Fiction:The Firmament/Khrat Skull-Splitter

"My hand twitches, yes-yes, demanding me cut your ears off. Consider it a privilege-honour that I have not yet slit your throat out, mhmmm mhmmm!"

- Khrat Skull-Splitter, to a messenger

Khrat Skull-Splitter is a rakash member of Clan Gladius who is widely considered the most feared general of the Skitterfall Under-Empire. A veteran of many battles, he has made a name for himself due to his brutality and his eagerness for combat, which is considered uncommon for the commonly cowardly rakash.

History
Much like all rakash, Khrat was born in a vat administered by Clan Chemicus with a litter of fifteen other ratlings. Kaltretch Thane-Slayer, ruler of Clan Gladius, happened to be looking through these litters in search of future capable soldiers, and happened to witness Khrat devouring his siblings as soon as he was born, leading him to quickly demanding him be taken into his personal care. Kaltretch would groom Khrat into becoming his personal bodyguard, teaching him the loyalty expected of a guardian of the Council of Clans, granting him all the food he requested and giving him the best training and equipment Skitterfall could afford, except the lord of Clan Gladius did not intend him to be a mere bodyguard; when he was of age, he was made one of the Warlords of the Under-Empire's armies and ordered by Kaltretch to conquer the world in the name of Skanqrak.

Through many battles, Khrat made himself famed for his ferocity and skills which rivaled the great warriors of the land. Adopting an iconic trophy rack holding the skulls of enemy generals he has slain, he gained the title of Skull-Splitter after many victories in the name of the Under-Empire, making him feared by enemies and allies alike.

Features
Khrat is a rakash with deep black fur and shining red eyes. While black-furred rats are typically larger than their peers, he is large even among his own Raetorian servants, being almost as a tall as a fully grown human. His suit of armor is easily told apart from his soldiers, as it is a deep crimson colour from being literally bathed in blood until it the colour stuck, with it originally being silvery in tone. Another notable feature in Khrat's armor is the trophy rack on its back which hold the skulls of enemy commanders he has slain, and holds within it the skulls of dwarves, elves, humans, orcs and others. The rack itself is made out of the spine of a rakash lord who once challenged Khrat's authority and paid the price for it.

Khrat is violent and battle-hungry even among the black-furred elite of Clan Gladius, always eager to rush into battle and slaughter his enemies, whoever they may be. This lack of fear of death and the deep loyalty he holds for Kaltretch Thane-Slayer cause many other rats to find Khrat strange among their own kind, though few would dare speak of him in the open. But despite his delighting of destruction, he is a very cunning military commander, who is considered among the most terrible enemies to face against; a creature like him does not survive for as long as he did by mindlessly attacking his foes. His preferred means of fighting is by dual-wielding artifact swords known as the Dwarf Slicers - Beardrender and Thingkiller -, in order to inflict as much pain on his enemies as possible.

Relations

 * Allies
 * Kaltretch Thane-Slayer - Khrat sees Kaltretch as his father figure and his loyalty to him is absolute.


 * Ambivalent
 * Council of Clans - While a loyal servant of the Council, Khrat is largely unconcerned with their affairs.


 * Enemies
 * N/A