Description
Gnarled and craggy as a mountain's weathered stone, this stocky dwarf's
powerful physique is solid as the cities of his ancestors. Dark eyes are
buried deep 'neath his heavy, furrowed brow, often flashing with some
unintelligible mixture of anger and zeal, though there is also an ancient
wisdom and sadness in his penetrating, thousand-mile stare. His nose is large
and flattened, shot through with red streaks and bulges. His heavy, chiseled
jaw sprouts no beard, only a mess of thick, black stubble that also covers
his upper lip, cheeks and pate: the coarse black corkscrews of hair that
sprout from his arms, neck, and up from his chest are longer. His arms speak
of work: hard work. The blocky muscles and straining sinews running from
wrist to shoulder have obviously been earned from long years of labor. His
broad chest and belly make his entire torso nearly square, then supported by
two sturdy, stumpy legs.
Role
Not Enough
Added Fri May 4 04:09:10 2007 at level 1:
"Alrokhaz, me son. Ya've fought brave and hard. The gods, the ancestors, an'
all o' us are humbled and proud of yer example. But, me son, where do this
anger be comin' from? This rage? Surely ye know that to let yeself be givin'
o'er to the fury may lead ye astray inta the darkness o' a righteousness o'
yer own, an' not of the Good Lords an' Ladies o' the Light." The priest gazed
upon the hardened dwarf before him, questions and pity within his rheumy
eyes.
"Ah cannae attest tae this, Father. Ah've only doon what needs be doon, an'
Ah'll never be apologizin' or lookin' back. There be real evils out there,
an' Ah'll nae stop fightin' 'em." The younger dwarf rumbled in a
matter-of-fact tone. He was stoic, unmoved.
The old priest heaved a great sigh. "Nae be sayin' yer fight an' yer fightin'
be in the wrong. Ah say ta ye guard yer heart, boy, or ye may find yeself
fallen, me son. Ah've seen't before now, an Ah dinnae wanna see't again." He
ran a bony hand through his coarse, gray beard and prayed silently to the
gods: save this angry young dwarf's soul.
But he did not need the saving...
Alrokhaz was born and lived to manhood just as any other dwarf: clinging to
his mother's beard in Akan, then taking up mining and smithing as he grew
older. Always did he love the pure, primal power of taking the shapeless, and
through determination, willpower, vision, and faith, giving it form, purpose,
meaning. He worked harder than any dwarf we know of in his or his father's
generation: the sheer volume and matchless quality of the weapons and armor
he crafted spoke for themselves. Eventually, his indomitable will and
powerful arms were called to war: the conflicts with Mortorn and the orc
village ever did (and still do) call for fresh recruits to be thrown into the
fray.
War took it's toll upon Alrokhaz, none can dispute. He was a fierce fighter,
some would say merciless. He ably dispatched duergar and orc with a ferocity
and zeal none of his mates had ever seen. Dwarven rage, as immortalized in
the sacred warsongs are familiar to any unlucky enough to face down a
determined son of Nordiach, but Alrokhaz often stunned his peers and
superiors with his brutal tenacity: crushing the skulls of the fallen foe to
ensure no survivors, the burning of their bodies within their dwellings
(along with their families, dead or alive), and crushing their arms and
armors with mighty blows from his hammer. Truth be told, these displays of
righteous anger made many witnesses quite uncomfortable.
So, after a long campaign, Alrokhaz was sent to the priests for a time of
recuperation and purification, in hopes that the touch of the divine could
perhaps quell slightly the fire in his heart, the rage in his soul. He'd been
a good and pious dwarf all his life, he'd worked hard for himself, for the
gods, and the good of his people. He'd fought bravely, and come through many
dangers by more than strength, carried to victory by his will and righteous
faith in his cause. These were ancient battles he had helped fight, surely
his ancestors were proud. His courage in the halls of Mortorn, in the filthy
pits of the orc encampments had never been questioned, why now was his heart,
his sanity under scrutiny? He foundered for a while in a sea of doubt: the
constellation of the Skyborn had indeed
A Place to Belong
Added Fri May 11 04:53:41 2007 at level 20:
He'd found a place. To his sorrow it was not in Akan, not deep beneath in the
halls of his ancestors.
But there was joy, too. He'd found a place. He'd cast off his dwarven
surname, Bwordoch, and cut off his beard. He was no mere dwarf anymore. He
needed no more ale, no more foolish vanity and fussing over facial hair. He
was freed of all that: he was an initiate of the Faithful now, a truly holy
warrior.
It felt right. Alrokhaz looked forward (indeed, he already had) to preaching
to the lost children of Thera, to bring them together into the righteous arms
of Muhadin. He looked forward to offering up the corpse of his first enemy in
Muhadin's holy name. Many young priests with good heart are arising in these
dark times, and it frustrates Alrokhaz to no end. Why do they not understand
a new day has come? Why can't they anticipate Muhadin's inexorable supremacy?
He would have to figure out a way to reach them, misguided by their false
gods.
Alrokhaz does miss his people, his old way of life, but knows that it wasn't
what he needed. It was not his calling, his life work. He is lonely now, and
cannot reach out to other priests but to preach for conversion. He is
committed, and will show Muhadin that at least some of the dwarves are not
wholly corrupt: that their sturdy strength will help usher in Muhadin's new
world.
The Forming of the Faithful
Added Wed May 16 13:01:39 2007 at level 25:
Alrokhaz went and Alrokhaz did the work of God. He preached the word, that
all may understand that the world has changed: Muhadin is ascending to
supremacy and naught may stop him, naught will ever be the same. He knows his
actions and words, and that of the other Faithful, are helping to bring
Muhadin's final victory over darkness to the world, closer to ushering in the
Paradise that Thera shall be when all darkness is but a memory, and all
Thera's good children are united under one god, as one people!
He's realized, walking through the halls of Castle Akan hunting for the
wicked, that indeed the people are fallen and corrupt: witnessing the greed
and madness of King Kirgni and the indifference of most his brethren, the
self-absorption of the elves, and the antagonism of some of the few storm
giants he's met leaves no hope outside Muhadin.
He'll continue to do Muhadin's will and is trying very hard to learn how to
walk in his thobe without tripping, and how to stop his ghoutra from falling
in his eyes. Possibly the most trying test he's had.
The Road of the Righteous
Added Tue May 22 03:47:37 2007 at level 33:
And so Alrokhaz has soldiered on in the bloody crusade of the Bleeding
Scimitar, the One True Path of Light, in the name of Muhadin An'hallah. It's
often been a lonely one: he seldom sees the other Initiates of the Faithful,
but instead good-hearted priests of false gods, and hordes of the wicked even
more. The task is difficult, there is no question. The road is hard, the path
of the pure fraught with danger and temptation...
But Alrokhaz remains steadfast.
He takes hope in the death of each worker of evil, in watching the life flee
their body. Mercy has failed. Words have failed. They shall hear of Muhadin
and of his purpose for them. Then the wicked shall die, and the good shall
finally come, or be dealt with. It frustrates and pains him that the good
will not come, will not share in the Paradise that awaits. He dreams of
having each dwarf, elf, storm, human, and any other that will give themselves
over to the greatest power, Muhadin, united.
Imagine it! One true Faith! All good children of the world, living in light
and goodness and safety, all joyful as the Faithful of their benevolent God.
All finally pure. He has tried to discuss with the receptive ones, to show
them this dream, to demonstrate that all other paths are failed and corrupt,
but few are willing to see. They cling desperately to dead dreams and spout
misguided assumptions, calling him and his God crazed fanatics (in so many
words), telling him that he shall inevitably fall to darkness for his
tenacity, his zeal.
Speaking with his... almost friend, Granthar, the giant insisted this. It
gave Alrokhaz pause for one of the first times in his life... what indeed
were the lengths he would go to? What WILL be done about the good-hearted
followers of the false gods?
After much prayer and meditation, the turmoil in his heart was stilled,
though. He will cling to the tenets. Muhadin has given them, they are the
Path to Righteousness through Him. This will keep him pure. He will always
examine himself, his soul, his actions, to ensure he is not leaning toward
darkness.
As for the misguided good? The wicked yet breathe. The holy work remains to
be done.
The Difference
Added Fri Jun 8 17:35:06 2007 at level 36:
The fight continues to be brought to wherever the wicked hide and tremble and
scheme. Alrokhaz keeps his heart pure (he's paid penance for the three
Galadonian cityguards that have fallen as they tried to trap him) and
preaches the word of God to all. However, many now seem to have heard of the
One True God, the Most High, and each have some ignorant invention or
falsehood they try to throw in his face.
None have succeeded in shaking Alrokhaz' faith. None shall.
His dwarven pragmatism allows him to see through the multitude of weak,
flawed arguments and whines, and it has given him a clearer insight into the
mind of God:
Why can there be only one true God, Muhadin An'Hallah? Because God must be
all-powerful, by the definition of a true god. If a "god" is willing to share
dominion over the immortal and mortal worlds with some other entity, if they
limit their claim and power, then they are just yet another power, and unfit
to reign over all as a True God must. Muhadin has a plan for the world, his
Will is for a healed and unified world. No other power has the strength,
will, or vision to do this. Muhadin is true and holy beyond all others.
How does one become one of the Faithful? he has often wondered as he tramps
tirelessly back and forth across the world, scouring the lands for the
wicked.We know that faith is belief and hope in the unapparent and unseen
strong enough to give direction and action to the faithful. We know the
Faithful work the will of God by clinging to the tenets and keeping
themselves pure. What is the difference between the Faithful and the
charlatans bowing down to false gods?
The difference in heaven mirrors the difference upon the face of Thera, he
realized. Muhadin accepts nothing less than his Will, than complete dominion,
and accepts nothing less than the most pure faith from his followers. But
would the Faithful be found praying each day within a monestary, shuffling
back and forth between cell and altar? Some "gods" may be pleased with such
"worship". Muhadin demands the life of the Faithful. This is why Muhadin's is
the true faith: other "priests" go about flawed, working side by side with
the wicked within the Spire, lazing about and temporarily healing the wounded
within the Fortress, or seeking to see the sights and find the treasures of
this world.
Not so with Muhadin's Faithful. Their faith cannot be questioned, because it
is eminently evident: they go out into the world and slay the false priests,
purge the wicked, and spread the word of God far and wide. Belief is not
faith. The difference is that the others may have their fair
words, may have their abstractions and ideals (like Mjothvitnir's laughable
Motsognir. Who in their right mind preaches a sleeping 'god'? What true god
would need to sleep?!? If Alrokhaz had time for pity, then pity the fool he
would.), but the Faithful have nothing but results: the blood of the wicked
on their boots, the stench of their burning homes and fields caught within
their thobes, the word of Muhadin on their lips, and sweat soaking through
their ghoutras. Belief alone is not faith. True, pure faith posesses a belief
that drives: a belief in Truth does not demand acts that prove thus, the
belief IS the action.
If one says they believe in the strength of a bridge, yet re