“Hah! And they call us barbarians.”
Name: Ntaj Tseeb Yaj
Age: 23
Race: Human
Personality:
Reckless, violent, and a brute. These are just some of the nicer things people call Ntaj of Keratia, Prince of the Crystal Khanate. He’s built a reputation of being a mighty warrior and passionate prince, even if that generally leads him to do duels and wage war against others. His enemies rightfully fear him and hope to use his rage against him, but they often fail to see his other strength, a strength isn’t just his skill in battle.
In his home country Ntaj is often praised for his ability to understand the heart of his people, allowing him to properly put his focus on key issues that will solve or at least deal with most of the important problems quickly, and doesn’t allow himself to be mired in politics and intrigue. He is also quite honorable and merciful, having always voiced an opinion in favor of the people over himself or other nobility.
That being said Ntaj is no fool. While he would be the first to admit that strategy and economics can go over his head, he has a cunning wit that allows him to utilize assets that other people wouldn't expect him to use, to the point that it almost seems like cheating. His empathy not only allows him to understand his people, but also to rile them up into a rage so that they will support him, and he sometimes uses them even in sacrifice for his own gain. And while Ntaj doesn’t like to be delayed due to politics, he has no trouble using said politics to interfere with his opponents. He is a schemer and manipulative in many ways, though generally honest and considerate to those he appreciates.
Thus Ntaj’s true rivals, the one who are both wary but could oppose him, know that he is more than just a brute wielding royal power. He is more akin to a demon who tempts and manipulates others without the need of might or magic, but words and trickery. His intentions may be good and he is often willing to lay his life down on the line for others, but that doesn’t make an angel out of a man. He has done more than his fair share of evil, for the sake of himself and his people.
As for the man himself, Ntaj generally comes across as a kind fellow. Though quick to anger he’s even faster to help, and often he needs his retainers to remind him that they have important tasks to tend to. Ntaj likes the life of relaxation and enjoys boisterous company. He appreciates honesty, but also those with the wisdom to know when it is better to give hope than to speak the truth. And while intentionally being rude or ignorant will earn his ire, even annoyances will be able to gain his forgiveness if they apologize and seek to fix the damage they’ve done.
In secret, Ntaj belittles himself for being the youngest son and thus feels as though he serves no greater purpose in his kingdom beyond his skills in battle. He is generous because he doesn’t believe what he has truly belongs to him, but merely something given to him by the kingdom due to his fortunate birth. At worse, Ntaj wishes to be a martyr for his people as he believes the only thing he can give that belongs to him is his life, and if his life could save even just one person, he would gamble it away just for a small chance he can do something right.
History:
Youth
Born the second son, third child, of Emperor Pah Zoov Yaj of the Crystal Khanate, and Witch Warrior Yue Ritiku, whose bloodline was said to be descendants of Kaine, the Devil Dragon. Ntaj was said to be destined for a life of strife and victory. Indeed, he was born during the final, but most violent part of his father’s reign; the final years of his conquest of the continent of Keratia. A massive continent sealed from the outside world due to a powerful magical barrier, only by conquering the lands and utilizing all the resources in the nation did Ntaj’s father shatter this barrier made by the gods themselves. Their liberation made the nation of Keratia as one of the most powerful countries in the world, whose very existance was a surprise and threat to the strangers who found them.
Sensing that their war wasn’t quite over, Ntaj was raised at a young age to become a warlord. He was barely seven years old when he began his life as a squire for one of his father’s most trusted knights. It was a hard life, but Ntaj adapted to it by the time he was ten years old. He has seen death and knew how to kill a man, as well as to tend to horses, mend armor, make swords, and even serve in a royal court. Not that he liked all the things, but he certainly had a feel for it. Ntaj was especially quick to learn what honor is: what it means to be a royal, a noble, and fight not for one’s self but for others. While he first saw honor through the naivety of a child, he wasn’t even a young man before this view matured into something more reasonable.
And while much of Ntaj’s life as a child was spent being a squire, that’s not to say he didn’t have other memories. He remembers distinctly his interaction with other races from conquered lands. He would remember the glares of the likes of elves, orcs, dwarves, and dragonborns who thought he was nothing more than the spawn of a tyrant. But what Ntaj remembers most was the children. Young people no older than him, and how he interact with them. He had fought a few. But many he had befriended, unknown to the strife brought upon them by war. He didn’t understand that his father had put their people through so much horror. He simply saw others who needed help, and Ntaj wished to help them. He wanted to be a hero.
Adolescence
Ntaj killed his first man when he was only twelve years old. It was no accident, and he didn’t simply get lucky. While he and his knight were travelling back to Ntaj’s home country they were attacked by assassins. The knight Ntaj was a squire of fought bravely and cut down many, but soon he was overwhelmed and slain. Ntaj thought he would share the same fate, but was instead captured. These assassins were after him for some nefarious purpose, and Ntaj had no idea if he’d survive. But he certainly wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Though stripped of any weapons Ntaj wasn’t going to let something like being defenseless stop him. Using the same chains he was bound with, the young prince strangled his sleeping guard with the chains and escaped the assassins by himself. Alone Ntaj walked back to his kingdom and his castle where he rallied an army to capture the assassin band, and with it finding evidence of treachery among the nobility. Taking this proof back to his father, Ntaj was given the permission to destroy the noble family who sought to kill him, and all of this before he was even thirteen years old.
As he grew up Ntaj continued to learn about the conspiracies nobles had made either against his family or their people. When he finds out how the barons were exploiting their people, Ntaj was quick to ride out and give the nobles an ultimatum: to end their corruption willingly, or to fall by his blade. When bandits formed in the wilds, it was Ntaj himself who gathered the men, trained the militia, and stood against the brigands when they sacked villages or raided caravans. Overtime he earned a dual reputation as a hero of the people, and a violent dictator among the nobility. It got so bad to the point that the king, Ntaj’s father, had to find some way to stop his son’s activities before he ended up causing the nobles to revolt.
So one day a clan of orcs had started to openly rebel against the emperor. So he sent Ntaj to deal with them, using only limited resources and soldiers so that his son would be too busy trying to fight the orcs to continue to interfere with the nobles. And it worked, but not how the emperor wanted: Ntaj’s men were loyal, but when he realized that he was outnumbered Ntaj had simply started to recruit from nearby villages. The same villages who Ntaj had helped many times before, and thus they joined him willingly.
It was around this same time that Ntaj had made an unlikely ally that would allow him to end this rebellion once and for all: the orcish prince of Clan Vorinclex. This rebellion occurred due to his father’s treachery towards his people, and after he was executed the orc’s brethern began to run rampant. Wishing to bring peace to his people, Ntaj and this orc collaborated with each other. And in a move that completely shocked Ntaj’s father and the nobles, he was able to stop the rebellion peacefully in the end: while many lives were still lost, he had managed to arrange a deal with the orc clan so that they would end their warring, and in turn, give Ntaj powerful allies that were under his command. By the time he returned to his father to report the success in ending the rebellion, he was only eighteen years old.
Adulthood
Shortly after gaining the alliance of Clan Vorinclex, the Emperor told Ntaj simply that he needed to stop interfering with the villages and people of other nobility. He had meddled in their affairs far too much as a youth, and that his actions were causing the Emperor’s close allies to question how much freedom they had. They thought Ntaj would later become a dictator, usurping his own older brother from the throne to enforce his rule, regardless of what the nobles or people wanted. Not wishing to create chaos in the land Ntaj willingly ceased his activities interfering with the common folk. But that’s not to say Ntaj simply stopped doing anything.
If he couldn’t help the people directly, then he would in other ways. Namely the only way he knew how: by fighting. Ntaj went out of his way and through his own pocket created many arenas in major cities where people could fight and be entertained. He did this to help curb the amount of bandits and robbers plaguing the city and countryside, by giving these men jobs to simply fight one another. Ntaj even hired economists and other intellectuals to ensure that the price of admission to these tournaments would be affordable to the general populace, and not simply the well off and middle-class. He wanted to ensure that everyone was given a fighting chance. That, and he also gave the same people a chance that no noble would ever give under normal circumstances.
The chance to fight royalty. Ntaj often engaged in battle in these arenas alongside the likes of thugs and mercenaries. He held nothing back and expected the same from his enemies: they came at him with the intent to kill and he did the same. When they were defeated he showed mercy, and when he was bested he gave them honor. So while Ntaj may have not been able to help his people directly, he could still show his support in other ways. On occasions the nobility even meet with him to discuss solutions to problems plaguing their lands, which generally means they want Ntaj to go out and kill something. No problem for him of course. Ntaj is, if nothing else, an eager warrior.
Skills:
Martial Prowess - Ntaj prides himself on his skills as a warrior, and thanks to his training he is skilled in many different types of combat. He is a remarkable swordsman, a master of the axe and club, knows how to handle a halberd and spear, a decent archer, and a deadly hand-to-hand fighter. Ntaj prefers the use of two-handed weapons himself, relying on his armor to be his shield. That being said he has no problems utilizing shields as well, and in fact he has created a very unique fighting style that involves using just shields as weapons. He often doesn’t utilize it, and only brings it out in dire times. Ntaj is also very skilled in the use of heavy armor: plate armor doesn’t make him uncomfortable and he can often go for days without needing to come out of it, aside from washing. He is especially skilled at using his armor in lieu of a shield; he’s just as capable of blocking and parrying blows with his gauntlets as he is with a proper targe, and is even better if he had one.
Riding - The Crystal Khanate conquered Keratia because they were master horsemen, and Ntaj is no different. It doesn’t matter what sort of mount he has, as soon as Ntaj is on he can quickly adapt and use any manner of creature as his war horse. From dire wolves, bears, and even particularly large humanoids, Ntaj is a master of mounted combat.
Empathy - One of Ntaj’s greatest strength as a prince is what his mother calls “The ability to read the hearts of others”. In other words, sensing their emotions. It can seem like magic to some, but for Ntaj it simply manifests as a way for him to tell if someone is lying or telling the truth, if they like or dislike something, and whether they are trying to hide something. For those he knows more closely he can discern other things but it's a bit complicated.
Song and Dance - As a prince Ntaj had to learn how to entertain someone at court, and thus has learned how to sing, dance, and play various wind instruments. It was handy many times in his life, so he keeps his skills sharp.
Smithing - Part if Ntaj’s training as a squire was learning how to maintain armor and weapons. Thusly he knows how to maintain all his gear with both proper and improvised materials, and his skills taking care of swords and armor can also help him with other things too such as pots, barrels, and other relatively simply projects.
Abilities:
Devil Sight - Ntaj is capable of seeing strange things for all his life. He can sense magic and at times see things that don't exist physically, such as spirits or ghosts. He also has perfect night vision, which activates whenever it's convenient to do so.
Possessions:
Modus Operandi - Ntaj’s mace. Once a humble wooden cudgel, now a mighty steel smasher. Strong enough to sunder through most forms of armor and shields, but far too heavy to use with just one hand.
Feravel - A curved sword of elven design, given to him by dignitaries of an elven nation when Keratia’s barrier fell. Light yet sturdy, this blade is perfect on horse back.
Katalmach - Ntaj’s armor, of orcish made. Given to him by Clan Vorinclex after suppressing the orcish rebellion, this plate is made of Star Steel, said to be a mythical metal that fell from the skies. It’s sturdy yet oddly comfortable, so much to the point that Ntaj can comfortably sleep in it.
Others.
Ntaj’s close friend and retainer,
Mordekai, is actually the orcish prince of Clan Voirnclex that helped Ntaj suppress the orcish rebellion in his nation. However Mordekai chose to abdicate the throne knowing that there was still political tensions due to his father’s reign, and now serves as Ntaj’s guardian. In order to not cause a disturbance for being an orc in civilized lands, Mordekai constantly wears full-body covering armor. It is designed and enchanted to be comfortable to wear at all times. Mordekai also fights with two axes he calls “The Twins” even though they look different. He also carries a tower shield on his back in case he needs to absolutely protect Ntaj.
