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Red Kare and his Gagarthi Warband

Red Kare can be a member of any clan/tribe as needed. His story is that he was a warrior who lacked all empathy for others and thought only of himself and his pleasure. He slipped farther and farther away from the ideals of Orlanth and one day his own brother found him sleeping with his wife. He slew his brother and fled his family and clan’s retribution with his brother’s wife. Since then he has become the consummate Gargarthi leading his raiders in terrorizing everyone he can. Many tribes and clans seek him but no one has found him before now. He gained his name Red Kare because of a) his temper; b) his red hair; c) his bloodthirsty temper; d) his red clothes; or e) all of the above. Answer : all of the above. His family wishes him dead but cannot do anything themselves. His cruelty, violence and brutality are legendary. His most famous characteristic is his unique Two Sword Whirlwind Fighting technique which he does using two iron bastardswords.

Abilities:

Spear Fighting 18W, Sword and Shield Fighting 16W, Two Sword Whirlwind Fighting 2W2, Maintain Pursuit 5W, Ranged Combat 7W (Thrown Spear), Ride Horse 12W , Acute Hearing 15W, Hide in Cover 9W, Running 13W, Boast 9W2, Bully 19W, Mythology of Gagarth 9W, Resist Authority 5W2, Taunt 9W, Recognize Foe 3W2, Stay Awake 18W, Spirit Combat 7W, Devotee of Gagarth 15W

Virtues:

Cruel 19W, Violent 5W2

Affinities:

Wild Hunter 9W (Long-reaching Spear, Never Lose Spoor, Run Down Prey, Spot the Weakest)

Wild Wind 12W (Abrasive Wind, Howl Like the Wind, Stinging Hail, Direct Tornado, Windwalking Steed)

Red Kare has also incarnated a Gargarthi spirit with a Might of 10W from Prax that gave him his characteristic fighting technique.

Combat Plusses

Spear +4, Sword and Shield +5, Two Sword Whirlwind +10*, Armour : Iron chain +7 Iron chain +6

It can also be used as an offensive attack to weaken an opponent’s desire to fight due to the sheer violent majesty of the fighting form. Red Kare has to have attacked someone in the victim’s vicinity for this attack to work. This attack pits the spirit’s Might versus the defender’s Brave attribute instead of the normal value IF the defender’s attribute is higher.

E.g. Red Kare has bloodily slaughtered an opponent and now wishes to demoralize Sven. He wants to force a -4 result on Sven. Since Sven’s Brave attribute is 2W he rolls against that value instead of the standard 20. If Sven’s Brave had only been 17 Red Kare would have rolled against the standard value of 20 instead. Use the standard Augmentation Results Chart to determine the effect. This attack can easily backfire on him!

Whirlvish

Red Kare's ace in the hole is a whirlvish spirit given him by a Gargarthi shaman from Prax. The Whirlvish has been imprisoned in an bone bottle made from a giant's leg bone which has to be smashed open to release it. Once released the whirlvish will not obey Red Kare but will slay non-Gargarthi first, then turn on any Gargarthi present. Red Kare can use this whirlvish to cover his escape. This whirlvish is large enough to attack two people physically.

Might: 15W.

Weapons and Armor: Abrasion 15W^0.

Innate Magical Abilities: Fly 15, Move Quickly 15, Resist Damage 15W, Spirit Combat 15W.

Tactics: Whirlvishes attack and seek to kill any living thing they encounter. They blast the victim with sand and grit, until nothing remains but a skeleton scoured clean by the wind. A person wholly encased in thick cloth, armor, or other protection may delay this fate, but the only way to avoid it is to destroy the whirlvish. Even magical protection spells are worn down by the evil winds and cannot save the victim.

At the same time, the whirlvish attacks its victim spiritually as well, bombarding them with sensations of hatred, pain, and loss. Both attacks occur simultaneously; depending on the needs of the story, the narrator can augment one ability with the other, or can treat each attack as a separate opponent (forcing the victim to take appropriate penalties). Most whirlvishes can engulf only a single target, but more powerful whirlvishes may be large enough to engulf (and thus attack) several targets at one time. A whirlvish never takes a penalty for attacking multiple targets physically, but can only spiritually assault one victim per round.

Jeresrola Mikhilasdotter

Jeresrola Mikhilasdotter is the late sister-in-law of Red Kare. A foolish and flighty person she was attracted to him because of the air of danger he always had. She never wanted to see her husband killed and would have soon asked him for a divorce if he hadn’t stumbled upon the pair of them in flagrante delicto. She was forced to flee with Red Kare and they traveled together for a while. She was racked with guilt and wanted Red Kare to try and seek redemption and restitution. Fully committed to Gargarth by now Red Kare refused her. She still traveled with him as he started to gather his band as she was still hopelessly devoted to him and blind to the atrocities being committed around her. Finally though her clinging nature and constant talk about seeking redemption sealed her fate. Wanting to cement his men’s loyalty Red Kare gave her to them to do with as they wished and when they had finished with her he skinned her while still alive and then slew her. He had her skin tanned and made into his war band’s new banner.

Even the hardened monster that Red Kare is though was horrified to discover that slaying Jeresrola hadn’t gotten rid of her. Her soul was so twisted, deranged and devoted to him that she has stayed on the mortal plane. Acting as a manifestation she is now the guardian being of Red Kare’s band. She inhabits the war band’s banner and uses her new found powers on Red Kare’s behalf.

Method: Manifest

Form: Jeresrola now takes the form of her flayed skin which always flaps whether there is a breeze or not. When using her powers her eye sockets glow with a red light.

Membership Requirements: Obey Red Kare without question.

Awareness Function: Detect Treason 20. (This ability is shared with the band but only helps to detect treason as defined by Red Kare who defines treason as any thoughts directed against him).

Blessing Function: Intimidate 16.

Defense Function: Deflect missiles 18.

Gargarthi band

Abilities

Spear Fighting, Sword and Shield Fighting, Maintain Pursuit, Ranged Combat (Thrown Spear), Ride Horse, Acute Hearing, Hide in Cover, Running, Boast, Bully, Mythology of Gagarth, Resist Authority, Taunt, Recognize Foe, Stay Awake. Devotee of Gagarth

Virtues:

Cruel, Violent.

Affinities:

Wild Hunter (Long-reaching Spear, Never Lose Spoor, Run Down Prey, Spot the Weakest)

Wild Wind (Abrasive Wind, Howl Like the Wind, Stinging Hail, Direct Tornado, Windwalking Steed)

All the Gargarthi have these abilities and affinities at 17. They are all armed with spears, axes and or swords and wear mixed leather/and or furs and metal armour with shields.

Combat

Close Combat +6 Ranged Combat +3

Wild Hunter Abilities

There are nine (or more) Praxian followers of the Wild Hunt as well present. They are all 17 in their abilities as well.

Abilities:

Close Combat (Mounted Combat, Spear Fighting), Endure Sandstorm, Maintain Pursuit, Ride , Spinstorm Dancing, Boast, Bully, Resist Authority, Spirit Combat, Taunt, Wild Hunter Tradition Knowledge.

Virtues:

Cruel, Violent.

Traditional Spirits:

Hunter Spirits (These spirits are similar to nature spirits, and typically have abilities such as Find Trail, Never Lose Spoor, Spur Steed, Undetectable Ambush)

Whirlwind Spirits (These nature spirits typically have abilities such as Burning Wind, Dust-in-Eyes, Howling Wind, Whirlwind Leap).

Combat

Their combat abilities are fairly similar to the Gargarthi but they really prefer fighting mounted so their first instinct is to get on their mounts. They will use Dust-in-Eyes fetishes to blind their opponents.

Close Combat +6 Ranged Combat +3

Their mounts will attack opponents unlike the Heortling Gargarthi horses.

Bison

Weapons and Armour : Butt 18^1, Thick Skin ^2

Significant Abilities : Charge at Foe 5W, Large 10W, Run Fast 18, Scent Predator 18, Strong 10W

High Llama

Weapons and Armour : Kick 18^1, Thick Skin ^2

Significant Abilities : Hardy 15, Large 5W, Run Fast 2W, Spit 18, Strong 5W, Surly 12, Tall 12W

Sable Antelope

Weapons and Armour : Butt and Kick 12^1

Significant Abilities : Large 18, R

Story Seeds

Red Kare and his mob can be used as slimy allies for the Lunars or enemies for the defenders. (Or even aliies of desperation by Broyan). Their abilities to fly and expendability makes them ideal for supressing flying Heortlings. The hostility the Heortlings feel towards them doesn't hurt either. Red Kare and his followers can of course be modified to be stronger, weaker or more numerous as required.

<Oliver>