Biography & Lore
"The concubines of Menalus are said to be beauties beyond reproach. To look upon them is to court the ire of the Ashen King. Why then does one of his sons appear more beast than man?"
"Because Menalus, like all tyrants breeds with whatever he wants"
-Unknown
Urban Legend states that once in a drunken stupor or perhaps simply because he wanted to Menalus, the Ashen King took an Ogre into his bed chamber. Regardless of the legitimacy of this tale to look upon his son, Agrel is to take it with a grain of truth. The Son of Menalus was not born with the same distinctions that many of his siblings possess.
When Agrel was born his body came into the world thick and twisted, his eyes were sensitive to the light and teeth jut from his lower jaw giving him a monstrous appearance. It is said Menalus himself, disgusted with the sight before him ordered the child cast into the Blight where nature could take its course. The Ashen King did not often change his mind but he would do so twice, the first time being when even as a babe his son savagely murdered the first small predators that came to feed upon him.
As is often the case in Molthal Agrel grew, tempered by the torture of his brothers and the indifference of his father until he reached adulthood. By the time he was mature Agrel had already slain two of his siblings, both older than he was who believed they could torment him prior to an innate explosion of savagery on his part. Neither the eldest of Menalus sons nor the oldest, he found his own niche.
Often scorned by his brothers and not a little manipulated by some of them it became clear that while Agrel may have been dimmer than some of his brothers his ferocity was greater. Even younger once he had grown into his body the Son of Menalus was thicker, composed of bulging muscle and thick, leathery skin; his teeth sharpened so that he could rip throats with them. Agrel spent more time in the Blight, hunting the various predators than in Molthal jockeying for favor with his father.
Arrogant, rageful and possessed of ego Agrel seemed to at least possess some of the familial traits his siblings had. It may have been these that drove the Son of Menalus to return to Molthal from the Blight and challenge his father, a challenge he soundly lost. Menalus defeated his son, scarring him in the process by ripping his scalp clean from his head and leaving what would later become a mass of scar tissue before ordering him beheaded, his body fed to beasts however Agrel was not done yet. As one of his brothers came to collect him Agrel, beaten and bloody but still vicious killed the sibling the reached for him first, taking his axe and planting it into his chest cavity in a wickedly powerful blow. The Ashen King, in a rare change of heart was impressed that his son, so defeated could still muster the strength to kill one of his brothers and so he granted him clemency.
Menalus may have given Agrel his life however he did not permit his son a place at his side. Agrel was banished into the Blight and the surrounding lands where his role was to play the Hunter of the Ashen King, the Executioner of the Blight; he would hunt the monsters and threats of the land until they killed him in turn. Thus far he still lives.
It is rare for Agrel to be seen in Molthal, occasionally his father summons him for some particular task which is oft considered suicidal yet Agrel has succeeded on more than one occasion. Often this Son of Molthal travels abroad, sometimes at the head of a warband raiding and slaying. As one can imagine Agrel's relations with his siblings are tense, many who see him as outside the politics of Molthal are indifferent towards him however still others have designs of manipulating their brother to their own ends and using him. All told Agrel has slain at least seven of his brothers to date, some older than him and others younger. He has no penchant for sorcery and is often described as somewhat 'slower' than his brothers however Agrel is considered to be one of the physically strongest of all Menalus sons and has a predatory cunning about himself.
"Because Menalus, like all tyrants breeds with whatever he wants"
-Unknown
Urban Legend states that once in a drunken stupor or perhaps simply because he wanted to Menalus, the Ashen King took an Ogre into his bed chamber. Regardless of the legitimacy of this tale to look upon his son, Agrel is to take it with a grain of truth. The Son of Menalus was not born with the same distinctions that many of his siblings possess.
When Agrel was born his body came into the world thick and twisted, his eyes were sensitive to the light and teeth jut from his lower jaw giving him a monstrous appearance. It is said Menalus himself, disgusted with the sight before him ordered the child cast into the Blight where nature could take its course. The Ashen King did not often change his mind but he would do so twice, the first time being when even as a babe his son savagely murdered the first small predators that came to feed upon him.
As is often the case in Molthal Agrel grew, tempered by the torture of his brothers and the indifference of his father until he reached adulthood. By the time he was mature Agrel had already slain two of his siblings, both older than he was who believed they could torment him prior to an innate explosion of savagery on his part. Neither the eldest of Menalus sons nor the oldest, he found his own niche.
Often scorned by his brothers and not a little manipulated by some of them it became clear that while Agrel may have been dimmer than some of his brothers his ferocity was greater. Even younger once he had grown into his body the Son of Menalus was thicker, composed of bulging muscle and thick, leathery skin; his teeth sharpened so that he could rip throats with them. Agrel spent more time in the Blight, hunting the various predators than in Molthal jockeying for favor with his father.
Arrogant, rageful and possessed of ego Agrel seemed to at least possess some of the familial traits his siblings had. It may have been these that drove the Son of Menalus to return to Molthal from the Blight and challenge his father, a challenge he soundly lost. Menalus defeated his son, scarring him in the process by ripping his scalp clean from his head and leaving what would later become a mass of scar tissue before ordering him beheaded, his body fed to beasts however Agrel was not done yet. As one of his brothers came to collect him Agrel, beaten and bloody but still vicious killed the sibling the reached for him first, taking his axe and planting it into his chest cavity in a wickedly powerful blow. The Ashen King, in a rare change of heart was impressed that his son, so defeated could still muster the strength to kill one of his brothers and so he granted him clemency.
Menalus may have given Agrel his life however he did not permit his son a place at his side. Agrel was banished into the Blight and the surrounding lands where his role was to play the Hunter of the Ashen King, the Executioner of the Blight; he would hunt the monsters and threats of the land until they killed him in turn. Thus far he still lives.
It is rare for Agrel to be seen in Molthal, occasionally his father summons him for some particular task which is oft considered suicidal yet Agrel has succeeded on more than one occasion. Often this Son of Molthal travels abroad, sometimes at the head of a warband raiding and slaying. As one can imagine Agrel's relations with his siblings are tense, many who see him as outside the politics of Molthal are indifferent towards him however still others have designs of manipulating their brother to their own ends and using him. All told Agrel has slain at least seven of his brothers to date, some older than him and others younger. He has no penchant for sorcery and is often described as somewhat 'slower' than his brothers however Agrel is considered to be one of the physically strongest of all Menalus sons and has a predatory cunning about himself.
