Krok’mar the Devourer

Not all Lizardmen of the Sorrowlakes view their heritage with fondness or pride. The centuries since the defeat of the Gaellen Pact by the Telerian League have seen many Lizardmen clans slip ever-deeper into destitution and internal feuding, beset by poverty and a sense of hopelessness. It is not uncommon for the Pact to be blamed for the current malaise that afflicts many of the clans, whether because it failed to defeat the League, or because it even attempted to fight in the first place. Similarly, the even older legacy of the Dragonkin Empire is spat upon and disdained by many Sorrowlakes clans. Though little is still understood now about the Empire, it is often portrayed as having fallen due to its own arrogance and short-sighted foolishness. The sins of the Dragonkin are still born and paid for by their descendants, so it is claimed, and so the memory of the Empire is despised by many. The self-hatred and bitterness felt by many Lizardmen in the Sorrowlakes is leading to the slow deterioration of the clan structures that have been the bedrock of Lizardmen society for dozens of spawn-generations, but a few have started to harness them as a power in their own right. The warrior known as Krok’mar the Devourer is one such individual. Krok’mar is a descendant of the Gaellen Pact general Kron’mor the Great and is physically strong and powerful, a prime example of his species. His thick neck and shoulders, broad gut and gnarled, scaled hide are further accentuated by the old armor of his forebear, heavy pieces of coarse pig-iron and a crest of wicked metal spines that run along his back from his head-plate. In his heavy fists he carries Meatsplitter, a huge wedge ofjagged steel that, when wielded with Krok’mar’s strength, can cleave through a Kaerok knight’s armor, body, and the horse he is mounted on with one great blow. He is made even more deadly by the Talons of Kron’mor, a set of metal claws once born by his ancestor that he wears over his left hand. Krok’mar’s physical abilities are obvious, but to them he adds a charisma often lacking in coldblooded Lizardmen warrior-types. He is coarse and plain-spoken, and honest and fair in his dealings with others. His anger is a terrifying sight to behold, but it is not easily stoked. While his scars and the metal plates pinning his hacked scales together speak of a brute and a lifelong warrior, Krok’mar is not afraid to negotiate, and knows that there is more to being a leader than mere strength and battle prowess. All of this would imply that Krok’mar has the potential to unite the Lizardmen clans, call upon the legacy of his mighty forefather, and recreate the brief glories of the Gaellen Pact. Anyone who makes such an assumption is making a grave mistake. Krok’mar despises his legacy. He hates the Gaellen Pact, believing it damned his people and left them in their current deplorable state. But Krok’mar is not content to wallow in despair. Unlike many other clan leaders and prominent Lizardmen, he will not let the petty rivalries or the unavoidable curse of his ancestry define him. He seeks to rally the clans and free them of the shackles of the past. In this quest, he is uncompromising. He has made himself the sworn enemy of those Lizardmen who still adhere to a belief in the old ways, who still hark back to the Pact or the Dragonkin as legacies to aspire to. This is especially true of the recent influx of Lizardmen refugees fleeing Anhelt due to King Tayba’s War, many of whom often cling to the hope that there is still a chance of renewing the fallen Empire. Krok’mar considers these Lizardmen to be enemies of the Sorrowlakes, whose stupidity will doom the clans to further wars — and thus further defeat. He stirs up other Lizardmen against them and those whom he captures and who refuse to recant, he executes before — to the horror of his enemies – eating their remains. For Krok’mar and his growing band of adherents, this devouring has an important meaning. Thanks to it, the weight of the past is lifted and the failure of the Pact and the sins of the Dragonkin Empire are all undone. To devour is to destroy utterly, and Krok’mar means to destroy more than just the physical bodies of his enemies, but their very ideas and beliefs. Once he has done this in full, and there are none remaining who view the past as something to recreate, he believes the Sorrowlakes will finally be able to move forward, and build something new, something positive that will herald a fresh beginning for his people.