was lost forever. Ithermoss now had to become the embodiment of Draconus, for the demigod to ever breathe fresh air again. History books know this as the Battle of Drake’s Hollow.
The Dawn of the Red Hand
Days came and went. One day, Ithermoss visited a mansion of one of the local noble class. He was sickened by the excess the man surrounded himself with; as well as with the stagnation of it all. He had a wealth of power, but didn't use a cent of it to any decent purpose. Ithermoss vowed then, to create on Althanas a world where the middle-class would dictate the lives of all. In so doing, he would need to establish a tribe, which he did. He met with Rask Loddarheim, his best friend ever since he organized the attack on the Knights of Dawn, and researched the trades of the land. He came upon an old dwarven proverb, the title of which was to become their sacred name. Among the common folk, they were to be known as the Red Hand: the people's hand -that which guides the flow of commerce and dictates the lives of all- was to be their symbol. Others gathered behind him and took up trades as he had. Miners, alchemists, herbologists, generals, enchanters, assassins, and even merchants themselves rallied behind the mighty tribe. With them rode the strength of the golden measure; that which would decide the fate of all future wars, including the one he was soon to wage.
The Jihad for the Bazaar
He never realized it, but he'd been preparing for war for a year. Ever since he began the process of extracting valuable ore from Althanas's soil, he'd been massing funds and building his empire in the shadow of Mt. Drakenthrone, a mountain lost amidst the mountains to the east of the Lotho Pass. He had grossed enough to afford to pay two-score mercenaries to fight alongside him. The object was simple: to stop the progress of all shipped goods and resources from ever entering the Bazaar district. In so doing, he'd strangle the bazaar of its goods, and therefore force prices to rise to an extensive degree. There was resistance, of course. Aginst his army of mercenaries, bandits, and tradesmen, a defensive initiative sprung up and fought for the stagnancy that Ithermoss had despised so much. They were crushed by overwhelming odds, and all passes in and out of the bazaar were placed under Bandit and Red Hand control. With that, they controlled the prices of all goods, and maintained a firm grip on their leash around Corone's neck. Careful planning secured his victory, and ended the war with unheard of speed. Aristocrats, peasants, and the like now had to fork over much more money for the same good, up to three times as much. The handworker finally got his dues.
The Halls of the Spider Queen
Diplomatic ventures were organized to draw his allies together. Clans were made simply to act as pools of mercenaries in which Ithermoss would fish, and draw his warriors-for-hire. Still, the Bandits held true to their friendship, and willingly attended an event to bring his two sets of allies together into one group of comrades. The Day of the Open Hand, an old Gorandian festival, was celebrated by the Order within Chaos, the Red Hand, and the Bandit Brotherhood. Drunkenness was the norm, as was the giving of gifts. For a while, Ithermoss could even forget about his quest to avenge Adele and find the five (now four) wards of Draconus, and was able to focus on his new friends.
An expedition was organized to set out for the Concordian forest, and obtain a quantity of N'jalian spidersilk. Among those who came, only two returned. Shiryko Benimaru disappeared along with Ithermoss's personal executioner, Venn. Elrundir abandoned the party after it was apparent that the amount of distrust held for the elf was putting a burden on the entire group of warriors. Only Ithermoss and Yari stuck together in the end. They were ambushed in the midst of the wood, when a N'jalian Spider-Mage descended upon the half-drake and paralyzed him. After wrapping him up in a silken cocoon, the monster cursed him with blight so foul that it transcended even death itself. Ithermoss would be what was known as a Revenant: one who has come back from the dead, with full control over his thoughts and actions. He was aware of his own existence, unlike zombies and wights, Ithermoss could think and act as he once had. The only difference was that his flesh was wracked with a muscle, flesh, and sinew-eating disease that rotted his midsection all the way back to his spine. Thus began the quest to rid him of the disease's progress. The Ruildian dwarves helped slow the curse, but it would soon strip all flesh from his bones, and he'd become a mindless, wailing wraith. The Loremaster, Zos, told him of an urn of ancient burial salts somewhere in the wilderness that would stop blight's progress in its tracks. His situation was dire, but not without hope.
The Last Ward of Draconus
The last ward was found, at last, in a battle against Yari Rafanas. The outcome was never known, but Ithermoss walked away from the battle with the final seal in hand. Outraged to see the ancient drake Bahal lying dead, Ithermoss sought to avenge his ancestor's death by attacking his good friend. He cursed principle, then, however he was still bound by it. To see the last guardian of the draconian seals and origin of Ithermoss's bloodline lying in ruin, Ithermoss was forced to act. The half-drake still hasn't worked up the nerve to smash the last two seals, and release Draconus's conscience and knowledge into himself.
The Frozen Pyre
His plans to complete Draconus’s manifestation within himself and become the fabled “Thaynebearer” were interrupted, sadly, by his untimely death. The blight had taken over fully, and he had only a few minutes left to say his goodbyes. He parceled out his belongings to those whom he felt best deserved them, and named his friends in accordance to Gorandian tradition with names of honor, ones telling of their deeds and greatness as not only his personal friends, but as his heroes as well. Upon his death, he was sent to the Antifirmament, and not judged as he should have been. And there he labored endlessly; doing the one thing he was cursed to do for eternity: mine ore. Each second meant years in the Antifirmament, the land of the dead. He was there for approximately 50,500 years until Praenuntio had finally arrived. Together they broke free from the gray prison, and seemingly forced their way back into the realm of the living. And now going by his soul’s name, Rakh, the reincarnated warrior has returned to defend the lives of those he loves, and possibly the entire Althane realm…
((Gold: 129,295 from the Red Hand Treasury account, and 1031 of my own))
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:w08rzFZdXOcJ:www.althanas.com/world/showpost.php%3Fp%3D105004%26postcount%3D57+%22red+ hand+treasury%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2&client=firefox
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Name: Rakh
Other names: Sad Brother Oblivion, Hammer of Hromagh, and formerly known as Ithermoss Hec'Bahal.
Height: 6'0
Weight: 182
Gender: Male
Hair: Dark brown mohawk
Eyes: Brown
Age: Appears mid 20's, although he has been quite recently remainfested.
Race: Weregoyle – When Rakh was manifested, he was given the body of a human. When his form was crafted by the Thayne themselves, namely Hromagh and Y’edda, they instilled within him the ability to augment his form with the features of beasts, and even merge fully with one who allowed his temporary control. Scholars classified him as an augmented human, up until his pivotal encounter with the kendergoyle, Chromanon Rockskin. In the battle, she wounded him, and in so doing, passed on her curse to him. From then on, with the changing of the moon’s phase in tune with the tides, he would slowly turn to stone. Uncontrollable at this point, he simply had to make sure he didn’t get caught in an inopportune location when he shifted.
Class/Occupation: Tribal Chieftain, lesser avatar of Hromagh, trademaster, and miner. He also possesses a keen interest in brewing.
Appearance: His former appearance was broad-shouldered and proud. His face would appear featureless to most, as where his nose and mouth would have been, there was a flat plate of flesh-covered bone. Two nostril-slits lined either side of his face in parallel to each other, while two hollow eye-sockets yawned emptily at passers-by. Tall, pointed ears rose a good four inches above his head. He usually kept his eyes (or lack thereof) bound with a torn scrap of cloth from his long-lost friend Adele's dress. When his wings were at full span, they stretched a full fourteen feet. A massive tail stretched another six feet in length; almost as long as he was tall. When he was cursed by a N’jalian Mage, though, a blight of undeath had befallen the half-drake. His flesh dripped with rot, and blood ran incessantly from open wounds that refused to knit back together. His midsection had been rotten all the way back to his spine with only a few scraps of muscle still connecting his torso to his hips. His appearance tended to change, depending on whether he was wearing the Cerement of Joonh. (See below)
Since he was remanifested however, his body has taken the form of a human. He's very athletic, possibly more so than Ithermoss was. There's a very primal, very tribal air about him that relates his strong belief in his faith.
Clothing: Naught more than a loincloth to cover the essentials, but his bits of jewelry and ornamentation serve as clothing enough. His ornamentation isn’t merely cartilage and ear piercings mind you, but rather piercings that fit under muscles and between bones. He has a bar under his right bicep, a bar between the two bones in his left forearm, two rings through his trapezius behind his neck, two fat eyebrow piercings, and more to come. These are not simple decorations; they’re symbol of his reverence to his patron deities.
However, he does decorate them with knuckle-bones taken from animals, and other sorts of small charms and trinkets. When he walks, his collection of teeth, scalps, bones, and claws hanging from his piercings rattle like dry bones hanging from a wind-chime, producing an eerie sort of melody upon which he builds a focusing trance. He has an affinity towards feathers and other sorts of pelts as well.
Personality: Kind, but reclusive. If you're a tradesman, or even related to one, he'd invite you for dinner and even put a roof over your head. If you've done him, or his kindred wrong, then his wrath is all encompassing. There are things worse than death, no doubt, and he can afford to do them all. He acts the part of the lord, rewarding his subjects with rings and other honors, but in his modesty, he refuses all rank and status. He has made a fortune, but surrounds himself with nothing more than he needs. Quite secretive, Rakh puts heavy emphasis on functionality and purpose. Sentiment, however, does have its place in his heart.
Not considered smart by any stretch of the word, Rakh is, however, wise beyond his years. What little he knows, he can adapt to most any situation. He knows nature and the ways of the natural world. He's got the discerning and reasoning mind of a human, but he lacks the intelligence to understand a lot of what is going on. For this reason, his home language is mostly verbs and nouns. Culturally, he has a gold-hoarding instinct (much like his draken ancestors) and worships a totem-like god.
Although he has been remade in the flesh, the core of who he is still exists. He holds the same values, morals, and loves as he did before. Similarly, he also holds the same fears. He both hates and fears what could be called 'technology,' and is something of a Luddite. As he is of simple stock, he fervently distrusts anything that he cannot explain (which can be a great deal often times). Magic and technology are two things he often mixes up, and has simply come to distrust both. His philosophy is that mortals must not be the source of their own supernatural power, and that such power must come from a source; a deity. However, he's too prideful to acknowledge that he doesn't understand technology and magic, and is very quick to write them off as 'evil.' He's got areas where he shines, but he's definitely got his personality flaws as well.
Weapons:
1. J'mphada: Twin ankh-hammers. Weapons of untold fame and honor, made of simple iron
2. Shepherd's crook: One of his favorite weapons, as it's a tool as well. Liviol.
3. Twin spiked bucklers: Two small shields that strap to the forearm, covered in spikes. Prevalida.
4. Archus: A simple dagger made of crystallized salt from the coldest dunes in Salvar. Cuts with searing pain, although the wounds it leaves are clean.
Armor: “Armor is for the weak.”
Special Skills:
Pandemonium's Fist: Named after his fortress under Mt. Drakenthrone, Rakh has developed his most powerful mining tool into an attack rivaling the most skilled mage. He can exhale air faster than sound can follow. The result is a sonic blast so potent, that solid objects are oscillated often to annihilation. At range, Rakh seems to be screaming with great effort, while no sound comes from his mouth. Damage to the ground, and whatever stands between him and his target is the big tip-off. When used at a farther range, the effects aren't as potent due to the diffusion of sound. Rocks would shake, and maybe crack. Bones would feel as if they were being subjected to an extremely heavy bass. At close range rocks have shattered, and bones have been ground down into dust. In effect, whatever is caught within the sonic blast cone is shaken to pieces, depending of course on the target’s movement, and range. Used once or twice a battle, maximum. When mining, about every five posts. When questing, two or three times a thread, maximum.
Spirit Augmentation: He has been divinely endowed with a sort of animal empathy, but to a much greater extent. The ability allows him to take on characteristics of a target animal, and possibly assume the animal’s shape altogether. If he focuses on one of his charms, for example, he can gain boosts in strength, agility, and boosts in his sense of sight and smell. For example, of he focuses on his bear-claw necklace, he can benefit in strength and endurance. His wolf’s tooth might allow him a boost in agility and his sense of smell. These are just minor changes, however. He often takes on a sort of lesser hybrid form when he does this. In extremely rare cases, full transformation into the target creature is possible. This is only possible, however, if the form is one he’s well familiar with. Usable up to two times a day.
Spirit Merge: However, there is another level to this ability that is more powerful. So long as he earns the target animal’s trust, he will be able to merge with the animal entirely and become a full hybrid for a short time. The two of them share a consciousness in such a state, which can make thinking and problem solving rather difficult. Lesser functions come more easily, like fighting, running, smashing things, hunting, eating, and relieving oneself. Such boosts to his ability are never more than he can control, however. Due to the taxxing nature of this ability, since it boosts his abilities to such a degree, he can only use this ability once every couple of days.
Possessions:
I've kept track of all his (and therefore, the Red Hand's) possessions in the following link.
http://www.geocities.com/infacreep/stock
Other possessions include the “Cerement of Joohn,” a wrap of N’jalian spidersilk that conceals the wearer’s true appearance. He also posesses an urn of Ithermoss's ashes.
Weaknesses:
Simpleminded: Rakh is not the smartest guy you'll ever meet, by far. His tribal roots have significantly lowered his ability to understand things like technology, magic, and the like. In fact, he can rarely ever tell the two apart! Things like that are just mysteries to him, and more often than not, he regards them as evil (i.e. "Bad Magic").
Character History
Origin of the Dragonkin
Upon creation, the deity named Draconus the Ancient established a monarchy so powerful that even the combined forces of elves, dwarves, and men couldn't hinder it's path. In so doing he forged a kingdom whose limits knew no bounds. Because of his magical nature, Draconus the Ancient had the ability to mate with any creature of his choosing (which he did). The result was the thousand sons of Draconus, from which the majority of all draconian tribes claim descendence. The result was all the separate races of Dragon, Wyvern, Drake, Drak, Drakeling, Fairy-Dragon, etc. Then, for his own reasons, he vanished from existence, sealing himself behind five stone wards. His children were puzzled, and attempted to revive him by collecting the wards together. It was no use. Draconus was waiting for something; someone who was worthy to know the secrets of the ages. The disheartened sons of Draconus flippantly discarded the seals with the knowledge that whoever the Fated was, he would have no trouble with finding the five wards as they would seemingly find him.
The First Blood War
Upon Draconus's disappearance, however, his multitude of children began a war for domination: slaughtering one another for the sole right to rule over all of the worldly realm. The last two organized tribes standing were the dragons and drakes. The deciding battle, the battle at Drakenthrone, led to the Dragons' domination over all draconians. Millennia of disorder then ensued. The drakes were banished to the caves and underground, forbidden to ever see the Sun. For this reason, it's often rare to hear about a drake. However years ago, the descendent of the Drake-Lord Drim Bakh'Bahal, claimed the right to re-unite his ancestor's army as his own. The Last Drakenlord: Ithermoss Hec'Bahal.
The Last Drakenlord
Adele, the only human to actually understand his wiles, was a girl of 13; a thief and an orphan. Her brother was slain by a faction known as the Knights of Dawn (which Ithermoss was later to discover), and later so was Adele. Ithermoss vowed from then on that he'd avenge her death. The Knights of Dawn, just to clarify, are a faction consisting of pure-blood humans that have deemed all other sentient species unfit to walk the cities wearing anything but shackles and slave brands. Human or otherwise, if they stood in their way, they were assassinated or enslaved.
Attempts at rallying an army to assault the main Knights of Dawn compound failed, as he found that his backing was weak. Taking up the quest to unite the draconian empire (after an ancient schism which then led to civil war) proved nearly impossible. He attempted to rally those around him that were loyal to the cause. The expedition that was sent out lost their will to carry on with the fight, and the faction's evil was allowed to endure.
Ithermoss then sought for the riches to buy his own army, which was, of course, bound to fail. He spent his days digging away in a mine, gathering resources for his big plans. It was on one of those days that he dug a hole straight into a grave chamber of one of his tribe, a 'Ward-Guardian' by the name of Jolm. His legend was thought to be myth: an ancient drake that actually held in his possession a key (in the form of a stone, octagonal charm. Also referred to as a seal and a ward) with which one could bring Draconus the Ancient thundering back into existence. The legend spoke of a warrior fated to revive the dormant god, and that he alone would be able to find the wards to do so. Perhaps an active god would listen to his pleas for help. His desire to destroy the Knights of Dawn still held fast.
Each ward sealed off an aspect of the draconian patriarch: spirit, body, conscience, power, and knowledge. When all were collected, the physical manifestation of Draconus would seemingly take corporeal form out of thin air.
He had collected two, and was searching for the third when both he and one of his army (however led astray) came face to face in the Prismatic Tower, named Atli Od' Pora or, in the human tongue, The Tear of the Ancients. Ithermoss believed that the fighter had killed the rest of the expedition, those that had set out to attack the Knights of Dawn along with him, which included the woman he once loved. In the battle, the two wards that he had collected were smashed, and both the spirit and power of Draconus the Ancient were released into Ithermoss's body. He then began the arduous task of controlling his volatile anger, desperately attempting to keep Draconus's mindless wrath from flowing unhindered and forfeiting control of his own body.
The third ward fell into his grasp in that battle, the ward that sealed away Draconus's conscience. For reasons of his own, he didn't release the Conscience's power until the other two would be found. Conscience hindered only by might, not intelligence, would be too great a burden for him to bear.
In search of the fourth ward, that which locked up Draconus's physical body, he discovered that it had already been smashed. The army he led was pitted against that of a Knights of Dawn general as they attempted to retake the city that Ithermoss's force had captured. The ward that locked away Draconus's physical body was lost forever. Ithermoss now had to become the embodiment of Draconus, for the demigod to ever breathe fresh air again. History books know this as the Battle of Drake’s Hollow.
The Dawn of the Red Hand
Days came and went. One day, Ithermoss visited a mansion of one of the local noble class. He was sickened by the excess the man surrounded himself with; as well as with the stagnation of it all. He had a wealth of power, but didn't use a cent of it to any decent purpose. Ithermoss vowed then, to create on Althanas a world where the middle-class would dictate the lives of all. In so doing, he would need to establish a tribe, which he did. He met with Rask Loddarheim, his best friend ever since he organized the attack on the Knights of Dawn, and researched the trades of the land. He came upon an old dwarven proverb, the title of which was to become their sacred name. Among the common folk, they were to be known as the Red Hand: the people's hand -that which guides the flow of commerce and dictates the lives of all- was to be their symbol. Others gathered behind him and took up trades as he had. Miners, alchemists, herbologists, generals, enchanters, assassins, and even merchants themselves rallied behind the mighty tribe. With them rode the strength of the golden measure; that which would decide the fate of all future wars, including the one he was soon to wage.
The Jihad for the Bazaar
He never realized it, but he'd been preparing for war for a year. Ever since he began the process of extracting valuable ore from Althanas's soil, he'd been massing funds and building his empire in the shadow of Mt. Drakenthrone, a mountain lost amidst the mountains to the east of the Lotho Pass. He had grossed enough to afford to pay two-score mercenaries to fight alongside him. The object was simple: to stop the progress of all shipped goods and resources from ever entering the Bazaar district. In so doing, he'd strangle the bazaar of its goods, and therefore force prices to rise to an extensive degree. There was resistance, of course. Aginst his army of mercenaries, bandits, and tradesmen, a defensive initiative sprung up and fought for the stagnancy that Ithermoss had despised so much. They were crushed by overwhelming odds, and all passes in and out of the bazaar were placed under Bandit and Red Hand control. With that, they controlled the prices of all goods, and maintained a firm grip on their leash around Corone's neck. Careful planning secured his victory, and ended the war with unheard of speed. Aristocrats, peasants, and the like now had to fork over much more money for the same good, up to three times as much. The handworker finally got his dues.
The Halls of the Spider Queen
Diplomatic ventures were organized to draw his allies together. Clans were made simply to act as pools of mercenaries in which Ithermoss would fish, and draw his warriors-for-hire. Still, the Bandits held true to their friendship, and willingly attended an event to bring his two sets of allies together into one group of comrades. The Day of the Open Hand, an old Gorandian festival, was celebrated by the Order within Chaos, the Red Hand, and the Bandit Brotherhood. Drunkenness was the norm, as was the giving of gifts. For a while, Ithermoss could even forget about his quest to avenge Adele and find the five (now four) wards of Draconus, and was able to focus on his new friends.
An expedition was organized to set out for the Concordian forest, and obtain a quantity of N'jalian spidersilk. Among those who came, only two returned. Shiryko Benimaru disappeared along with Ithermoss's personal executioner, Venn. Elrundir abandoned the party after it was apparent that the amount of distrust held for the elf was putting a burden on the entire group of warriors. Only Ithermoss and Yari stuck together in the end. They were ambushed in the midst of the wood, when a N'jalian Spider-Mage descended upon the half-drake and paralyzed him. After wrapping him up in a silken cocoon, the monster cursed him with blight so foul that it transcended even death itself. Ithermoss would be what was known as a Revenant: one who has come back from the dead, with full control over his thoughts and actions. He was aware of his own existence, unlike zombies and wights, Ithermoss could think and act as he once had. The only difference was that his flesh was wracked with a muscle, flesh, and sinew-eating disease that rotted his midsection all the way back to his spine. Thus began the quest to rid him of the disease's progress. The Ruildian dwarves helped slow the curse, but it would soon strip all flesh from his bones, and he'd become a mindless, wailing wraith. The Loremaster, Zos, told him of an urn of ancient burial salts somewhere in the wilderness that would stop blight's progress in its tracks. His situation was dire, but not without hope.
The Last Ward of Draconus
The last ward was found, at last, in a battle against Yari Rafanas. The outcome was never known, but Ithermoss walked away from the battle with the final seal in hand. Outraged to see the ancient drake Bahal lying dead, Ithermoss sought to avenge his ancestor's death by attacking his good friend. He cursed principle, then, however he was still bound by it. To see the last guardian of the draconian seals and origin of Ithermoss's bloodline lying in ruin, Ithermoss was forced to act. The half-drake still hasn't worked up the nerve to smash the last two seals, and release Draconus's conscience and knowledge into himself.
The Frozen Pyre
His plans to complete Draconus’s manifestation within himself and become the fabled “Thaynebearer” were interrupted, sadly, by his untimely death. The blight had taken over fully, and he had only a few minutes left to say his goodbyes. He parceled out his belongings to those whom he felt best deserved them, and named his friends in accordance to Gorandian tradition with names of honor, ones telling of their deeds and greatness as not only his personal friends, but as his heroes as well. Upon his death, he was sent to the Antifirmament, and not judged as he should have been. And there he labored endlessly; doing the one thing he was cursed to do for eternity: mine ore. Each second meant years in the Antifirmament, the land of the dead. He was there for approximately 50,500 years until Praenuntio had finally arrived. Together they broke free from the gray prison, and seemingly forced their way back into the realm of the living. And now going by his soul’s name, Rakh, the reincarnated warrior has returned to defend the lives of those he loves, and possibly the entire Althane realm…