Post by Caterpillar on Jul 5, 2014 8:53:14 GMT -5
Knar but nowadays prefers to be called "Crookeye" or "Crook"
(still, Errot calls him Knar when it's just two of them)
Male
40
Marten
was the third-in-command in the vast horde army. The weapon-handling mentor for two sons of the Commander and now guardian of Commander's grandson Errot
(( >>picture here<<))
Even for a marten Knar is significant tall. He has muscular, sturdy build and he always stands straight like a soldier in attention. For many he's almost like giant who could snap your neck with just his bare hands and on the contrary, he really could.
Knar's pelt is dark brown. Stroke of darker fur runs up and down on his back, along with small spots. (can't been seen in picture, sorry...) Under his arms, on his neck and chest his fur turns into pale brown color. On his chin and cheeks fur becomes even more pale.
From countless of battles he has received a collection of scars but the most distinctive ones are located in his face right on his forehead. The longer one runs over his left eye and smaller one cuts across it just above his eyebrow, making the scars look like crooked cross.
Knar has dark sharp cold eyes, always at attention on his surroundings.
Knar wears shabby roomy trouser and tattered loincloth over it. Leather waist-guard shield his stomach and sides. He doesn't like shirts so if possibly, he won't wear them. In very cold weather he wraps himself under a cloak or uses open vests. He also have leather bracers (not in the pic).
:Necklade: Knar has a necklace made of a shark tooth and some bone-peaces.
:Weapons: Knar knows how to use various weapons so he might carry a few of them although he prefers his own sword in combat. But what usually is wound in his possession is a sling (a long range weapon with you can hunt birds if you don't have a bow) and a dagger in its sheath.
:Knar's sword: The sword that has been his since his younger days as a bandit gang member. It's simple design yet made with great craftsmanship. Knar takes good care of it.
:Big basket made of reed and wood: Looking like small cabinet made into backpack. It contains largely everything what you need for traveling with a kid. Fish hooks, fishline, kettle, few herbs, flint stone, some clothes and blankets... you get the drift. Most importantly the basket was roomy enough to carry Errot around when he was just a tiny cub. Now Errot is older, but likes still ride on the basket, even sleep in it.
:Sword Bloodfang: Sword of Knar's late lord that have passed down from Grendel Commander to another for generations (or so Knar have heard). It's the symbol of the ruler of the army and Knar is safekeeping it until Errot is old enough to wield it and take over the responsibility what comes with its ownership. The sword itself is real masterpiece with curvy blade and handle made of some enormous beast's tooth. There's carving on the other side of the blade, but Knar doesn't know how to read so he has no clue what's written on it. He carries Bloodfang in his back, wrapped all over in old rags.
PERSONALITY:
Stoic and quiet, with stern expression all over his face, Knar looks just like a beast that doesn't loosen up and quite frankly, he never does. He never smiles and hardly ever laughs and his sense of humor is dryer than snakeskin left in the sun for three weeks.
With his tallness and all those muscle his carrying in his bulk it's easy to think him as simple minded vermin as stereotypically many seems to assume that those who quiet ones who have the muscle aren't the sharpest tack in the box. Well Knar might be a vermin with few words and he prefers to let his action speak for himself -- but he is anything but a dimwit whose only way to deal the situations is to punch them till the next week. True he isn't any kind of mastermind that can put together most complicated schemes, but he can however, come up with simple but effective plans with his straightforward logic. And you know, sometimes the old simplest tricks works better than bag of new ones.
Knar has strong characteristics and resolution. He always stands behind his words and actions and won't back down easily when he's made up his mind. In short he finish what he starts. He likes to do things in his own way and doesn't bother to be advised by others. As you can guess with those traits he ain't a coward and if there's someone or something standing in his way and hindering him from reaching his goal, head starts to roll.
Knar has fought in countless of battles, so killing off goodbeasts and vermin alike makes little difference to him. From his point of view live is survival of the fittest and he himself intents to stay fit to continue the living. He keeps much to himself and he depends solely on his own strength and abilities.
What might make Knar extraordinary in vermin standards is his sense of commitment. Knar is a vermin of his world - he doesn't promise anything slightly, but when he does you can be sure as hell he'll keep that promise even if he had to walk to the Gates of Dark Forest and crawl back again. And when he has sworn his loyalty to someone, he would even burn down those Gates if he was ordered to do so. But be warned: Knar is too hellbent to accept just any beast take orders from. He doesn't give his respect easily and in his case, you really have to earn his devotion. But once given, it'll be easier to beat old oak to the ground with a stick that make Knar betray his lord.
Knar ain't a saint, but he might be one of the a few vermin who still have some sort of code of honor. Or at least he believes honor between the thieves. Meaning, that if when you're helped out by somebody, you pay that dept back (not whack him and steal his good as a thank you). Or if you have grave disagreement with someone you solve it face to face like a male, not stab him on the back from the shadows.. Knar is vile in practical way and he has killed many peace-loving goodbeasts. However he ain't vermin that goes killing-spree in every small farm or community that comes in his ways. If the town folk don't resist, there is no reason kill them all -- after all if they always burn down every farm and town, there won't be any goodbeast left to be robbed in future. So let some of them live, leave their homes intact so they can go back their simple way of living and after couple of seasons return to reap their hard work again.
Knar likes to challenge himself physically over and over again, always pushing his limit little bit further. He doesn't complain about pain or weariness so sometimes you might wonder, if he ever feels them at all.
Knar was born and raised among vermin bandits, group that plagued the land wherever they roamed. Hard way of living as a cub, forcing him grown up fast, but Knar adjusted in it ('coz what else he could do?). He learned at the young age that no-one of the adults cared hearing him complain, so he stuck his guns and learned to kept silent even in discomfort.
As Knar grew older the dispute between him and band-leader grew with it. Knar didn't always act according to orders. He believed in "fair chance" where everyone could prove their usefulness to gang - so it was a waste to impale every poor bastard for small mistake. And if chiefs stupid decision would get half of the gang slaughtered then take matters on your own paws. It's a self-evident that gang chief really grow to hate the marten: he was sure the bastard was aiming take his position. There was two reason why he didn't order Knar killed. The first one was his usefulness: Knar wasn't loyal to chief but he was loyal to gang. Seriously it was thanks to him that anything got done as the marten drove others do their share working on the survival of whole pack. And whatever he did, he didn't outright rebelled against chief or never challenging his leadership. But of course the main reason was that Knar was already become one of the strongest in the gang. Chief could find in his troops any who would dared challenge the marten in strength and swordsmanship.
Then in one faithful day the band came across much larger swarm of vermin . Their leader was Feragor the Grendel, a weasel with ambition to unite all wandering bandits under his rule. In this the gangleader saw his much waited opportunity: he declared he and his band would never follow such a buffoon. If Feragor really was as mighty as he claimed he was, he should prove it and defeat his strongest fighter, Knar. This was a plot get Knar killed: chief was sure that if somebody could kill the marten , it was battle born Horde Lord. Feragor the Grendel accepted this challenge and indeed, after fierce combat, overpowered Knar. However Feragor didn't kill Knar. He was impressed of marten's swordsmanship and spirit, so he proclaimed he wasn't going to kill a beast with this caliber when that talent could serve his Horde.
So Knar's old band merged into Feragor's army. Knar got his own small army unit and he was somewhat fair to his troops but in a strict way. Knar would discipline them with hard hand, but never outright kill them. He expected everyone keep their best shape and carrying on their duties in army. Knar was always testing of his own strength and skills so of course he made sure that everyone else in the unit were too. Lazing off wasn't allowed and it was the biggest subject of complain among the soldiers.
What Knar failed to understand then and now, is that not all individuals are same and you can't expect everyone to be able of keep up in same space. From his opinion everyone could pass everything if they just put their back on it - and failure was obviously just a lack of trying. Weak ones didn't last very long - if they didn't got killed or begged to be transferred to other unit. However those who stayed actually ended up became strong or skillful (or both) so Knar's troops weren't thugs you could scoff at. And despite of his drive to push his men, there were highlights. For example food and loot was divined fairly - but of course you could gain some extra if Knar was particularly pleased in your performance. Knar didn't slash out his anger towards his fellow vermin unless they really didn't give him a reason so. He took responsibility of his group and never tried to push the fault on somebody else if something went wrong. Knar wouldn't sacrifice his men in meaningless slaughter if there was another way around (thought he expected everyone be ready to die Lord Feragor). Because of those traits Knar was rather respected - no exactly liked as the marten kept his distance even among his own men, but he was more better leader than some of the unit chiefs who would be easily blinded by their greed, pride or wrath.
Not long after Knar started follow Feragor not due the lost fight, but for his true respect for the horde leader. They were little alike: sharing a same opinion of honor between thieves and so on. Although Feragor was more charismatic and ambitious and he did commit some deeds that Knar would dared not - but it wasn't like marten lost his night sleep over it. He understood that commanding a whole horde army was much different that leading just small bandit gang so he didn't much object his lord's actions. Only those times when he saw that Feragor's deeds would dangerously drop troops morale and maybe eventually come back to him as a revolt Knar stepped forward and made clear of his thoughts. Of course Feragor didn't like to be told what to do but ultimately he recognized the value Knar's interference. He was slowly realizing that Knar didn't do it to question his leadership, but because marten was honestly and utterly devoted to support his lords cause (and you can think that as a rare trait among the vermin).
Eventually Feragor hinted that Knar should be more than just leader of small army unit. However Knar wasn't interested in climbing up in army's hierarchy (as it hadn't been interested him when he was a bandit). To him it was indifferent what was his post as long as he could do his duty. So Feragor had to - for the weasel's own amused - make it an order to finally have Knar take his place at army's third-in-command. In that day Knar knelt before Feragor and swore his loyalty to the Commander the Grendel.
Knar also became weapon mentor to Feragor's two sons: Draggan and Verimer. One of the two was going to inherit the horde commander's title "Grendel" and Feragor wanted his successor be worth for that mantle.
In time Feragor indeed died - leaving Knar with one last order - and competition from the leadership really went up between Draggan and Verimer since the father wasn't no longer around to keep two sons in check. In this dispute Knar stepped to support Verimer - and after required bloodshed that always follows when vermin short out their disagreements - Verimer become Verimer the Grendel, Commander of his father's horde. Draggan however didn't accept his brothers leadership and was exiled with couple of his supporters.
Knar kept his position as third-in-command but Verimer appreciated his opinions (like his father had) over other generals. For a while it was a nice living by robbing the goodbeasts and laying devastation on the land... However after five years Draggan came back with much more supporters that he was exiled with. He hadn't enough troops to overcome Verimer directly so he resorted in scheming tactics. For that he got help from Verimer's second-in-command: mink Rathide who was unpleased that Verimer favored his left-hand-man Knar over him. So he helped Draggan to take over from the shadows. As the first stage of the betrayal, Knar and most of his trusted troops were sent to the mission. But it was a trap get rid of most strongest Verimer's supporters. Knar's unit was annihilated and marten, with few more, managed to get out live just a barely. But the marten wasn't back in time to save his lord from the betrayal. Draggan had beheaded Verimer long before Knar even reached the camp. Knar was furious and was about to toss himself into the fight - and took as many soldiers as he could with him to the Gates of Dark Forest - but then he managed to find a ray of hope: some of Verimir's troops, hiding from Draggan in the forest. Their number was reduced into pathetic number, but they were all what was left of Verimer's loyal soldiers. Not only that but they had managed to snatch Verimer's only son and Commander's sword Bloodfang (that was the symbol of the Grendel).
Against many protest Knar didn't execute counter-attack . They were no match Draggan for now and seriously, do you really think that vermin horde would prefer a five-year-old cub over Draggan? No, they had to wait. Disband until the day there was a real power to lift the Bloodfang and point it at Draggan's face. Knar reasoned that no doubt Draggan would try hunt his brother's loyalists down, looking for the Bloodfang, so moving in small groups would increase their chance to travel unnoticed and without a clear trail. So the troops scattered. Knar took the boy and the heirloom Bloodfang with him and fled. Up until now he and Errot have been pretty much evading settlements so that Draggan won't catch their trail. Some season marten and the cub spent on the road - some reason they stayed in abandoned cottage or hole. All the time marten listened carefully the rumors, to know in which land Grendel's Horde was roaming at the time and when it was their time to get back on move.
Knar started to prepare the youngling for his future as soon as the lad was old enough to hold a wooden sword. After all he had been given order from Feragor himself, on his dying bed, that he would ensure the mantle of Grendel would pass upon the beast that was worthy for it. And by all souls of the Dark Forest, Errot was going to be the worthy one! ...And of course, Knar had his own vendetta against Rathide and it was most likely that Draggan wasn't just going to let him have a free blow on his second-in-command. So the road to overthrow the Draggan isn't going to be easy one, so Knar doesn't treat the young weasel with silk gloves.
STRENGTHS:
- Knows how to use various weapons, but masters in sword-handling
- His strength and endurance. He can do manual labor on behalf of three marten and still have some strength left in him
WEAKNESSES:
- Due his enormous size he has difficulty to fit into small spaces
- Too hellbent for his or own good. When he has decided on something, he won't change his mind and doesn't heed advices.
- ok, let's not beat around the bush -- Knar's biggest weakness is Errot, alright. Protecting the boy surpasses his will protect his own life. After all if something was to happen Errot, he would fail his lord's last order.
RELATIONSHIPS:
:Errot: A weasel boy whose training and safety Knar is in charged off.
:Feragor the Grendel: Knar's first lord.
:Verimer the Grendel: Knar's second lord. Died in battle when his brother overtook the army.
: Draggan the Grendel: The current leader of the Grendel's Horde. His name inspires fear in goodbeast and vermin alike if they have heard the stories of the cruelty Draggan is capable of.
:Rathide: A mink. Was Verimer's second-in-command until he betrayed him for Draggan. Was the mastermind behind the slaughter of Knar's unit and marten is determined to have his revenge on the mink.
OTHER:
