Krathe Stoneshoulder

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Aurian general and First Lance of the Black Protectoran during the end of the Wars of Broken Gold. He was an ambitious and capable fighter and general. He was determined to win at any cost.

## Appearance

Krathe was a short lean man with a hard, muscular physique. He had dark hair which he wore long. Some described him as having evil eyes that burned black, but this was likely just an exaggeration.

## Reputation

Krathe's reputation when alive was as a capable general who would stop at nothing to suceed and due to this succeeded where others failed.
In history he was remembered as evil, blood thirsty,

## History

1313PE: To break the Vile Seige of Hunger Hill the Imperial commander **Krathe Stoneshoulder** was eventually driven to break all accepted codes of war. He decided to use a soulcrafter called Insanial and a Quorum of Death Priests. Using these dark forces Krathe was able to take the city.

The city was sacked and some of it was even razed in a break down of military discline and unleashing of abysal power. It was later discovered the young prince had been taken to the Vormach.

1289PE: Krathe joined the Black Protectoran, thanks to a war purse he brought he was immediately made a young adjunct to a Haft in one of the Marks of the 4th Black Legion.

1292PE: After several years in service and the death of his Haft in combat aginst mountain clans Krathe is promoted to Haft Krathe Stoneshoulder.

1295PE: After participating in the 4th Legion campaign against elven insurgents in the Weatherdark forest Krathe was promoted to Captain, for his determination and efficiency. He proved ruthless in achieving his objectives a trait on which he would found his career. He was given the third cohort of the legion.

1301PE: Krathe was promoted to Commander of the 1st Battalion of the 4th Legion for service and his active record.

1301-1306PE: Krathe's battalion become known for wanting active duty and the 4th Legion was used again and again to put down rebellious locals. They were seen as fiercly loyal to Krathe and to the Empire and were forged in his image.

1306PE: After the Lancemark of the 4th passed away Krathe is promoted to Lancemark Stoneshoulder. He had already started to impact the other battalion as he was far more aggressive and decisive than the other Commander.

1310PE: Wars of Broken Gold began.

1310PE: While the legions 9 to 16 were joined to the Full Fury and pressed into the Gilgan Trading Area, the 4th and the 3rd legions were sent to exert control of settlements in the Protectorates. Krathe helped take military control of major cities in the Protectorates. He was among the legion Lancemarks who moved too violently and won the loyalists few friends.

General Jorlov Vadik brought Krathe and his legions (3 and 4 worked closely together) to Middleholm when the city became unruly. The reassertion of military control was successful but was done very harshly as if they Black were an invading army rather than a policing force. PLenty of blood was shed and some of the soldiers went out of control when they retook power. There were killings, thefts and other abuses of power as various people took the chance to settle scores in particular the General and Krthe himself. Some of the worst offenses were perpatrated by Krathe and his own soldiers. The the looting of Wave Lane granary, tannery and storage; the rape of the ladies of the Southlander house. So while he was commended for his role in taking Middleholm for the Emperor, he was also partially to blame that it became hostile to the loyalist in the some moment.

1310-1312PE: Krathe and the 3rd and 4th were assigned to controlling the Protectorate around Middleholm and push to the west.

1312PE: Marshal of the Empire Garinan changed his appraoch in the later part of the war. Instead of attempting to break through all lines at once he focused his cammands and only engaged in offensives in one theatre at a time. In Middleholm they merely reinforced and ceased their efforts to push into the West Riding. Black General Jorlov Vadik, a great friend of Krathe now, was left in command. This was deeply unpopular with the people of Middleholm but fortunately for Jorlov the Marshal he was able to reassign Lancemark Krathe Stoneshoulder away from the front. Krathe was by now known as the most vicious of the loyalist officer corps and his men the 3rd and 4th Legions called Ash and Blood were assigned to defeating Broken Tower forces opperating in loyalist territory. Krathe was assigned command of the Vile Siege the most problematic stronghold for the enemy within the loyalist held part of the Empire. If the Marshal of the Empire had hoped that bringing Jorlov and Krathe back from the front lines would stop their attrocities from affecting the war he was grievously mistaken.

1312-1313PE: Despite his best efforts Krathe could not bring an end to the Vile Siege and it continued to drag on.

1313PE: The grandson and great gandson of the Dovisa Emperor were captured but during their improsonment the young child was freed and the fugitives were able to break through the seige lines and into Hunger Hill. The young prince inside remained there and a powerful circle of priestesses and a resident djinn. There presence especially that of the Perennials from prevented it being taken by magic alone.

Krathe was insensed by his own seige lines being breached, Hunger Hill's survival and its Lord in particular. Losing all sense of military discipline he forcibly took command of the royal prisoners making their way to Tor Honarik. Instead of bringing them to the Emperor, he matched them to Hunger Hill and threatened to excute them in sight of the city. Despite the young prince's appeals to save his parents his great great great uncle would not surrender the city or the boy for Krathe's promise of better treatment for all should they surrender.

Krathe was furious and would not be stayed. Now prepared to break all the laws of gods and men. He brought a Quorum of Death Priests to the siege with a soulcrafter called Insanial. Under Insanial's instruction Krathe sacrificed the boy's mother to the soulcrafter and he used her soul to summon an Entropic Reaver from the Abyss. Through these dark methods Krthe and his allies were finally able to break into the damaged and weakened city. The Ashes and Blood legions led the assault into the city. After they had endured such a long seige they released their pent up frustration and went berserk raping, pillaging and plundering the fortress and the walled town. The old Lord of Hunger Hill was killed in the assault but the young Dovisa heir escaped. A priestess was able to get the Dovisa heir o the safety of the Vormach.

Krathe successfully took Hunger Hill the previously unremovable thorn in the side of the loyalist. Though it was now only a burned hulk of a town that stank of death and corruption. Worse he now only had one of the four prisoners that had been hoped for. In some ways he was now seen as the most victorious general of the wars. Though his reputation was now tainted on a national scale by what he had done in 'winning' the Vile Seige. It forever marked not only him but his family and his legions (3rd and the 4th Black Protectoran) the Ashes and Blood. He could not be centured by the Emperor as he had achieved all that was asked but he became hated by the Church of Celer and all who were faithful to it.

1314PE: The Emperor demanded the church give up the Dovisa heir, but his demands were not even responded to which resulted in the Emperor Kolar increasing his opposition to the Church of Celer called the Blinding of Auria. Krathe and the Ashes and Blood were heavily involved in this oppression. Krathe was promoted to First Lance of the Black Protectoran.

1316PE: After months of deadlock Krathe was assigned to lead the Seige of Tor Celer. The city was very hard to take. It was a large and powerful imperial city and full of clerics. The siege lasted too long and the Emperor pushed for it to be brought to an end quickly so it not become another Vile Seige lasting years and years. This was why Krathe was given command and the Sarrifs attached to the besieging army were put under the command of Insanial. Even the Red Wraiths were called to the siege.

When the city's defenses were finally broken it was with a hammer blow fall. Krathe used every weapon at his disposal including overwhelming numbers of Protectoran troopers, Knight Stalkers, Insanial, Sarrifsn the Red Wraiths and their lich leaders the Grim Feast. The battle involved huge amounts of magic being used by both sides as well as thousands of blades in the more mundane fighting. Once again Krathe was successsful which confirmed to the Emperor that his methods were the most reliable in this war.

1318PE: The Emperor was desperate to end the power of the Cardinal known as the Spear of the Oppressed. He attempted to repeat what had been done at the Vile Siege and the siege of Tor Celer at the Vormach. The force assembled included all of the forces he had used before. Krathe Stoneshoulder in command, the Grim Feast and their Red Wraiths and of course Insanial. This force were nicknamed the Blasphamy by the church and its supproters.

The Blasphamy under his command attacked Ironhold the fortress shielding the Vormach Valley. Once again Soulcrafter Insanial accompanied Krathe's forces. The attack on such an well situated fortress was still seemingly hopeless even with the huge numbers that had been assembled. Yet Krathe had taken untakable fortresses before by using his abysal allies. The legion of Shades called the Red Wraiths and their lich leaders the Grim Feast. Once again Krathe, despite the apparently unsurmountable obstacles before him attacked. It began with the use of a mass ritual raising huge numbers of undead under the control of Insanial and the acolytes of the dark Lady Obscura. Though his forces suffered terrible losses, broke into the fortress.

In the following battles the Blasphamy was attacked again and again as it progressed through the valley towards the Cardinal's Palace.

In one of the attacks Krathe's bodyguard was destoryed and he was killed.