Kenad Skulltaker

> "*I have spoken with the Old Ones, father. They have told me their plans. A storm is coming which your pathetic kind will not survive. This world of hypocrites shall burn. Our kind shall have a place in the new world - and I shall lead them to ascension.*"
> ― Kenad speaking to his father Vaulen, just before killing him
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Chief Kenad Skulltaker was one of the most infamous and most successful leaders of a mutant warband, assembling the largest warband ever seen during the Time of Troubles and using it to carve a bloody path of devastation across Roulonne and Epsilucia. His epithet of Skulltaker arose from his practice of taking the skulls of slain enemies and using them to decorate makeshift shrines dedicated to the "Old Ones", the term which mutants used to refer to Dread Titans. It is unknown which ones he specifically worshipped, but Kenad clearly believed the Old Ones to be deities.

Chief Kenad was eventually slain by the ruthless hunt of Derian the Exile, a long-standing rival of Kenad who dedicated his life to killing the mutant after Kenad ripped off both his arms. Kenad was decapitated by Derian, who kept the skull for his own and had the headless body publicly burned on a (very large) stake. Kenad's skull remains in the possession of the Theiar dynasty to this day.

## Appearance

Kenad was notable for his size. No exact figures exist, but he is known to have stood taller than any man, estimated to have been between eight and twelve feet tall. Kenad possessed a mostly humanoid body, but with several overtly animalistic features; he had a head like that of a rat, with the curled horns of a ram, the floppy ears of a goat, cloven hoofs in place of feet, a cow-like tail and blood-red chitinous plates like those of an insect mounted on his shoulders. Most of his body was covered in a random patchwork of black scales and short brown bristly fur, though his legs were covered with fluffy grey down feathers. His eyes, however, were said to be disturbingly human, and were bright violet in colour.

Kenad typically did not wear armour and often went bare-chested in battle, revealing his huge muscles. Some historians have speculated that this was merely a show of bravery, intended to intimidate his foes, but many scholars believe that he was bestowed with magical protection from a Dread Titan; most records of encounters with Kenad describe some kind of purple glow, and one in particular describes purple patterns across his flesh which glowed in the dark. This seems to imply that Kenad possessed magical tattoos like those of the Theysmarel which were only visible when active, and would not function correctly if covered by clothing or armour.

One item which Kenad was consistently reported to have worn was a silver necklace. According to one account, this necklace consisted of a silver plate engraved with a flower attached to a silver chain, which Kenad had elongated with a leather strip in order to make it fit around his huge neck. What type of flower was depicted is unknown, but it is possible that it was the symbolic flower of Elourie, the Asarebian goddess. It is unclear whether Kenad wore this simply because he liked how it looked, or if it had any sentimental value.