Windwhisperer

Title
 Gender
 Race
 Faction
 Nationality
 Status
 Location
 Power Rating

An Tarrik of the Shift of Gales Windwhisperer was a leader of an entire Alkan Shift and was chosen to represent all the Shifts in the handling of Aurian expansionism of the War of Ears under Emperor Viktor. The Shift of Souls were particularly supportive recognising that his skills as a leader of cunning and learning would be crucial in managing the imperials.

## Appearance

Windwhisperer was tall as were most who rose to leadership in Alkan. A thin mouth barely split his placid face except when snarling on the battlefield the only place he was known to raise his voice. He wore his long brown/red hair in the topknot like mane typical amoung the horselords.

## Traits

Windwhisperer was renowned as a clever and decisive leader. Though he was not above listening to counsel, he came to decisions rapidly and stuck with them. He was reputed to be very softly spoken and would not raise his voice except in battle. If people could not hear him he considered it their loss never repeating himself above once. He was highly educated in civilised culture such as the reading of Aurian writing something many horselords would never even begin to study. Dexterous and cunning he was also known for his ability to fight unarmed and unmounted. In associaton with this was his skill with wrestling and his knack for being unholdable.

## Events

Important events in Windwhisperer's life include:

1733PE: Born

1746PE: Becomes a Pathfinder.

1749PE: Named Windwhisperer

1761PE: Viktor was crowned Emperor. The Ear Bounty on elves led to hugely increased Aurian miltary activity in the north and even inside Alkan borders. This was noted by Alkan scouts including the young horselord Windwhisperer.

1762PE: Viktor's anti-elven policies started to really take effect. There are some massacres. Elves flee the main Empire, many to the Quintox/Oakland woods. These woods crossed onto the Alkan plains and Windwhisperer was one of those who monitored this exodus and reported to his Tarrik.

1763PE: Several Bounty Hunters in Oakland Forest were killed attempting to collect elven ears. The Emperor declared that all of the Oakland Forest was now imperial land.The Green Protectoran were mobilised as an army and told to cleanse the forest. Some of this forest was in the plains as far as Windwhisperper was concerned and he demanded the Alkar meet and decide on action. As a result his Tarrik guided by the sorceress Pearlsinwater stepped down and proposed Windwhisperer as the new Tarrik of his Shift.

1764-1765PE: Rangers in their thousands pour into the forest and wipe out Elven settlements wherever they could. Windwhisperer convinced four Shifts to ride south and witness the devestation and the level of aurian military presence. They do so and there are skirmishes with Aurian outriders and bounty hunters.

1766PE: Windwhisperer and his Alkar go to war on the invading Aurian military and hunt them down whereever they find them.

1767PE: The horselords of Alkan led by Windwhisperer rode south and hit Aurian border settlements all along the Aurian/Alkan border. An entire Yellow Protectoran Legion was surrounded and destroyed to the last man as it attempted to defend one of the towns. The Emperor was furious, but was dissuaded from ordering an invasion of Alkan by his counselors. Negotiations pause the war on the elves as the heavy losses to the horselords forced Auria to negotiate with Windwhisperer. The Emperor refused to meet with him but the First Senator went instead and confronted the united Tarriks and Manes under Windwhisperer command.

The result of careful but difficult negotiations was eventually the Plains Treaty. Windwhisperer realised that though the Alkar held little respect for maps that it was time to define where Alkan began and the Empire ended. So the treaty established the southern border of the plains and the Empire agreed not to trespass on the plains with military units. This meant that elves that fled north of that border could not be legitimately pursued by the Protectorans any more.

It was signed by the representatives of Emperor Viktor, the First Senator, the crown prince Vincent and the Commander in Chief of the Yellow Protectoran. Representing the Alkar were four Tarriks of the Great Shifts, they were led by Windwhisperer as the Tarrik of the Shift of Gales.

This was to bring an end to hostilities between the two nations as the Empire had suffered heavy losses at Alkar hands whilst trying to prosecute its war on the elves. The IMperial representatives tried to raise grievances with the Alkan. They claimed they were not at war with them and the horselords attacked were unprovoked, but these claims were met by unrepentant indifference. He insisted that the imperial army's presence in the southern forest of Alkan was a threat and a clear breach of accepted borders. The Empire had to accept it or face continued fighting they could not tolerate.

This agreement forced the imperial army to stay out of official Alkan territory and so in the years following the treaty only bounty hunters and similar freelancers were able to operate in the northern part of the forest. Through this reduced large scale conflict in the area dramatically it led to the rise of several elite hunter-killer groups such as those used by the Blood Coin.

1768-1780PE: Windwhisperer never truly trusted that the Aurian's would keep to the treaty and so during this period though the other Shift returned to their typical nomadic lifestyle the Shift of Gales remained in southern Alkan until the end of the War of Ears. This was not a popular move and weakened the Tarrik's position. Windwhisper was called on twice to defend his position as Tarrik during these years. Once he defended himself verbally and with a feat of riding, another time he defended his position with a feat of blades and slew his rival to secure his right to lead.

During this period if bounty hunters or raiders were found by Shift of Gales Manes north of the border they would fall upon them with devastating speed and ferocity and slay them to a man. Elves were given more tolerance but even elves who spilled blood on the plains were not exempt from roving groups of riders.

1779PE: Victor the Elfslayer died and was succeeded by his son Vincent.

1780PE: Vincent ended the 'ear bounty' and removed imperial funding from the Bounty Hunters' Guilds essentially bringing an end to the War of Ears. This reduced tensions with the Alkar. Later in the year Windwhisperer agreed to take the Shift north.

1785PE: Windwhisperer is challenged again for his position. He requested the challenger accept a non-mortal challenge and thanks to Pearlsinwater they were able to decide it via a feat of riding and skill. Windwhisperer however fatigued of these challenges and the more and more warlike nature of his Shift. After securing his position he spoke with the sorceress and when on a dream walk. After this, he surrendered his position setting up trials to determine his successor.

1799PE: Then an old man by Alkan standards, Windwhisperer cautioned his new Tarrik that the new Empereor Nikolay would bring a red rain onto the plains. He also drew attention to the problem of thousands of imperial civilians who settled north of the border in the Alkan plains.

1800PE: Windwhisperer spoke out against excessive raiding against the walled folk. He was however considered old and some said he had always talked instead of riding to fight. The budding international trade quickly descended into frequent raids.

1803PE: The imperial forces successfully executed a huge ambush on the Shift of Running Waters, starting the War of 1803. Windwhisperer proven to be right as the casualties mount was made counsellor to the Tarrik after Shadowmane was called. He was one of those most in favoure of suing for peace after the Battle at Hunger Hill. Thus he was present in the final negotiations which ratified and updated the Plains Treaty he had originally signed back in his youth.

1809PE: He died.

## Legacy

Windwhisperer though he had many great successes is known almost exclusively for his victories in battle over the Aurians and his establishment of the Plains Treaty. This was the first legal defining of the Alkan southern border and it humiliated those involved such as the crown prince Vincent.

Though Viktor's son, Vincent, never moved against the Alkar or violated the treaty during his reign, he passed onto his son, Nikolay the embarrassment of this agreement. This anger and discontent triggered later moves against Alkan. This included offering incentives for Aurians to settle north of the border. These new settlements were deliberate targets for Alkar raiding and used an an excuse to make the Alkar pay for the success of the Plains Treaty with blood in the War of 1803 PE.