Niram Katoch II

were terrorized by fearsome barbarians from the sea. In those dark days good
King Valgon Vi Valden sought to fight fire with fire and sent his knights to
negotiate with the barbarian leaders in their homeland across the Sea of Swords.
All the dread captains laughed in the face of the stoic knights, save one. Intrigued
by the tenacity and perseverance of the Elturgardian Knights, and also seeing
the opportunity his brethren were blind to, Rolgarth Waverider agreed to
return with the knights and protect the common people of the Cloakwood Coast
from the barbarians he once sailed with. In exchange for his fealty, Rolgarth
was given land and title; and the dynasty of Katoch was born. In the years that
followed the Marquis of Cloakwood won great glory for their house and Elturgard
achieving great feats of courage both on and off the battlefield. For their
loyalty the Katoch’s and the land of Cloakwood were bestowed great favor by the
royal family and eventually were granted the right to erect a great castle on the
Golden Cape just outside their capital city of Candlekeep. This great house
would become known as the Candelabra for it served as both lighthouse and
fortress to welcome friends of Elturgard and warn it’s enemies of its

staunchest protectors: the Katochs.

#### **Niram's Childhood**

Born the second son of the beloved Niram Katoch I "The Upright" Niram was sent to be raised in the capital of Elturgard, the city of Elturel at the young age of 12. There he would be trained in the ways of war and politics in addition to his sacred duty as a guardian protector of Prince Noctis Vi Valden. Being the second son, Niram had no ambitions to Cloakwood, though he often missed the towering walls of his home and his family he never forgot the parting words of his father, "Remember your name, Remember your blood"

#### **The Great Betrayal**

Often overlooked and keeping to himself Niram's elder brother Gorstag had meanwhile grown up in the Candelabra as the heir apparent to Cloakwood. His antisocial behavior and obsession with death had always worried his father but it was not until his mysterious disappearance into the Woods of Sharp Teeth that the Marquis decided to summon a priest of Sarenrae to investigate what his son was up to. When the priest spied Gorstag invoking Nerull the God of death and murder in a bloodletting ritual he hurried back to the Marquis in horror to tell the dark news. Greatly disturbed by these tidings, the Marquis confronted his son and in a fit of rage and shame told him he could never allow Cloakwood to be ruled by a heretic. Seeing he was about to be arrested, Gorstag suddenly cast a poisonous hex on his father and burst out of the tower window, transforming into a black raven and flying into the night. For two days the Marquis fought to stay alive but at last he succumbed to the terrible hex and only a week later the Candlebra, once thought to be impregnable, fell to saboteurs and followers of Gorstag and his cult who now claimed to follow the "true emperor."

#### **Bitter Exile**

In the months that followed, darkness overcame the Kingdom of Elturgard. As the King turned away from his former good demeanor Niram grew increasingly concerned about the silence from Cloakwood. When he first heard the screams, Niram knew his worst fears to be true. Seeing his charge gravely wounded Niram was barley able to escape with Noctis though it pained him greatly to leave the body of the princess Euffie behind and the capital itself. It wasn't until several days later that the full extent of his brother's betrayal was made known to him. Overcome with rage and shame Niram pounded the earth with his fists and swore to the deities that he would not rest until he avenged his father and the honor of his family name. As time went on however despair overtook the two companions and after an argument Noctis chose to leave Niram and became a ranger.

Torn between his duty to Noctis and his insatiable need for vengeance Niram wandered the roads of Anauroch for many years vainly seeking aid in his quest to retake Elturgard and Cloakwood. Running low on funds and avoiding the various assassination attempts by his brother, Niram turned to mercenary work. Eventually, he met Gibbs and Roderick and in turn reunited with his wayward charge and joined the Knights of Chronos.

#### **Current Day**

After the death of Noctis, Niram fell into despair. Yet with the coming of Princess Lunelia he was given new purpose after she convinced him to continue his quest despite the odds. Gathering the remaining Black Knights they set forth to receive the blessing of the six. Often impulsive, Niram has an act first and think later mentality that has often led him into trouble. Trained by the very best of Elturgard, Niram is skilled in the arts of war and politics and has great knowledge of the physical and political geography of the known world. Due to the insular and demanding nature of his upbringing, Niram can come across as haughty and overbearing to those around him. Deep down however he is quite weighed down by the gravity of his situation as an exiled noble and everything he does is linked to his thirst for vengeance and the desire to free his homeland. Despite his faults Niram is unquestionably loyal to his companions and his word. Undoubtedly these loyalties shall be put to test in the coming days as the Black Knights struggle against the ever growing empire and the good people of Elturgard continue to lose hope.

**Dealt a bad hand**

 In the weeks that followed, Niram aided the knights through many adventures in attaining the blessing of the Titan. The party then made their way east across the Ozmit Sea to the grand city of Emon on the continent of Tal' dorei. Not long after they disembarked a strange woman approached Niram with a gift, a small ring. Before the group could ascertain the nature of this strange meeting, Niram found himself under arrest. Brought to the lowest dungeons of Emon Niram was tortured terribly. In his pride, Niram mocked the torturer daring him to do his worst-with a sudden movement the torturer decapitated Niram's sword hand and fed it to his dog in front of him. With a bloody froth dripping from his lips, Niram grinningly commented "Your dog has good taste." and descended into darkness shortly after.