First Ax Tuskkor

Beside every great sea captain is a tough, loyal, and proud first mate, helping plan perilous voyages into the unknown and keeping the crew in line. For the great Dwarf, Admiral Blacktusk, that trusted second was Tuskkor, affectionately known as the ‘First Ax’. Tuskkor hailed from an Ogryn clan living in isolation on a small, remote island off the north coast of Aravia. His people were ruthlessly pragmatic to survive on the island’s limited resources. They carefully controlled their population’s growth and mercilessly culled the weak. Blacktusk’s fleet spotted the island and, having no record of it in their navigational charts, stopped to survey it wondering if it could serve as a useful way-station. They were surprised to find the rocky, wind-blasted land inhabited. The Ogryn were hostile to the Dwarves, valuing their isolation. They clashed in a fierce skirmish, with both the Ogryn and the Dwarves taking casualties they could ill afford. Blacktusk, impressed by the Ogryn’s tenacity and strength, decided on a way to settle things without further bloodshed. He proposed a contest of strength between himself and an Ogryn representative, a bout of wrestling to submission. If Blacktusk won on behalf of the Dwarves, the Ogryn would have to accept their presence and allow future Dwarven expeditions the right to build docks and a fortress there. If the Ogryn won, the Dwarves vowed to leave at once and to tell no one of the island and its inhabitants. Tuskkor, strongest of the clan, accepted the challenge, thinking the diminutive Dwarf stood no chance against his hulking might. However, when the boatswain’s whistle blew to signal the start of the match, Tuskkor was shocked by Blacktusk’s speed, determination, and raw power. The Dwarf’s size disadvantage disappeared as Blacktusk dodged and weaved and climbed up Tuskkor’s body to put the Ogryn in a chokehold. After a brutal slog, Tuskkor won, barely, by pinning Blacktusk and wrenching his arm until the Dwarf gave in. Both combatants were sweaty and exhausted, muscles strained and sore and flesh bruised and battered. The Dwarves stood by their promise and prepared to depart. Tuskkor, however, was so impressed by Blacktusk’s strength and courage that he left the cheers and praise of his clan behind, approached the muttering Dwarven sailors by the shore, and asked to join their crew. Many of the Dwarves objected, but Blacktusk overruled them all and took Tuskkor aboard. In time, Tuskkor earned the trust and respect of those crew who doubted him with great feats of courage and seamanship. After their chance encounter brought them together, Tuskkor showed himself to be a tremendous asset to Blacktusk’s fleet. In battles against pirates and seagoing monstrosities, Tuskkor was first to charge and last to retreat. Adopting the boar as his totem, like Blacktusk did, Tuskkor fought with furious abandon and startling tenacity. Neither dozens of wounds from the rasping hooks of great kraken tentacles, nor blows that would shatter a Human skull, could bring him down. Blacktusk saw in Tuskkor a warrior with the same, straightforward brute ideals of battle as himself. The two sailors were true to the last, never giving up on one another. Tuskkor once saved Blacktusk’s life during an intense typhoon. As a massive wave broke over the ship, sweeping several sailors away to their doom, Tuskkor hurled himself toward his captain and held Blacktusk fast, resisting the torrent with his bulk and brawn. Likewise, when Tuskkor was captured by Skinwalker pirates, Blacktusk led a band of fighters on a night raid to liberate him. The captain of the Skinwalkers, a boar-derived brute, fell to the combined onslaught of Blacktusk and the liberated Tuskkor. After the fight, Tuskkor skinned the fallen Skinwalker to make a triumphal cape. Too numerous to relate are many other tales of Blacktusk and Tuskkor’s valor and fellowship on the high seas. Though Tuskkor climbed his way through the ranks and stood as Blacktusk’s right hand, he never truly assimilated into Dwarven culture. He still dressed in the fashion of his clan, partly to intimidate his rivals and partly to retain a connection to his heritage. He turned down custom-made suits of fine Dwarven armor as well as various medals and accolades from the Skyiron Dominion, making enemies of various Dwarven aristocrats. Blacktusk’s clout among the Dwarves and Tuskkor’s own fearsome reputation preserved the Ogryn’s status against the complaints of naysayers. Tuskkor, Blacktusk, and their whole crew later disappeared from the pages of history, sailing off on a final expedition never to return. It is assumed some disaster befell them, and perhaps one did, but in any case, their lives did not come to an end. The Arbiter embraced them within her Shards so that the legendary sailors could serve her on the high seas for centuries to come.