Long ago, as the storytellers sing it, swirling in the great void the Gods sat in council and looked down at the tribes of the dark and they were displeased. “We have created so many great and wondrous things in this world. The Humans that spread across the world, fighting and living and loving in their short lives. The Dwarves that mine the earth for treasures and build glorious monuments to us. The Elves, longest lived of the mortals whose very existence is a testimony to beauty, art and creation, stride across the land beautifying everything they touch. The Gnomes whose creativity test the boundaries of science and magic. The Angels and Demons whose eternal struggle bring glory to us all. The Dragons, terrible beasts of the earth and sky who test all who encounter them. These are our creations and they are grand and beautiful.â€
“Gaze upon our other creations and weep for them. The Orcs and Ogres. The Gnolls and Minotaurs. The Goblins and the Kobolds. Do they build empires and monuments to our greatness? Do they create great works of magic and art? They fight and they live and they die, but do they lift us up in glory?â€
Some of the gods spoke up for the dark tribes. “We are worshiped by those dark children. They destroy, bringing destruction to creations that the other races bring forth. They bring balance to the world. This is what they were created for.â€
“Yes this is true. They destroy where the others create. But do the races of the light not destroy as well? Balance should be the responsibility of all. These children could be so much more. They could balance the world like the others do. Perhaps we should provide these children with a gift, one that will help them to rise to their true potential.â€
“What gift do you propose?†asked a voice. “A great and terrible monster? A powerful relic or weapon to smite their enemies?â€
“Was not the greatest gift ever given to our children free will? We shall deliver unto these dark ones a gift that will allow them to help themselves. We shall give them a leader. One that will unite them and help them to find their way and allow them to live as equals among the children of light.â€
“This is a wise gift,†said another voice from the gallery, “righteous and true. But what form should this leader take? Will this child continue their destructive and evil qualities of the dark races or shall this soul turn their energies in other directions?â€
“That I cannot say, for fate is gone and chance must have its say in these matters. There must be some random elements to this experiment to be sure.â€
“And from what race shall this leader come from? Which of the many dark races shall lead?†questioned another voice. “Shall the Ogres lead the way? The Minotaurs? The Orcs?â€
“Those races are plentiful and have warred with the other races of the light and each other many times. Their size, strength and ferocity will be a deterrent to unifying the dark ones. They shall encounter too much opposition.â€
“Surely not the kobolds or goblins? Perhaps the Hobgoblins?â€
“No, none of those could ever overcome the prejudices of the the other races. No we require a leader from a race that is unexpected, that has less history of war and carnage. I suggest a member of the race of canine bipeds, one from the race known as the Gnolls. They are a hardy race, strong and proud, wise to the ways of nature. They command respect from their dark brethren and their appearance sets them apart from the others. This is our best option.â€
There was much debate over the details of the prophesied one. It was finally agreed that he would be of the Gnolls and originate from the tribes from the Kaldir Crown Mountains. He would be a holy one, drawing power from a god of his choosing. They would give him strength and wisdom and a burning curiosity, a desire to learn and see all that he could. As any mortal he would experience great loss and hardship, but also joy and triumph. These trials would shape him, and his potential would be great. Finally, his life path would be his own to choose. No god would guide him in any particular direction. The Gods looked upon their creation, their newest hero, and they were pleased.
As time passed the gods looked on in anticipation for the time when the newest hero would present himself. Twenty years ago, as the mortals measure time, the day came and there was much activity in the heavenly realms. The gods waited to see how their latest experiment in life would turn out.
Born to a strong family of warriors in the Goldfang tribe of Gnolls, Korak was considered an odd pup. Although he fought well enough to keep up with the other young ones, he never reveled in learning combat. He often questioned the reasons why the fighting had to continue, why battle was necessary. He was a thoughtful pup with an insatiable curiosity. He also showed an affinity for the forest and nature that was unknown to his bloodline. The other young ones often scoffed at his words and questions. They teased him, called him names and there were constant dominance challenges. He met the taunts of his brothers with patience and understanding beyond his years, preferring to reason and teach his fellow warriors before resorting to violence. Unfortunately too often battle was the only option left to him, yet he still excelled, showing his brothers that when violence was the last resort he would still be the Victor. His sire, an aged and strong warrior, looked upon him with a mixture of confusion and pride, wondering how a pup of his line could be so different. “This pup will do great things.†he thought.
One day while exploring in a deeper part of the woods, lesser traveled by those of his kind, Korak stumbled upon a band of traveling gypsies camping at a rushing river. Korak had never seen humans before so he tried to get closer. As he tried to get a better look he slipped on some wet rocks and fell into the rapids. Still being young Korak hadn't yet learned to swim and was pulled under the water several times. As he struggled to reach the surface and save himself his cries were heard and one of the gypsy elders jumped in the water and pulled him to safety. As he coughed river water from his lungs the humans warmed him and fed him, feeling sorry for the young gnoll. He looked on in fear as they busied themselves. He had always been told not to trust humans, that they were dangerous. But these humans saved him from drowning and helped him. One of the elders spoke some gnollish and did his best to calm Korak and explain to him what and who they were. Korak spent several weeks with the humans, learning their language and all that his curious nature could before returning to the safety of his village. Although his sire and the rest of the elders were upset and worried about their young one, they secretly appreciated the information he brought back to them. Soon after Korak's return to the village, other races were allowed into the outer ring of the village to trade with the gnolls.
Eventually the village shamans took an interest in Korak. They saw a spark in the youth that the others missed. Korak soon started learning under the wise tutelage of the learned shamans, splitting his time between fighting lessons and spiritual studies. Korak learned all that he could from the old gnoll, his thirst for knowledge excited by the prospect of answers to the multitude of questions that plagued him. As time passed the shamans of the village realized that Koraks skills were not suited for the druidic paths that they followed. His warrior training and spiritual talents suited him towards other religious paths, ones that the druids could not train him in. They helped as much as they could but eventually, as Korak grew older and wiser, he took to traveling into the forest for extended periods of time. He communed with the forest itself, with the sun and the sky, with the creatures of the land and developed his own relationship with the divine.
The villagers didn't quite know what to make of the strange Korak. He would disappear into the forest for weeks at a time, always returning with another skill, spell or knowledge that he would share with the village. He grew into an impressive sight for one of his breed. Tall and strong with golden brown fur, peppered with white and black spots in his coat. He was considered attractive by many of the females of the tribe, but his odd ways of thought and action made his efforts at finding a mate difficult. He took to wielding a mace and shield in battle. The taunts from his tribesman of his choice of weapon died away the first time he disarmed a warrior wielding a greatsword and knocked him out in mere seconds. His healing skills were appreciated and his strength as a fighter was rarely disputed, but still he never quite fit in. His pleas for peaceful resolutions with the neighboring tribes often fell on deaf ears, battle over territories with the bugbears and other dark tribes continued. He was able to broker tentative treaties with the other tribes of gnolls, creating a tribal council of leaders that meet twice per year to discuss issues that affect them all. Koraks younger sister Teekla was eventually mated with a leader of the neighboring tribe, the Blackclaws, cementing an alliance with them. Korak visited with her and the Blackclaws many times in his ventures from his village, helping to continue a peaceful coexistence with the other tribes. His belief was that if peace and unity could be attained within his own people, then peace with the other races could be found as well. He even met a young female of the Blackclaw tribe, Sarcha, a rare student of magic, that was open to his ideas of peace and prosperity for the gnolls. Korak and Sarcha talked for many hours of what the future holds for their people. Eventually their time together grew into a budding romance, one that they promised to revisit later when they had both accomplished more for the people. Korak himself wished to return to her a strong, wise and powerful leader, one that could provide for her a great many things.
Eventually the Goldfangs and Blackclaws joined together in a final battle against a powerful tribe of bugbears to drive them away from the lands. In the ensuing chaos, during the final push of the battle, Koraks sire fell in battle, but was never recovered. The whereabouts and status of Tarak, sire of Korak of the Goldfangs, is a mystery to all. The bugbears were driven from the region but still Korak wonders what happened to his sire.
During one of his last voyages out into the forest to gather valuable herbs and bark, Korak heard a high pitched cry for help that came from a deserted old hut that had once belonged to an wizened human. It had been empty for some time so Korak went to investigate, not expecting to find a frightened kobold cowering from the corpse of the old human. The kobold, one of a reptilian race from the mountains, was called Nibar, and he was accompanied by a fierce female warrior, the half human, half orc known as Seetha. Korak knew in his heart that when he met these strange adventurers he had met kindred spirits, misfits like himself. This was a sign from the divine. He had found the beginnings of his future.
From the heavens above, Aesia, Goddess of Hope, Life and Light, architect of the gift to the dark races that created Korak Goldfang, smiled. “Good luck to you young Korak.†she thought to herself, “I'll be watching.†|
