Kulbrast's Tale

Kulbrast, like Aransar, sought to escape the citadel of Elkoi over the rooftop. However, a fateful turn in a dark corridor led him straight into the primitive, yet potent, temple of Yelmalio in Elkoi. Whilst he bore no ill-will toward the temple, seeking only lawful escape to freedom, his presence alerted the Priest, who set out from his quarters after the intruder, his many spirits bound into birds of prey leading the way and lending him their senses.

He caught up with Kulbrast on the crude beehive roof of the  temple whilst the intruder skulked his way over the rooftop, and sent a flurry of multimissiled arrows at the Orlanthi. Whilst his spirits maintained a wary distance and attempted to capture the interloper, his allied spirit, only source of potent healing maintained its distance - this was not, after all, the Priest's fight, merely a favour for the Lunar puppet-king and not worth risking some greater harm for Kulbrast cuts a terrifying visage, even for a battle-priest. Indeed his foresight paid dividends for he was able to heal himself after Kulbrast's javelin pierced the artery of his thigh.

The melee was brief, for Kulbrast was well aware that he was unlikely to win the fight but for a stroke of luck. Burned by the Priest's salamander, assailed by his bound spirits and attacked by the now-healed Priest's own spear and ever wary of the Priest's continued cries for further assistance, Kulbrast barged the Priest back with his shield and turned and fled for cover.

He slew the salamander and then, realising that his only chance was to try and descend the cyclopean walls of the citadel, he began the mad climb. It was a fool's hope, and such it proved, for he had made not a tenth of the way down before he fell, an ancient sliver of stone coming away in his frantic grip. He braced himself for Death and offered a prayer for his salvation which was answered.

Beyond hope or belief a scion of Storm, a sylph, sent by Orlanth himself, bore him aloft, away from the citadel below, and out over the grassy western plain of Balazar. He was left, bereft of supplies and unaware of his location in some hills. When rosy-fingered dawn arrived he set out to the east and came across a scene of devastation. A caravan of Lunar slavers had apparently waylaid a tribe of the local tribesmen. They were led by a wyvern-riding ogre, worshipper of Shargash, and, following his doom to never flee from a Dragon, he stood his ground as it swept toward him.

The fight was vicious and without quarter. Kulbrast downed the wyvern, almost tearing its wing from its shoulder-socket. He fought the ogre as he saw other Lunar peltasts running toward him, and downed his foe just before being assailed by multiple foes. Riding his luck and revelling in their fumbling attacks he was able to slay three foes but not before receiving a terrible wound to his leg. Beyond his ability to repair we can forgive him the thought that here was his end, in the wilds of a foreign land, friendless and alone.

But Fate is not done with Kulbrast just yet...

He was rescued by the menfolk of the clan. Away on the hunt they had turned to the rising smoke and headed for their kinfolk at the run, their great hunting dogs ever faithful at their side. They found their women, children and old folk still locked in the cages of the slavers and took grim vengeance on the drovers from Tarshford who had sought to take their loved ones from them. They found Kulbrast laid out, surrounded by fallen foes and waiting for Death. The Votanki shaman marked the runes tattooed on his face and remembered an ancient prophecy.

Kulbrast was slowly adopted into the clan as it travelled east, circling the Rockwood mountains. He learned the languages and ways of the clan, and, after completing the initiation of the wild, was initiated into the cult of Foundchild, learning the ways of the hunter. The clan led him north into the Elder Wilds where the shaman summoned the ancestor spirits of the clan to watch as the age-old ritual was finally completed. Bearing only his spear, Kulbrast hunted and slew a mighty Allosaur, tyrant of the wilds, and finally destroying the bloodline.

Unbeknownst to him, its mate had fallen under the blows of Aransar, Orstanor and Kenstral, thus ending an ancient curse of dragon-hatred spewed north after the Dragonkill which had haunted the men of Balazar ever since their leader and namesake had sought to plunder the Dragon's Eye. Kulbrast realised his time had come to depart the clan, for despite his understanding of the ways of Foundchild, he felt the call of The Dragonslayer upon him, and did not perform the Peacful Cut upon the fallen dragonkin.

Thus did Kulbrast leave the Clan of the Brown Boar and head west, arriving at the Citadel of Trilus in Storm Season 1615. Here he was reunited with Aransar who had recently returned from a Heroquest, acquiring powers of Darkness that Orlanth had stolen for himself in the Godtime. There did the party begin to plan another assault upon the mostali stronghold to the south, the source of the information they sought about the fate of Alakoring's fabled sword...