Ruka "Kaamu" Kargatal
Appearance and Equipment
* Long brown hair streaked with some red, red eyes, reddish tanned skin, 9'0", very large and muscular ogre build.
* Usually adorned in deep red clothing: chestwrap, detached sleeves, and skirt. Like many ogres, for cultural reasons eschews much armor in battle, save only for some select pieces. Wears a golden, jeweled torque around her neck.
* Armed with a battleaxe.
Skills and Abilities
Ogre: Among the most fearsome species upon Arethil, and for good reason. Possessed of colossal strength easily capable of rivaling magically enhanced foes, and of an astounding toughness thanks to their thick skin and robust physiology, ogres command a dominating presence on any battlefield. Being such large beings, however, ogres in general suffer from quickly exhausting themselves. In all these regards, Ruka is no exception.
Praetor Anti-Magic: Chain Disruption. Ruka's gift, functioning much like the elemental magic staple of chain lightning, shots forth from her hand to a target possessed of magic, and from there may jump to other mages if they are close enough, and may continue jumping even more to other mages, stopping them all from casting and interrupting current instances of magic. Quite powerful against groups of mages, though it comes with the inherent danger of being too much for Ruka to handle if the Chain becomes too great. Additionally, Ruka must channel her gift, leaving her potentially vulnerable as she does so.
Praetor Training: Though Ruka has not yet graduated from the War College, nevertheless she, at least, did well in her martial training, even if failing at many of the more academic studies.
Personality and Characteristics
Major
* Unintelligent. Slow to grasp many concepts, especially those of a more abstract nature.
* Easily amused, and easily distracted.
* Always thinks the best of the people around her. Heartwarming though it may be, it does leave her vulnerable to treachery and manipulation.
* A bit stubborn and inflexible, as she can get stuck on doing things a certain way (usually the way shown to her first).
* Has an infinite capacity for forgiveness.
Minor
+ Speaks in slightly broken and/or incorrect Common.
+ Sometimes displays a lack of manners—not through intentional rudeness, but simply through lack of understanding and awareness.
+ Loves dancing.
+ Refers to gods, like Threshkuul or Regel, as "Big Man" and goddesses as "Big Gal".
+ Earned the nickname "Little Mouse" ("Kaamu" in the Maulgar tongue) among her fellow ogres because she scares easily—though it is followed by big laughs and no hard feelings.
Biography and Lore
In the old tribal days, before the Mountain ogres had come to serve Andreas Gildal, there existed among them Firespeakers: those ogres who originally hailed from more volcanic regions, and who acted then as shamans, for the mighty volcanoes were seen as earthly monuments of Threshkuul's power and fury. Though such days are now centuries bygone, still the signature reddish color of skin and eye do some of the Gildan ogres possess. Where it was common then for the Firespeakers to have elemental magic at their command, so now in dwelling in Gild is it common for them to have Praetor gifts, and Ruka is just such a one.
Yet Ruka's struggle becomes clear to anyone who spends even a scant amount of time with her. Ogres across the whole of Arethil are not known for their natural intelligence, such is true, but in Ruka's case it is particularly noticeable. And this presents a problem. For it is that Praetors are not merely warriors, but are statesmen as well, and they possess political and religious power that comes with responsibility. It is only entrusted to those who earn the right, by graduating from the War College and receiving one's Holy Accolade, to wield it.
In the pursuits of the warrior Ruka did well. But in her academic pursuits, she floundered. The Instructors of the College deemed her as yet unfit to receive her Accolade and serve as Praetor.
And so Ruka is now an Aedile, serving where she can as a soldier while she studies. But with great heart and earnest determination she seeks to enroll into the College again someday, and at last pass her trials and become a full Praetor!