Korugar Death-Bell

The tolling of the bells in Anhelt was once a call for brave soldiers to take up arms, or a sign of victory and blessings. Now, many are cautious when they hear a distant chime. It may belong to Korugar Death-Bell. As a mockery of those who had wronged his kin, this Ogryn warrior took up the holy symbol of the bells and anointed them in blood. Like many of his kin, Korugar grew up with a view over the City of Lost Dreams — a once magnificent city, now a husk of fallen pride, thanks to the armies of the Telerian League. Even as a youth, Korugar understood the injustice scorched into the earth and listened with ever growing rage to the Orcs and Lizardmen who ranted about the Humans and their beautiful stone cities. It was surprising to none when he picked up an ax and joined a raiding force, determined to exact what revenge they could. Korugar traveled the world with his band of Gaellen comrades. The further he ventured, the more he saw how his kin suffered, exiled to far reaches of forests and wastelands, or living among Humans and Elves as little more than servants as they were. His youthful rage became a bloodlust. He had found a cause worth fighting for. Proving himself a leader, Korugar defended Skinwalker settlements, assisted Lizardmen raids, and liberated Ogryn from oppression. The more he fought and the larger his band grew, the more his infamy spread across Anhelt. News of this fierce band of Gaellen rebels unsettled the coastal—dwelling Human and High Elven nobles, some of whom now thought twice before turning away a cold Skinwalker or underpaying their Ogryn farmhands. But to the Gaellens, the name Korugar was a spark of hope. A budding flame of pride began to smolder among the Ogryn, something they had rarely felt since the time before the loss of their great City of Dreams. They shared tales of a great warrior who fought for Gaellen justice and a fairer world. A leader who fought in the vanguard with his comrades and defended the wounded. Korugar’s reputation led Ogryn from all corners of the world to heed his call to arms and join his ever expanding force. Besides brave fighters came Ogryn of many talents — cooks, builders, and craftsmen were among the many who came to join Korugar in his efforts. One of these craftsmen supplied warriors with sturdy steel and forged a new, flaming ax for Korugar. With his army behind him, Korugar headed to Aravia and marched into the towns and villages from which his people had been driven. He demanded that the citizens pay for the mistreatment of the Gaellen races and that they mend the wrongs of their ancestors by allowing Gaellen folk to reside in the lands as equal citizens. When Korugar was refused, he left those towns and villages as smoldering ash. Yet with every battle, his forces were only met with more resistance. Korugar moved gradually south, indiscriminately attacking Elf and Human settlements. But his campaign was halted at a small town of little prior importance, where Korugar and his army suffered its first defeat. When Korugar arrived at the town walls, he was met by ringing bells and an army of the Sacred Order. The battle was long and the losses were many. While Korugar risked his life to save one warrior, another would fall. For every knight he cut down, two of his warriors met their end. When the Sacred Order rang their ceremonial bells for the second time, it signaled their victory, and Korugar knelt, wounded and exhausted, surrounded by the bodies of his warriors. As Humans celebrated, Korugar was forced to withdraw, the bells mocking his failure. The ringing stayed long in his head, taunting him in his sleep. In the weeks following his defeat, he rebuilt his forces and vowed he’d never again retreat. Korugar later returned to the site of the battle — this time his army crushed the Sacred Order’s knights and Korugar took the town’s bells as trophies. Korugar continues to fight for his kin, the once holy bells he carries now announcing his arrival on the battlefield. Soldiers and knights have learnt not to trust distant chimes, for not all signal an approaching priest or traveling merchant. Too many tales have been told by wounded survivors of a haunting peal of bells before death descended upon their ranks. When the bells toll, living with the shame of fleeing from battle seems a fair price for many soldiers, for the Death-Bell shows no mercy.