Joruk Halgal

**Joruk Halgal** (ジョルク・ハルガラ *Joruku Harugaru*?) is Amir and Azel's cousin.

## Appearance

Joruk has long black hair tied into messy braids that he mostly hides under a turban. His headwear is different from his cousins Azel and Baimat because he follows the dressing styles from Azel's mother's side. Because the Halgal tribe is only nomadic during summer times and dwells in the mountainous regions during winters, his clothes reflects the cold temperatures in such areas. His clothing consists of a plain thick shirt, loose pants, and a sleeveless jacket lined with animal furs that hangs all the way to his knee and tied with a sash, though his is less decorated with embroideries compared to Azel's or Baimat's. He wears high boots with upturned tips, similar to the Mongol *gutal*. He also carries a sabre and bow whenever he travels for combat and hunting purposes.

During winter Joruk wears a thick coat on top of his normal attire, which is lined with fur and
embroidered on the neckline, center edges, hem, and bottom of the sleeves. His coat is
tied with a belt carrying several compartments.

## Personality

Laid-back almost bordering to lazy, Joruk likes to take things easy and usually provides a more tolerant point-of-view to counter Azel's aggressiveness. He is acutely aware of how harsh and perilous the Halgal's lifestyle is which results in him being very flippant when talking about his own mortality, but when it comes to those he holds dear he shows genuine fears and concerns for their safety.

Joruk is aversive to conflicts and mostly disagrees with the Halgal elders' greedy and forceful ways, though he never voices out his dissatisfaction due to the strict hierarchy in his tribe. Instead he prefers to simply relax and hang out with Azel and Baimat, constantly making up excuses to not be around the elders. Likewise, Azel's irascible disposition whenever provoked can also cause him to be on edge.

Like most of the Halgal tribesmen, Joruk is highly skilled in horse-riding and archery and also practices hunting with eagles.

Due to
being a part of a nomadic tribe that typically subsists on simple diets, Joruk
constantly craves food that are easier to find in town’s markets, such as
fried rice and grilled muttons.

## Plot

Joruk first appeared on a horse ride to Amir's village, following the Halgal elders' instruction to sever her marriage to Karluk in order for her to be wed to the Numaji tribe instead. However, Joruk was reluctant to carry out this task, fully knowing how violent the Numaji tribe is
towards women which had already resulted in the death of his cousin and Azel’s sister Atelui, and instead tried to dillydally on his journey and at one point
even suggested to Azel to lead the other Halgal’s men on a longer route to Amir’s
house.

The Halgal tribe became increasingly desperate due to the dwindling pasture available for their animals and their thinning survival chance for the upcoming winter season so they made a deal with the Batan tribe to join forces and overtake Karluk's village, a move that Joruk opposed due to his suspicion of the Batan’s true motive for offering a deal heavily lopsided towards the Halgal. However, he could only express this opinion to Azel and Baimat, knowing there was very little he could do to change the mind
of the elders. On the eve of the attack, he was sent to retrieve Amir from the village, but instead he warned her of the incoming attack and even disclosed their manpower in details to give Amir and the villagers a fighting chance.

When the Batan betrayed the alliance, he begged Azel to run away with the rest of the surviving Halgal, only to be met with his firm order to lead the elders back to the safety of their encampment. It is implied that he didn’t follow through the order, as he was immediately seen returning to the village to save Azel and providing assistance in taking down the Batan’s armies. Once he was caught by the villagers, he bitterly rejected any association with the Batan to save his life.

After the major loss in the war suffered by the Halgal tribe, Joruk was shown mostly spending his time with Azel and Baimat, accompanying them to seek new pastures in preparation for the incoming winter. Once winter came, he also joined them in the hunting expeditions with their respective eagles.

## Relationships

Joruk had been unmarried though not due to his personal
choice, as he simply could not afford the expensive dowry required to marry a woman.
However he appeared to have been largely unconcerned of his unwed status, instead
showing more regrets for the elders’ lack of proactive in finding a
marriageable candidate for Azel, perhaps because of Azel's position as the next head of the tribe. But when Azel wins a race for a bride hosted by the chief of the Yandaq tribe, Jahan, he asks Jahan for Joruk and Baimat to also be allowed to choose brides for themselves before Azel himself can.

### Azel Halgal

Despite the contrasts in their personalities, Joruk is close to
Azel, often finding reasons to hang out with him instead of the other tribesmen
whom he couldn’t stand due to their constant bereavement of the Halgal’s fates.
He always responds to Azel’s orders with complains, though he usually ends up carrying them out anyway. Whenever Azel’s hostility flares up against any opposing party, Joruk
can be become visibly nervous to be near him, though he always does his best to
keep Azel safe, even going as far as abandoning his elders in order to save
Azel’s life during their battle against the Batan.

Joruk also appears to enjoy pranking Azel whenever he is
bored, but later expresses regrets when Azel takes it too seriously and fearing
for the repercussion from Azel should he learns that he is simply joking.

### Baimat Halgal

Joruk is equally close to Baimat as he is to Azel, and they
are constantly seen together when carrying out duties for the tribe. Compared
to Azel, Joruk is much more relaxed around Baimat due to his calmer
temperament, and usually just shrugs it off when he gets chided by Baimat to
stop slacking around. Joruk disapproves of the elders constantly using him as the bearer of bad news to Azel, although Azel himself puts Baimat in a
similar predicament when he replies back to the elders, which leads to Joruk
wondering if Baimat has ever gotten angry in his life.

### Amir Halgal

Unlike his cousins’ stoic demeanours, Joruk is more
expressive of his concerns for Amir, even betraying the tribe by disclosing
their manpower to Amir in order to increase her chance of survival. He is also
aware that Azel is more affected by Amir’s safety than he lets on, and thus tries his best to ensure she and her family stay safe.

### Karluk Eihon

When Karluk lives with the Halgal tribe to learn hunting,
Joruk shares his knowledge with him. He is also shown to be friendly
with Karluk, enough to tease him about his marriage with Amir.

### Riyazat

Joruk first met Riyazat when she approached him during a race hosted by the Yandaq tribe. Riyazat calls a flustered Joruk cute and tells him that she will lose to him on purpose if he will marry her. When it is Joruk's turn to choose a bride, Riyazat grabs on to his arm in front of everyone while announcing that Joruk has chosen her. The two marry soon after, with Joruk still being a bit flustered on their wedding day in the face of Riyazat's enthusiasm. Joruk is still a bit jittery on their wedding night at the sight of Riyazat in his tent. In the face of his rambling Riyazat calls him cute again.