Rakk Ironscale

## History

Rakk grew up in the jungle area north west of The Decaying Highlands. Here he was part of a lizardfolk tribe who lived amongst the trees in huts both on the ground and in the treetop. From a young age he

was taught to respect nature, as was all of his kin, and to never take from nature what you dont need. When he grew enough he would begin hunting with his tribe, learning how to track, kill and process animals as well as humanoids. His tribe was regularly fighting for territory with other natives of Iakresh, such as the Dragonborn, which made it inevitable that he would eventually grow into a capable warrior. Not usually the curious type, Rakk was content with his life in the jungle within his tribes territory. He would spend his time either hunting or fighting, not much consideration was given to intellectual studies, apart from that of nature.

On his 16th year, it became time for his rite of passage into adulthood. The tribe traditionally worshipped nature, specifically earth and the plants which sprang forth from it, giving life to the jungle they lived in and the animals they hunt. So when it became time for his initiation, the druidic circle of his tribe would bring him and a few other young members to a hidden cave deep in the jungle. The way to the cave was a long tunnel with several sharp drops which required them to use their innate climbing abilities to traverse, and eventually opened up into a large open space, with the walls filled with lizardfolk skulls. Deep within the earth and surrounded by the skulls of the previous generations, they would go through a ritual where they would be judged by their ancestors, and the guardian spirits of the tribe.

The druids would give each of them large meal before making them drink a herbal remedy and cut their forearms with a dagger, leaving them in a deep slumber and slowly bleeding into the earth beneath them, as a sacrifice to the elemental spirits and their ancestors. In this slumber, Rakk would dream of great hunts and battle with all kinds of beasts. Many times would he experience both victory and defeat during his dreams, always facing defeat when he would turn his back on the traditions of his tribe, and the will of nature. Eventually he would find himself in a great cavern, not much unlike the one his body was sleeping in, where he was faced with a colossal being made of earth and rock. The being would call out to him, encouraging him to listen closely. It told him that there were those among his tribe who had been corrupted by a being which sought to turn them from nature and have towards worshipping itself. It had promised power to expand their territory, grow their tribe and claim knowledge that had been taboo for so long. The elder being gave him a task, to cleanse his tribe of this corruption so that it would not abandon its traditions. And in return the being would grant him a boon, a sliver of its power, infusing him with the strength he would need to carry out this task.

As he rose from his slumber, he found that he had slept for much longer than normal and was the only of his kin left in the cave. Though he had slept for long, he was not hungry, all he felt was a strange sensation inside his chest. He climbed back out of the cave, and found his way back to the tribe, where he began searching from the heretics that the spirit had spoken of. While he was searching the sensation in his chest would grow stronger, and with it he felt a rage he had not felt before rising up. When he finally found the shrine, located in a village on the edge of his tribes territory, he went into a mad rage as the low rumble he had felt within him and heard in his mind grew to an avalanche. With tooth and claw he slew the villagers, who did not have any warriors experienced enough to match him, butchering them and crushing their skulls so that they could not be brought to rest with the ancestors in the sacred cave.

After this, he would feast on the food that the village had in storage, hungry from his slumber and subsequent search. However he had not managed to kill all of the villagers, and one of them ran for help from a nearby larger village. The villager would claim that Rakk had gone mad after his initiation, and had butchered his kin for no reason. Furthermore he had desecrated the corpses by crushing their skulls, a grave sin by the tribes traditions, only to be punished by death. When the warriors who were gathered arrived at the village, they were prepared to slay him, they had been told of his deeds and knowing that, deemed that he must be killed in the same manner. Rakk attempted to parley with the warriors, but covered in gore as he was they did not believe him. And so he was forced to flee from his home, leaving only with the things he had with him at the time. He would escape his followers, after which he would wander along the coast for a long time. Without the guidance of his tribe he was lost, living from day to day just traveling without a purpose other than to put distance between himself and the tribe he run from. Sometimes he would have odd dreams, dreams that mirrored the ones he had during the cave ritual. Though the dreams were mostly unclear, they would often end with the elder spirit demanding that he continue his journey, though no clear direction as to where he was supposed to go. In the year 1007 AC, he would find himself looking at the walls of a great city, unlike any he had seen before. The city was Nexus, and he knew that this was where he had to go, atleast for now. So he found a way inside, climbing rooftoops and walls to avoid the dangerous beings that dwelled within. After a while he found his way to a district that seemed to be cleared of any constructs and other creatures that were in the others. Here he would see that a variety of races had set up shops and living spaces, apparently very recently from the looks of it. Here he eventually found a old man who through magic could communicate with him, who took him in and began teaching him their "common" language, in exchange for knowledge about the land, labour and the few valuables that he had on him.

## Appearance

Rakk is a extraordinarily tall and bulky lizardfolk with mostly charcoal black hide. His eye colour is somewhere between yellow and brown, with slit pupils such as a lizards is supposed to be. He wears a loincloth made with the hide of some undeterminable animal and the best breastplate he can get his hands on. He wears many scars from both battle with competing tribes and from wrestling wild animals. The only manufactured weapons he carry are a bundle of simple javelins on his back, and a knife suited for gutting and skinning beasts. Apart from his clothing, he wears trophies from previous hunts, such as boar tusks and bear claws bound to his limbs and neck.

## Personality

Not one to argue with those he deem more intelligent than himself, Rakk can seem like somewhat of a pushover at times. He is distrustful of magic and does not worship any god, however he does often seeks out druids for advice on spiritual matters and healing. He enjoys hunting dangerous beasts most of all, especially those who fight back, and is not likely to back down from a fight, although he rarely seeks them unecessarily. He enjoys good food immensely, but steers away from alcohol since he dislikes the way it reduces his minds sharpness. When not hunting or fighting he is slow to make decisions and prefers to follow the lead of either a druid or someone he deems fit to make good decisions. Prefering to stay away from loud crowds, especially those made up of drunk people, he seeks out places that have warmth and quiet instead. While he is an avid hunter, he deeply respects all natural creatures and will not willingly kill them simply for sport. Rakk also has somewhat of a phobia regarding water, and does not like to go into any body of water that requires him to swim.

## Friends

He has left his tribe in the jungle behind him years ago, leaving him far from any family. However he has recently gained a cautious friendship with a elderly trader who came to Nexus with one of the expeditions. He provides hides and muscle for the man, who in return have been teaching him the common tongue that is spoken by the people of the expeditions.

## Enemies

Rakk has no known enemies currently, though he has in the past fought tribal wars with other natives of Iakresh, and could be recognized by natives from the area between the "The Black Jungle" and the "Crimson River" as they are called by the people of Vaniya.

## Aspirations

Rakk aspires to become a great hunter and warrior, to take his strength to ever increasing heights and to slay the greatest beasts this continent has to offer. He has heard stories of beasts such as the Tarrasque and the Jabberwock, and hopes to one day be part of a group that manages to slay such a creature of legend. He also wants to crush any worshippers of Lamashtu that he comes across, for it was because of her that he eventually had to leave his tribe.