Kallas Larskul - Friend, Oathsworn, Unwitting Lord of the Abyss

[TaintedDreams]

“Leave the fools their life’s work in the darkness, and leave their detractors to be swallowed in their hunt of the same. Leave me to my work, I care not for either of them. The world beyond this space is none of my concern, girl. Let it burn and we shall walk amongst the ashes.” ~ Kallas Larskul

 [hide=Background]To the world around himself, he was more often than not entirely apathetic, as was proper of the second born son of a family of Banites. Raised from birth to be a Red Wizard, Kallas knew little beyond his studies and the Larskul mansion until it was approaching the time for his apprenticeship to a Red Wizard to begin, whereupon he would get his firsthand experience as an agent of thay, let alone as a Red Wizard in general. He had but one friend as a child, one of many mulan slaves. His name was Balsir. He’d foolishly thought it unknown to his family, otherwise having only a raven to care for as one of his responsibilities, though he’d eventually grown to care for it.

The night prior to beginning his apprenticeship, Kallas was called to attend his father, where both his pet and Balsir were waiting--the latter bound, and the former caged. He only watched as his only friend’s soul was removed and forcibly placed within the raven--and Kallas was then forced to bind it as his familiar as a joke from his father, who claimed that he would never be lonely. His apprenticeship began the following day.

Kallas went on to complete his apprenticeship and began his own work as an agent of Thay, which generally entailed overseeing dirty trading deals, coordinating assaults with local Tharchions and all other sorts of intrigue. His elder brother had long been executed for disobedience, and so Kallas took on the role of eldest son and the hand of the Larskul family in its dealings. Kallas had long come to view himself as a tool of Thay, rather than an individual. At least, until one deal went poorly and he was relegated to teaching at a Thayan academy. He instructed as a Trasmuter for several years, growing softer in the process, and taking on several apprentices, most of whom died horribly in the course of their training. Notably, Kallas did not take any apprentices during his time in Sanctuary, having been rather offput by past failures--though he did look out for a few promising individuals who he thought to have potential.

The Darkening turned his life on its head, as the Red Star robbed him of his long-studied abilities and replaced them with an entirely new set. He could no longer rely upon himself in his dealings and he could no longer incinerate anyone who dared to stand in his way--and so Kallas was forced to adapt. Kallas embraced what he had become--an extension of the forms of the weave commonly wrought around himself. He sought to improve himself as such a tool, and commonly allowed himself to be used while he developed his craft.[/hide]

Ordinants,

I share a certain grief with you in the loss of one your Oathsworn recently - one Kallas Larskul. He was a formidable intellect, keen alchemist, and trusting friend to many.

Kallas was useful. He knew it, and most of those who knew him knew it. He allowed himself  to be used, while he constantly used his allies for various purposes. There were few morals involved in it, as far as he was concerned--both parties benefitted from the exchange. He had a fair few allies to rely on, and he never stopped profiting from them!

Kallas generally kept his machinations smaller scale and subtle, handling his affairs as quietly as he could. He slipped up quite a few times in having his dirty work handled for him, having been used to doing it himself once upon a time--he overestimated other people’s capacity for keeping quiet, to his own detriment. Despite what some would think, however, Kallas didn’t directly betray anyone, other than a single technicality.

He was extremely keen on keeping his word in every agreement he made, and this extended to the oaths he swore as well. As far as he was concerned, he lost nothing in taking his vows as Oathsworn, as he’d never have worked with the Dread or abberants with any willingness, gaining the Society’s support was a bonus! He had a rather uneasy business relationship with his friendly neighborhood Ordinant, often finding himself surprised that he wasn’t simply offed beyond the shield somewhere.

There was far more to Kallas than met the eye, and far more than he was ever willing to reveal, even in the days approaching his demise. He left may different impressions across the PCs he met, though its quite likely that the full picture will never be assembled. Alas, the legacy of a Red Wizard.


Kallas was mistaken for a Spellguard Agent from a very early time in his stay in Sanctuary, though his choice of robes was entirely a coincidence.



It did save both his and one lucky damsel's life once, however!



It was not, however, the first time he'd been a captive, or under threat of being held in bondage.





He had the opportunity to witness a good ol' brawl in the square, courtesy of Watcher Dick.



Kallas had some rather interesting allies. For a Red Wizard, he wasn't too picky!








He had an odd relationship with Jasmine, too!





Though it was rare, he was occasionally willing to be considerate of one he considered his lesser.




He became a Slaad after some particularly plot intensive occurrences, and most of his life from that point forward was divided between survival and hopes to make the best of his situation, however unlikely returning to his former state may have been.





He had an opportunity to make allies amongst the Stewards, but alas, poor Sholruun died the very same dark.



Life as a Slaad was not an easy one for Kallas, and he'd long grown weary, though he never gave up. He was no longer the same man that had entered Sanctuary and in several regards, he'd abandoned a great deal of the apathy that he had previously held firm to. Its worth noting that he is twice the age of Aurelia, and wasn't there for most of her life!

[Written in a fast, messy scrawl and dotted with some tear stains]



Dear Kallas,


I have heard a few days ago about what happened to you. This would explain why I have not seen you for some time. I don't know how to contact you and pray that this letter makes it. You have not been very successful in keeping a low profile and it is becoming dangerous to me now. To this extent I have been working on a ritual that might be able to replace the chaos that has tainted you.

I can't promise you'll survive it, and I can't promise that if you do survive it you will be the same man that you used to be. We have to try it though. We have to try it as soon as possible. It is now or we both perish. You have to let me find you immediately.


Love,
Aurelia

And so, his final journey began. He had few hopes of survival, but the true outcome changed his prospects forever!



After a private moment with his only remaining family...



A desperate, uncertain ritual was performed...



...And the Red Wizard was soon to be no more.



Kallas Larskul, ladies and gentlemen.

Hope the next is every bit as juicy and exciting!

[Hound]

Whoa.

It's a shame our PCs only interacted for a short while. Seems I only scratched the surface of a very compelling character.

[Illuminus]

Kallas! spending time with him on Ruby was a blast, I'm kind of sad that he is ended, but his time was at a end, despite the efforts of those who cared for him. Looking forward to your next one, good job!

[Pup]

Looks awesome.  Sadly never had any interactions.  :(

[Dauerschlaf]

Sylfbrrrn and Kallas had so many more recipes to share. D:

[whiterabbit]

Quite the sketchy PC.  He was involved in many highly illegal activities, but yet managed to walk the streets of Upper openly.

I feel very familiar with Kallas even though my PC didn't interact with him directly too often.  He made Upper a more interesting place.  Great PC RedHat, make another.

[Starmonger]

Such an awesome character, Bakran I think had more opportunities to hang with him..due to aurelia.. actually, she knew pretty much the whole situation...courtesy of aurelia xD

[xXCrystal_Rose]

At least he got returned to his normal form! Thank you for making Kallas and the Thayan group. It was always a surprise hearing third hand what shady stuff he was getting into.

[GhostlyWolf]

Hey man, awesome PC. Hung out with Kallas, quite a bit, nearly died together more than a few times... Ogre, included. Wasn't involved in all the personal affairs, interesting to hear about them now though! I would honestly like to see a tally of how much coin was made together on quests, i imagine it is a rather high number. lol Catch you on your next one sir.