Kraq-Gal
Kraq-Gal (Pron. Cur-ahg Gall) is a Saurag Chieftan of the Blackblood Brood tribal society. Kraq-Gal, along with The Brood, reside in the outermost regions of the Saurian Boglands in an area known colloquially as The God's Eye. From a young age Kraq-Gal was driven into the Saurag clergy of his tribe - known as Skyspeakers. This was largely due to the fact that Kraq-Gal and his fellow clutchings hatched under a full moon, thus giving them the divine station as "Old Scales".
Being born to a station seen as so holy to his tribe sent Kraq-Gal and his clutch down a path wildly different than a standard hatch. Instead of being raised communally, as is customary for most Saurag, Kraq-Gal and his hatch were raised solely by Skyspeaker Priests around other Old Scale hatchlings from different clutches. This upbringing came with a heavy theological sentiment - which included a surprisingly accurate astrological education as the stars and night sky were important to the tribe's beliefs.
When Kraq-Gal reached age five and began the "Long Molt" - seen as the traditional age of maturity to the Saurag - he had already developed the religious fervor common in Skyspeakers. After finishing the Long Molt Kraq-Gal was taken under the wing of Skyspeaker Xal'Tak - renowned for his astrology based predictions and prophecies. It was under Xal'Tak that Kraq-Gal excelled in tribal astrology and came to learn of the elder speaker's "Tome of The Eternal Sky".
The Tome of the Eternal Sky was a 7,000 word prophecy taken down on stone tablets by Xal'Tak himself. This prophecy was based heavily on his own astrological divination, prediction and ritual - some of which included ingesting several naturally growing molds in the Swamp that hold religious significance to the Saurag. Among its many predictions the Eternal Sky Prophecy also contains what Xal'Tak claimed was a divine truth blessed to him under the light of the full moon. This truth, the Tome said, was that outside The Saurian Boglands were countless hidden Spawning Pools of the same black tar the Saurag coveted as holy. It claimed, rather controversially, that the Boglands were not a holy land but a prison meant to lock the Saurag away and blind them to the truth the stars would otherwise unlock for them.
Being as The God's Eye is the single spot in the entire Boglands from which a large portion of the sky can be viewed, Xal'Tak claimed that the other tribes had yet to be made aware of this truth by virtue of their blindness to the night sky. Kraq-Gal was taken in by this prophecy and became a faithful adherent to the style of astrology practiced by Xal'Tak.
Kraq-Gal would spend the next several decades learning all he could from Xal'Tak - eventually succeeding him as the tribes chief astrologer following the former's death. Being born an Old Scale brought an air of legitimacy to the astrological prophecy that Xal'Tak could never achieve. Kraq-Gal used this to his advantage and immediately began insisting that all Skyspeakers begin to adhear to the Xal'Tak Eternal Sky philosophy. There was heavy resistance to this controversial idea - which came to a head when Kraq-Gal murdered a fellow speaker after the latter told him he should live with the Naga if he wished to leave the Boglands.
Ach'Xat, the then chief of the Blackblood Brood, was to exile Kraq-Gal for the murder. However, Kraq-Gal refused and challenged Ach'Xat for leadership of the tribe - telling him that they would fight the following night.
During the ensuing combat, which took place beneath the opening in the swamp canopy known as The God's Eye, a long-tailed comet passed overhead. Ach'Xat was taken briefly aback by the spectacle, allowing Kraq-Gal to slay the much older and stronger Saurag while he was distracted. The tribe, convinced the timing of the comet was a divine message as no speakers had told of it, immediately took to Kraq-Gal's leadership and his previously ostracized prophecy.
Whether the comet was true divine messaging, or if Kraq-Gal simply discovered a comet the other speakers missed and planned accordingly, is a mystery.
Biography
TBDPersonality & Traits
Kraq-Gal is a religiously fanatic Saurag, convinced of his own divinity as well as his people's. This is not an uncommon trait for Saurag, especially among the Blackblood Brood who see themselves as having the purest blood, closest to the original spawn of The Ancients and The Stars. What sets Kraq-Gal apart, however, is the unique extremism set upon him by his teacher, Xal'Tak.Kraq-Gal is convinced that a Holy War is needed to claim rumored tar-filled spawning pits that lie outside the Saurian Boglands. These pits are religiously significant to the Saurag and most of their kind believe that they only exist within the Boglands themselves. Whether this idea of holy War has caused his extreme violence or is a result of it remains unknown.
What is known is that Kraq-Gal is exceedingly violent and distrusts species he doesn't outright hate. He is, however, compassionate for the long-term well being of his people and shows a patience in converting them to his cause. However, this compassion is easily misplaced and generally comes with the catch that the short term well being of his people is expendable in all instances.
His patience is also not expanded to leaders of opposing ideology or those who question his self-imposed divine right to rule. Those who fall into either category are quickly and brutally dealt with. This violence is somewhat offset by the peaceful nature of his astrological pursuits.
Despite his viscous nature, Kraq-Gal is a skilled religious astrologer and takes a joy in mapping out constellations and watching the night sky. He has even taken to writing astrologically themed "Bog Winds" - a form of Saurian Poetry that utilizes dyes and stone tablets to provide beauty to written word that is lost in writing due to the nature of the Saurian Language.