Fiction:The Firmament/Kaltretch Thane-Slayer

"Not any more brave dwarves shall die by the hands of that monster! Heed me, men; I shall bring back his head, and parade it across the halls of our great hold!"

- Thane Kilvar Ghoranteh, minutes before his death

Kaltretch Thane-Slayer is the rakash lord of Clan Gladius, one of the great clans of the Skitterfall, and by extension serves as one of the ultimate leaders of the entire Under-Empire.

History
Kaltretch's life begun rather typically for a blackfur ratman; right after birth, he was taken by the lords of Clan Gladius to serve among the Raetorian Guard to be the Under-Empire's best and most skilled warriors. However, Kaltretch was ambitious even for a rakash, and even in his early days, he would murder his superiors and take their place, forcing other soldiers into submission. He would finally be recognized as a true individual of esteem when he led the attack to the dwarven hold of Grolthobas, leading to its complete destruction and to him to decapitate its Thane and wear his severed beard as a coat. Over the next decades, he rose to the position of Great Warlord by slaughtering anyone foolish enough to stand in his way, while becoming famed and hated across Khargramnir for personally killing dozens of Thanes and leaving their corpses in humiliating positions (usually meaning their beards were shaven), earning him his title.

Features
Kaltretch is a black-furred, aged fallen rakash of great size, standing at the size of a fully grown elf, leading even his personal Raetorian soldiers to look short in comparison. His masterwork steel armor is hidden by the long robes he wears, which are etched with magical sigils of Clan Gladius which deflect blows away from them. Despite his old age for a member of his race, he remains at peak condition thanks to youth-enhancing implants installed upon his body by the alchemists of Clan Chemicus.

An insidious and cruel individual, Kaltretch revels in humiliating and slaughtering dwarves above all else. He is always eager to wage war on them, no matter how many slaves must be thrown to the meat grinder to see it done; a day where dwarves die is a good day in Kaltretch's eyes. Like most rakash of prestige, he is exceptionally paranoid, and responds with any suspicion of betrayal, even if misguided, with death.

Relations

 * Allies
 * Khrat Skull-Splitter - Kaltretch considers Khrat his best warrior and most valuable weapon.
 * Vetch of Ten-Thousand Plagues - While usually distrustful of the old Lord-Pestilent, Kaltretch knows his judgement is usually wise.


 * Ambivalent
 * Zhakch the Plaguelord - Kaltretch considers Zhakch his greatest rival in the Council, and the two often butt heads over who is Skanqrak's favorite.
 * Xuk Verminbone - The Great Warlord sees the benefits of working alongside Clan Chemicus, but personally finds their High Alchemist extremely annoying.
 * Skialk Shadowmaul - Kaltretch thinks Skialk is a coward, but knows better than to say so out loud, lest he send assassins after him again.


 * Enemies
 * N/A