Description
Broad shoulders and long white hair top this being and if his pale complexion
weren't enough, then his twelve feet of height would surely convince you that
you are looking at a cloud giant. That, and the fact that he is
hovering in the air rather than standing on the ground!
But unlike most of his kind, this flying giant does not wear the usual
clothing of his people, or bear the common marks or tattoos of any giant
tribe. In fact, if all those other physical characteristics were not obvious
you might think this was in fact a regular man, a mere human or other lowland
denizen. The clothing, the mannerisms, and even the speech as you hear him
talk all denote someone who grew up in the shadow of the Sultan's city, not
in the clouds of northern Thera. The clothing has a sturdy though dirty
look to them, and they cover virtually all of his body. He's obviously
no stranger to combat, with weapons evident, and his eyes have an almost
purple, feral glow. All that washes over you as you notice that
Role
Order
Added Sun Jul 17 15:33:45 2005 at level 20:
A long talk with Lord Trabryn, and then an old monk teacher in the Temple
was very disturbing and had a great impact upon Gortol. Much thought has he given
to both the words and thoughts behind them. He is determined not to fall prey to the
lures of chaos, though his path may bring him into its midst. It will be a constant
struggle to remain on the path of increasing, rather than decreasing order, and
he will need to remain ever vigilant. To that end he has also decided that his path
in the village is most drawn to that of the scout. A berserker, though formidable,
relies far too much on chaos and chance, without the logical determination needed
to enhance order around him. He cannot even control whom he attacks!
A scout though, has the methods to see, to discern his true foe, to find a critical
weakness, to see the lay of the land and find the path to victory, without becoming
dependant upon the chaos of mere luck.
Gortol has difficulty putting into words and hopes his day to day life will
let the Lord Trabryn rest assured that order is enhanced by Gortol's life.
Origins and fundamental beliefs
Added Fri Jul 1 17:10:10 2005 at level 3:
Gortol was not raised by cloud giants. How he was bereft from them is unknown
to him, and a mystery he would one day like to discover. What he does know is that he was somehow
brought or found by the Perpetuim outside the Temple of Red Sands, a swaddled baby giant on
the doorstep to the god Trabryn's shrine. Over the centuries hundreds if not thousands of poor mothers
have left babies they could not afford to feed at this place. To let the babies languish and die
would be a waste, and offended the Perpetuim's sense of order, and so the usual protocol was for one
of them to summon a priest and have the priest bring the child to some home in the desert where
a child had been lost to the harsh conditions and a mother and father might prize a new baby.
But something was different with Gortol. For reasons known only (for now) to the Perpetuim and Lord
Trabryn, the Perpetuim instructed the priests to keep baby and raise it themselves.
Thus Gortol has been raised among the many races, humans and half-elves most of all, as they
are most common around the Temple. And, unique among all other mortals, he was also raised around
the Perpetuim, who would from time to time instruct him and watch his progress. It was they who
instilled the love of truth and order in Gortol, though not with any great love for the laws of mortals.
Rather, he was raised by them to believe that if you find a cause that may bring order to your
surroundings, and you dedicate yourself to it without reservation, forsaking deceit and untruth,
then you have found a path to a successful life. Gortol seeks to fulfil this charge, and to fulfil
the hidden destiny that surrounds his origins and marked him special to the Perpetuim and Lord
Trabryn. He has learned well from the priests and the guards, learning to keep his soul, and body,
strong. He dutifully prays to his Lord, and hopes one day to earn his trust and favor. How he
will do that is for another chapter.
Why a life fighting magic
Added Fri Jul 1 17:23:04 2005 at level 3:
As he was raised to prize order, and in need of a cause to dedicate himself, Gortol was always
very observant in his early youth. The priests who raised him at the direction of the Perpetuim
ensured that his knowledge of thera did not end with the Sultan and the sands. Over the years he
lived with them they brought him to all the great cities, Galadon, Tir-talath, Udgaard, Arkham, Seantryn
Modan, even so far as Aturi, Hillcrest and Dagdan. They pushed Gortol to speak the common tongue
as though born to it, and even taught him the basics of many of the other racial languages, so he
could thrive in any environment, and learn from any teacher, no matter who or where. These lessons
served him well, and continue to do so. But because of his travels, and his uncommon upbringing, he
was also brought into contact with people, and powers, that normal children and youths would not.
His travels and his explorations showed him first hand that the single biggest cause of chaos in all
Thera is not any one person does, or even what any one country or race does. No. The single largest
threat to order in the lands of thera is the unchecked use of magic. Magic disrupts order and the
logical manifestations of the universe as nothing else does. In heat, a mage produces cold. In desert,
a mage produces water. Born a man, a mage becomes a tiger, as though a natural tiger is not enough.
Man - meaning all mortals - could create in thera a more orderly existence, but only if the
natural laws are allowed to stand and not be broken by magic. Now, some surely say "what of priests" who
channel the power of the gods and can produce similar results? Do they not bend the same order, break
the same laws, that magicians do? No. Because deities and their powers, used by mortals of their
choosing, are naturally a part of the universe. Magic, is not. Magic is a gaping hole in the order
of the universe which needs to be plugged. It leaks in, and is sustained by those magi who use
its power. Because some of the gods who prize disorder and chaos fight to maintain such magic,
those that might oppose them are checked. But if all magic users were destroyed, all mortal power
that flows to those chaos gods would be cut, and they would lose the near-eternal battle.
Because of this, Gortol has dedicated himself to the destruction of magic. And lest he fall prey
to the very disorder he fights, he remains honest to his cause, and the path he has chosen.
Commerce
Added Sun Jul 10 22:49:45 2005 at level 15:
Gortol has found that one way to strengthen order in the lands, aside from the
primary goal of erradicating magic, is the doing of honest commerce and business.
Such activity breeds greater honesty among all, as trust among the parties is
necessary for successful trade, and thus strengthens the bulwark against needless
chaos. To that end, Gortol engages in such honest business as often as he may.