Tapor Skavolny

> "*Go ahead, demon. Scream. Make a sound I haven't heard before.*"
> ― Tapor Skavolny
>
>

**Tapor Skavolny** was a Raskevite soldier of the Nesarian Empire who rose to the rank of Captain during his service in the Imperial Civil War. He entered the Imperial Army at merely 13 in 1843, lying about his age to enter, an obvious deception that the recruiting officer chose to believe. Concerns about Tapor's age were soon dismissed when he proved himself to be a skilled and utterly fanatical soldier who depised both Republicans and demons alike. His boundless rage and joy in battle and his sheer combat prowess has led to the prevailing suspicion that he may have been a servant of the Dread Titan known as Cavien, repaying the warmongering Titan with bloodshed in return for power. Tapor was killed in action in 1856 at the mere age of 26.

Tapor's impetus for joining the Imperial Army so early was the untimely deaths of both of his parents; his father was murdered by a Republican militia when he resisted their attempts to "requisition supplies", and his mother was raped and murdered by some kind of demon, likely a Khaogan or Ferigan. Historians long assumed that it was these two events that drove Tapor into the rage and hatred that would define the rest of his life, but testimonies of the boy uncovered in the 1890s suggest that Tapor may have always had some psycopathic traits and a tendency for cruelty.

Testimonies of Tapor differ greatly between his fellow officers and the soldiers under his command. Tapor's own soldiers regarded him as a good officer, one who demanded high expectations of his men but who always protected them at the risk of his own life, with a down-to-earth, humble attitude. They universally reported that Tapor was an officer who would never demand anything of his men that he was not prepared to do himself. Tapor's fellow officers, meanwhile, largely regarded the man as a monster, expressing no small amount of discomfort at the malicious glee that Tapor took from killing, and universally reporting that Tapor regarded his fellow mortals as resources rather than people. They also had a much less favourable view of Tapor's unnatural skill and physical prowess, exceeding his fellow soldiers even when he was still a young boy; whereas Tapor's soldiers generally thought little of it, regarding it as a magical boon or even a divine blessing, the officers were certain that it was the result of some dark pact. However, without any proof that this was the case - and without any proof that even if this *was* the case that it actually posed any risk to the Empire - they were unable to do anything about Tapor.

It remains a matter of debate as to which version of Tapor is the truest to his character; the bloodthirsty, maniacal psychopath who delighted in killing, or the tough but protective and humble leader. Some historians have suggested that Tapor really was a psychopath lacking in empathy, but he knew the importance of keeping good relations with his soldiers and so put up the front of the "good officer" merely as an act. Others suggest the reverse, positing that Tapor consciously put aside his empathy in discussions of strategy and tactics with other officers to place military efficiency - and therefore, likelihood of victory - over moral conundrums. However, what cannot be debated in either case is that Tapor did have a savage bloodlust that was only matched by the demons themselves, and thought there was no greater joy than the thrill of battle.