Kronak Usdolk
"Death before dishonour." Kronak Usdolk
Titles/Nicknames: ‘Vallok’ meaning ‘Seeking Honour’, other titles discarded following his pledge to follow the Paladin Elain.
Age: 30
Race: Hobgoblin
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Combat Role: Backline Archer
Hair Color: Dark brown, with some streaks of grey near the temples.
Eye Color: Small black pupils.
Height: 4’5”
Weight: 90 llbs
Appearance: Kronak’s appearance is unremarkable among his people, but is shocking to those unaccustomed to the sight of his grizzled maw. Light brown hair coats his entire body, leaving only his face free, which is framed by a thick flowing mane braided with small bones. The face itself speaks of a hard life, slightly gaunt and weathered by the elements. Sharp teeth jut out haphazardly from his mouth at all angles, contrasting with the relative symmetry of his ears.
Kronak, despite his small stature, carries himself with a confidence born from experience. This experience has also led to a constant tension evident in the way he moves, as if ready to spring into a fight or flee at any moment. Moving swiftly and silently when he can, his apparel reflects this, being a pair of light cloth trousers adorned with small pouches containing crafting/survival supplies. Rarely without a weapon, a strap for his bow and arrows crosses his chest. Outside of battle he goes bare-chested, shielding his torso with a dark green cape which is frayed and worn.
Overview: Kronak, like all of his kind, is distrustful of outsiders to his kin, and as such is slow to trust. That is not to say he is overtly hostile to strangers however, even if he does prefer to communicate with grunts and nods rather than words when he can. He simply doesn’t see the point in wasting time with idle chatter when there are more productive things one could be doing to benefit others.
This concern for others reflects Kronak’s innate sense of duty to the collective. To those who display honour, for all hobgoblins are obsessed with this idea, he is prepared to offer everything he has to protect and defend them, even if it means risking his own life in the process. As a result, he holds a deep, if well concealed love for those close to him, and can display kindness and care. Unfortunately this is a two way street, and those who act dishonourably will be scorned, and at times attacked, unless they somehow redeem themselves in his eyes.
The most dishonourable acts of all involve the use of magic. Owing to the fact that hobgoblins believe they were once Markothi humans transformed into beasts by magic, they have a deep rooted hatred for all forms of sorcery, especially those of a darker nature. Kronak detests and fears mages, and tries to avoid them at all costs. Previously he would have shot them on sight, but the Paladin he now follows has forbidden him from attacking unless provoked- time will tell if Kronak can hold true to this command.
Pensive and thoughtful when left alone, Kronak almost always can be found doing something to keep himself occupied, and dislikes laziness in others.
Strength: 3
Dexterity: 7
Intelligence: 6
Cunning: 5
Magic: 1
Willpower: 5
Endurance: 6
Charisma: 3
Weapons of Choice: Kronak relies upon a custom made bow on the battlefield that he has named Bradok. He carries around 12 arrows in the quiver on his back, most of which he has also fashioned himself to be particularly sharp. A small sharpened bone acts as a makeshift dagger should enemies get too close, and hangs around his waist.
Armor/Combat Apparel: Within battle Kronak dons a light half set of ring armour that protects him from light to medium blows on the battlefield. Accentuating this are leather shoulder paladins and vambraces, as well as small leather shin guards on his knees to protect him when he drops to his knees from a height. This armour set does leave him somewhat vulnerable to attack, so he relies on keeping out of the way of hostiles to survive.
Fighting Style: Kronak, given his weapons of choice, unsurprisingly prefers to remain towards the back of the battlefield while his allies charge in head on. Utilising the environment to his advantage, he will attempt to scale to a greater height than his foes in order to reign down arrows upon them. A practised but careful shot, Kronak is slow and steady when firing, lining up his targets in order to hit them in critical areas- he believes in quality of shot over quantity.
He also relies on the co-operation of his teammates in battle, and works best when they are able to call out orders or instructions of some kind regarding which target should be his focus in combat. Owing to his sense of collective identity, he will also try his hardest to ensure none of his allies fall in battle, taking at times risky manoeuvres to protect them.
At closer quarters Kronak will attempt to flee, however if entirely cornered he may be forced to use his makeshift dagger- his is far less skilled with this than his bow, using it mainly for skinning prey in the past.
Place of Birth: Morkarth, in the Mountains of H’kal
Social Status: Former scout, turned exile
History: Born high in the passes of the mighty range of the H’Kal Mountains that straddle the border of Morkarth, Kronak Usdolk knew nothing but his tribe from the day he entered into the world. A reclusive and nomadic people, the Hobgoblins of H’Kal remained constantly on the move, fearing discovery by wandering outsiders. Deep bonds of loyalty and kinship united each individual as one collective, and it was among these beasts Kronak spent his youth.
Unfortunately for his fellow tribesmen and women, this youth was to prove a troublesome one. From a young age the tribe tried to impart upon him the importance of duty and honour- working to protect the tribe was working to protect himself. Only by raising themselves above the pettiness and ignobility of the humans they were cast out from so long ago could they hope to regain respect. Kronak however, had different ideas about what it meant to be a hobgoblin.
He shirked his duties to the tribe, preferring to spend his days roaming free, returning only when he got too hungry. Mischievous in every sense of the word, he enjoyed playing tricks on anyone and everyone, much to the chagrin of his victims. His small acts of rebellion were tolerated at first however, for it is expected that the odd hobgoblin or two will rebel. In an attempt to calm these tendencies as he matured, the tribe assigned him the duties of a scout- hoping that by allowing him some freedom he would mellow out with time. This was not to be the case.
Kronak used his new position to range further and further from the tribe, often staying away for days at a time. Often times he would catch glimpses of vast hordes of Markothi clansmen moving on the horizon, and he grew more and more curious about the strange world of humanity just beyond his grasp. This was also a time of increased passion for Kronak, and as a young male expected to sire a child, he soon took a mate, Sakat. The two were as happy as lovers in youth can be expected to be, and Kronak was sure to spend the rest of his life with her.
Circumstances intervened however, and a disaster of Kronak’s own making struck. During one of his ‘extended’ scouting trips, the tribe was attacked by the ancient enemy- Mongrels. A pack who had caught their scent savaged the camp, and slaughtered Sakat, who had become isolated during the panic. Kronak arrived back the next evening, a full day later than expected. When he learned what had happened, the embers of rebelliousness seemed to die within him.
Racked with feelings of guilt, and more importantly the shame of dishonour, he returned to his duties determined to make up for past failings. Years passed and as Kronak matured he began to make peace with the past, and accepted that he could atone for what he had done by protecting his tribe from further harm. He likely would have remained in such a state had he not encountered a lost and near-dead Paladin while out hunting one morning.
Watching from behind some nearby rocks, he saw the Paladin fighting bravely against a few Mongrels. Notching an arrow to strike the human in his exposed head, he collapsed at the last second, sending the arrow whizzing harmlessly over his head. That was when Kronak noticed a single Mongrel remained on the battlefield, ready to finish off the weakened paladin. Faced with a choice, Kronak took the lesser of two evils, recognising that the human had fought with honour- his fascination with humans in his early years stirred again, if for only a moment.
Piercing the Mongrel with a few well-placed arrows, Kronak approached the Paladin, checking to see if he was still alive. Having confirmed he was breathing, albeit slowly and irregularly, Kronak decided to drag the human as best he could using some rope he kept in a pouch to move large boulders that may have blocked the tribes passage forward. Dumping him on a path leading towards a nearby human settlement at the foot of the mountain, Kronak left the Paladin hoping a traveller would have the good fortune to find him.
As luck would have it, the two were to meet again sometime later when Kronak was taking out some trainees from the tribe on a scouting exercise to tests their skills. Having strayed too close to a Mongrel den the group was ambushed and forced into a fight for their lives. This time it was the Paladin who came to the rescue of the Hobgoblin, charging into battle at the last moment to drive off the fiends which threatened to overwhelm Kronak and his wards.
Although thankful, and surprised, to see the human again, Kronak had been dishonoured by the Paladin’s actions. It was considered a failing in his duties to the clan that he had been unable to protect the other hobgoblins alone, and doubly so that it was a human who had saved him. Had it been another hobgoblin who had done the saving, it would simply be a matter of Kronak regaining his honour by serving them for a period of time until it was felt his debt had been repaid. In this case however, and given his past transgressions, exile was likely should he return.
Knowing all this, Kronak spoke to the Paladin, some of his old curiosity about humans once again returning. He thought it could be possible human society would have some similar concept of honour that he could apply to find a solution to the situation. This was not the case. However, he did learn that the man who had proven himself to be a noble and honourable sort had his own personal quest. After some consideration, Kronak reasoned that although he could not return to his tribe, he could restore his honour, in his own eyes if not his peoples’, by aiding the warrior until his debt was repaid.
And this was how, filled with a mixture of reluctance, regret, and some of his old youthful curiosity and rebelliousness, Kronak the hobgoblin set out for coastal Venatria in service of the Paladin Elain.
