Barkaz zo Makhon

## Master of the Imperial Legions

**Barkaz zo Makhon** is the Master of Imperial Legions in the army of the New Ghisari Empire. He is a battle hardened veteran, proven commander, and brilliant tactician.

## Appearance

Barkaz is slightly taller than average height with a stout build. Once a fiercely athletic man, he retains some of the powerful musculature of his youth, though he is slowly going to fat. He has dark hair shot with flecks of silver, and the same can be said of his thick beard. He bears multiple scars from his time serving New Ghis, including from a particularly savage wound that robbed him of his left hand.

## History

It seemed as if Barkaz was always destined for a military career. Nothing appealed to him so much as life in the legions, even as a young boy, and with his father's political influence and wealth, he soon found himself serving his term. His talent for all things martial was soon evident, and Barkaz soon rose to command his own unit of legionaries.

He showed a fair amount of martial premise in his youth, known for his skill with the sword, shield and spear on both the battlefield and the practice yard. Barkaz fought alongside his men on foot in the phalanx, and they soon came to love him for it. They were glorious years, for a time. Slave raid after slave raid, and Barkaz grew bold.

Too bold. After renewing his service multiple times, Barkaz soon found himself on an expedition on the continent, far to the north of the ruins of Old Ghis. Under the command of Varraz zo Pahl, a legion of Ghiscari soldiers found themselves marching through Lhazar, on route to the ruined city of Vaes Mejhah. On the march, zo Pahl's forces came across a Dothraki khal numbering some twenty thousand strong. The fields were a riot of steel and screams, and due to zo Pahl's folly, he lost not only the majority of his men, but his life. In the face of utter disgrace and certain destruction, Barkaz rallied the men to form an organised retreat to more favourable terrain, where he launched a swift, savage counterattack against the barbarian horde. It was here that he lost his handto one of the khal's sons, and here that his leadership skills became undisputed... and as famed as his hatred for the Dothraki.

In command of the remnants of zo Phal's legion, Barkaz marched through the wilderness back to Old Ghis, losing several men to disease, injury, and raids along the way. He never faltered, however, his talent for navigation apparent, even in hostile territory.

Since that disastrous campaign, Barkaz used the wealth of his (now deceased) father to outfit his own legion, in service to the city. They helped to consolidate New Ghiscari influence on the mainland around the ruins of Ghis, and on several occasions have taken huge numbers of slaves to fuel the economy of New Ghis. A veteran commander, he knows the value of fortifying camps in enemy territory, appreciating the need for engineering on campaign.

While the empire of Old Ghis was a land-based power, New Ghis has no such luxury in its isolation across the straights. On his many forays from that island, Barkaz understands the importance of logistics - namely organisation in keeping the legion running smoothly, and the importance of intact supply lines.

Barkaz found politics largely uninteresting, beyond a sort of vague allegiance to the Imperialists - for what red-blooded Ghsicari could refuse the call of an empire born anew? This philosophy, combined with brutal pragmatism, saw him lead his legion alongside Rhazdar zo Grazdan in the year 367AC.

## Recent Events

After recently having been appointed the Master of the Imperial Legions by Rhazdar zo Grazdan, General Barkaz secured a huge victory for the Ghiscari Empire, seeing Astapor made a client state.

## Family

Ghisco zo Makhon is Barkaz's oldest son, and leads his old legion in his stead.