Kawn Branchbreaker

As the Gaellen War ravaged the Sorrowlakes, an Orc couple, the wife pregnant and fearing for the safety of her unborn child, fled the destruction and traveled as far as they could to escape the reach of the war, crossing the Cloudspire Mountains and finding themselves on the edge of the Mistwood. They evaded the Sylvan’s border patrols. Shortly afterward, Kawn was born to the Orc couple. He lived the first years of his life in seclusion, and developed a connection to the Rhythm just as the Sylvan Elves and Fae do. Eventually, the family was discovered by Sylvan patrols and taken into custody. When it was discovered that Kawn, but not his parents, was attuned to the Rhythm, he was taken to Nyresa and there was a great outcry and debate. Some accepted Kawn as a fellow Sylvan, saying the Mistwood had adopted him by allowing him access to the Rhythm. Others refused to accept him out of prejudice against Orcs or on procedural grounds, since his family had entered the Mistwood in secret rather than presenting themselves to the authorities. It was decided that Kawn could stay and be integrated into Sylvan society, but his parents, lacking the Rhythm, were forced to leave. Kawn was saddened, but knew that every child must one day separate from their parents to seek their fortune, and looked forward to finding his place among the Sylvan. However, although he was nominally equal to the rest of the Sylvan for his connection to the Rhythm, he was still treated as an outsider and never trusted. He was given menial jobs, excluded from important community debates and conversations, and constantly subject to poorly-concealed gossip and slander. Over the years this discrimination eroded all of Kawn’s enthusiasm for the Sylvan and the Mistwood, leaving him bitter and frustrated. But he knew of no other life, and did not consider leaving. After a few aimless years, Kawn, demoralized and distracted, failed to notice intruders while serving as a guard. Heavily-armed loggers from Yakai entered under Kawn’s nose, and felled several huge, ancient trees before they were discovered and driven off. Kawn’s superiors were furious. Some suspected him of allowing the intruders to enter, because many of them were fellow Orcs. For his failure, Kawn was banished from the Mistwood for good. He did not resist, unable to deny his failure, and with no motive to plead for mercy since his trust in the Sylvan was shattered. Wandering alone toward Yakai, Kawn was spotted by agents of Lady Mikage. The Orc, dressed like a resident of the Mistwood and coming from that direction, was highly anomalous. Mikage’s agents detained him before presenting him to the Lady herself. Mikage recognized the festering resentment and shame in Kawn’s heart, and realized the Orc could be manipulated into a valuable servant. She presented Kawn a chance at revenge on the Sylvan, offering a place for him as a guide in one of her logging gangs, the very same whose intrusion into the Mistwood led to Kawn’s banishment. She exalted his uniqueness, calling Kawn’s strange status a thing of wonder rather than shame. Kawn, swayed by Lady Mikage’s flattery and false sympathy, agreed to serve her. She granted Kawn an enchanted ax as a symbol of their pact, a massive, brutal weapon that could slice through tree-trunks and Sylvan bodies with equal ease. The Orc and Ogryn mercenaries who made up the bulk of the logging gangs were sympathetic to Kawn’s story, and assured him he was better off fighting the Elves than living among them. They called the Sylvan haughty elitists who hoarded the natural bounties of the Mistwood for themselves. Kawn had never before been shown such solidarity, and to pay back the loggers for their support, he vowed to help them achieve new heights of success. With his knowledge of the Mistwood, he was able to navigate the dense forest with ease and locate prime tree specimens. In time he was elevated from scout to leader of his own logging brigade, acquiring loyal followers by consistently bringing in the most timber and, therefore, the highest pay. For years Kawn terrorized the Sylvan who had so long mistreated him, and with each raid he grew more violent, brutish, and sadistic. The Sylvan tried everything to stop him, but Kawn’s knowledge of Sylvan tactics and secret paths, as well as his residual connection to the Rhythm, ensured he escaped their retribution. The Sylvan began to pray to the Arbiter, begging for assistance against Kawn’s predation. In time she heard these pleas and judged Kawn’s evil too great to ignore. She ambushed him during one of his bloody raids and captured him in a Shard, hoping one day she could redeem him and direct him toward more noble goals.