Mutak Kasir

Mutak Kasir

Rage In Painted Chains

**Origin**

What little is known about the gnoll species points to a sense of laziness, an outlook so abhorrent towards hard work they became infamous as slavers who task their servants with every bit of manual labor required in their daily lives. This predilection for subjugation adds a twist of irony to Mutak Kasir’s already tragic life; a tragedy made all the more pitiful by the fact that the blame for his fate can laid squarely at his own feet. From a young age, it was clear that Mutak was no passive pup, content to nurse from his mother and lounge about. He was born a berserker, with a fiery temper and the strength to inflict great damage in his fury. At first, this aggressive temperament was lauded by his clan. Often, even as a child, he was responsible for the success of many hunts; even the lions of the plains were prey to him. This was coupled with an intense loyalty, where no matter what prodding or teasing he received from his packmates, Mutak would bear it all in good fun, and would accomplish any task his family put him to.

Mutak loved his clan, but there was one exception to his otherwise unconditional loyalty: his brother, Rugar Kasir. Mutak and Rugar could not have been less alike. Where Mutak was a furious warrior who revelled in the adoration of his family, Rugar was patient and scholarly, and often hid away from his family to pore over tomes and manuscripts scavenged from the possessions of the newly enslaved. They clashed many times in their youth, most especially when the clan pushed Rugar to to join his brother in hunts. Although he was a capable warrior, coming from a strong and fierce clan, Rugar was no raging berserker like his sibling. This lack of combative skill drew derision from Mutak, who insulted his brother at nearly every opportunity. Despite the harsh words, however, the brothers still had a love for each other that went beyond personal dislike. They were still family, and though it was through gritted teeth, they both expressed it in their own ways. Through many hunts, Mutak had saved his brother’s life from the jaws of predators, and secretly longed for the introspection Rugar’s solitude afforded him. Comparatively, Rugar sometimes attempted to show his brother the teachings his books had given him, and often wished to be accepted and loved by the clan as Mutak was.

Despite the attempts to bond with each other beyond the obligatory affection packmates held for each other, Mutak and Rugar’s brotherhood would meet a tragic end. Their attempts to teach the other their strengths were admirable, but often ended in failure. Every fortunate save by Mutak reminded Rugar of his self-loathing, how he would never be as strong or capable as his sibling. Every reading session with the two would end with Mutak stomping out, frustrated by his own perceived stupidity.

Eventually, the two would start coming to blows; arguments and scrapes that left Rugar scarred and bitter, and Mutak ashamed of harming his own flesh and blood. Rugar hid himself away more and more, barely ever seen by his clan, and Mutak’s brutality started to turn into psychopathy, his prey often torn to pieces with barely anything left edible for his clan. It all came to a point over some minor grievance, something that, normally, would have ended in apologies and another attempt at friendship. This time however, it ended in blood, as Mutak slew his brother in a rage, the likes of which none in the pack had ever seen before. It was terrible to behold, and horrified a clan of beastmen used to the sights of slavery and cannibalism. It ended with Mutak, utterly distraught and in shock, staring at the remains of his brother, before he was seized and put into chains by his own clan. At first, the clan of Kasir was at a loss. The crime of killing a clan member was a lethal exile into what was known as the Thirsting Land, an endless desert full of horrors that would see even an enraged Mutak as nothing more than meat. On the other hand, the criminal was once a beloved packmate, whose murderous temper had still fed his family for years. In the end, the matriarchs of the clan came to a decision.

Mutak was sent into civilized lands, a strange place to the tribal gnolls. Mutak would find himself alone in an alien land, populated by those that would strike him dead for behaviors that were lauded by his family. To prevent him from making trouble that might lead strangers to their land, the Kasir tribe marked him with mystical paints that suppressed not just his rage, but his hunger for the flesh of anything but mindless animals. In an act of mercy, Mutak’s clan left him a small measure of his formidable fury, though it would leave him exhausted, and only lasted for as long as his strength could hold the mystic paints at bay. Now, Mutak has found himself in a land torn apart by war. On one side an empire whose cruelty reminded Mutak of the murderous rage that lead him to slay his kin, and on the other a fledgling rebellion that gave him a chance at atonement. Rugar’s ghost would haunt his dreams till his dying days, but Mutak hoped that if he helped the Deadeyes win the day perhaps his brother’s wraith would quiet, if only a little.

**Appearance**

Even among gnolls, Mutak stands taller than most, towering over less physical races. He sports brown fur with black spotting, typical among the gnolls of the savannah, and the top of his head sports a line of reddish hair. The physiology of gnolls means his upper body is not positioned similarly to other humanoids, with his head and neck protruding forward from his torso instead of extending above it. One of his most striking features is the mystical, and rage-suppressing, paint that adorns his body, bone white in color. He wears no armor, and unless roaming cities or other civilized places, goes about in a simple loincloth. His head also tends to draw much attention, and is the feature that marks him most as a beast race. Instead of a typical humanoid shape, it is canine in appearance, resembling an enormous hyena, with jaws filled with fangs that he keeps shining white.

**Personality**

Mutak Kasir has been a being of two minds ever since his Painting. Typically, he is quite reserved; the paints that keep his rage in check also significantly alter his regular behavior. He never raises his voice or even becomes excited, and unless raging tends to fight with a disturbing lack of passion. This becomes even more unnerving when he gets his hands on his foes, engaging in brutality in an almost sociopathic sense of calm. The Paint leaves him dispassionate, but does little to curb his actual desire to tear apart anything that threatens him or those he sees as his pack. Speaking of, Mutak’s desire to find a new pack leads him to be very social, and when he trusts someone, he does so without an ounce of suspicion. While he behaves normally with males of other species, his tribal upbringing means he tends to be quite submissive to females within his pack; those outside of what he calls his clan are treated with distrust and suspicion, regardless of gender.

All of this goes out the window however, whenever Mutak invokes the Paint. For a limited time, he becomes almost feral, especially in combat. His meticulous and calm fighting style is replaced with something akin to a rabid animal, relying on his jaws and natural strength to maim and devour opponents. While in the past his loyalty to his pack was retained even when in the grip of rage, the Paint caused his fury to roil within him. When raging, he barely restrains himself from attacking his teammates, and if they interfere in combat (such as attacking the same target in melee) or in his feeding, he will lash out. Normally, Mutak is restrained from feeding on intelligent creatures, and over the years has learned the typical disgust other species have with the habit of cannibalism. However, when raging his animalistic instincts from his time in the Kasir clan take over, and he tends to feed on his kills no matter who they are, unless there is danger or the meat is toxic.

If one were to ask Mutak whether his true personality is his typical calm self, or his more feral persona, he would have no answer. Indeed, he is searching for the answer himself. Is he truly the reserved but sociopathic self the Paint has turned him into, or is it a mask for his true personality, the raging animal within?