Asterak's page

About Asterak

I-N-V-E-N-T-O-R-Y

Backpack: A rucksack made of tanned hide and an arrangement of wolf skins. A knotted hemp rope runs through a series of loops and disappears into the hide's surface, emerging as a draw string over a scrunched top.

Belt Pouch: Also made of tanned hide, the hemp pouches contain a few simple tools such as a whetstone, dried jerky, wild berries, and a small necklace his mother gave him when he was young. It's made of twine and contains several oddly shaped pebble beads of varying shades of gray, white, brown, and green. In the center is a single badger's fang.

Blanket: A quilt of bear, deer, and some patches of moose skin on a bed of water resistant hide. It smells faintly of wet dirt, more so when it rains.

Flint and Steel/Iron Pot: Salvage from previous clan battles with outsiders and metal users, Asterak found the tools invaluable and simply convenient even when others would scorn his use of them.

Soap: Baked tallow (fat from bovines/sheep) and rolled in aromatic herbs. That's right, my s#!~ don't stink!

Waterskin: Made of the same hide and fur material as his other gear, except the inner most layer is made of a bear's bladder.

And yes, he killed or assisted in the killing of these above animals, and he will crush your skull if you disrespect any of it!

B-A-C-K-G-R-O-U-N-D

The wind was cold and wild the day of his conception; a tattooed faced woman lay beatened, bruised, and helpless under her green skinned captor, her gaze clouded and vapid as she is raped upon a bear skin mat. There was much less comfort in her enslavement though the fates called her back home when blood thirsty and vengeful warriors from the Kuwailo Clan (They Who Bear Fangs in Druidic) exacted true revenge upon the orc pillagers and drove them from their forests indefinitely. Asterak grew in his mother's desecrated womb as the clan clashed spear and shield against their foe, eventually scattering the orc horde from their lands.
Despite their victory, the offspring that came from the orcs' seed was not greeted with open arms. Asterak's human mother Weyu cared for the child, the tribe avoiding as much contact with him as possible. The half orc quickly learned that he was not welcome and ran away when he was only a child, cursing them and crying helplessly as he tried to fend for himself. He fashioned a makeshift spear and spear fished for two moon cycles before he encountered the broad shouldered and well-seasoned Kuwailo shaman Taroak. He was shocked by the child's insurmountable knack at survival and slowly persuaded him to return to the clan.

Now under his wing, Asterak was given training as a hunter though he proved to be rather clumsy in the ways of the javelin and bow. In one hunt, he ended up chasing down a deer when others thought the game to be lost. He had returned to the clan an hour later with the carcass on his shoulders and his bloodied spear acting as a walking stick for the journey home. Taroak made his pupil dead lift large game like moose over his head and wrestle among other things such as navigating the forest, spotting game, and how to interact with nature.

His renown in action was equally matched with his deep, commanding voice and stern gaze that made his brethren shake. Asterak understood what had to be done during a hunt, even more so during wars with other clans. As time went on and Asterak grew stronger, his peers began to fall in line with the self-sufficient savage, a few begrudgingly admitting that he was amazing at his craft. Never boasting and always keeping aware of what others said, Asterak became influential and even inspiring on the hunting grounds.

With age came love, and Asterak grew more and more attached to a druid in training named Akuva. The tomboyish prankster and the burly misfit grew closer together, Akuva's sympathy for Asterak's past and Asterak's undying loyalty to the only close friend he ever had set into motion a strong friendship that many wondered would become more than that. Asterak volunteered to be her personal guardian as was customary for the clan to assign bodyguards to their shamans.

At last he had come of age, becoming a fully recognized member of the Kuwailo Clan. Tasked with protecting Akuva in all of her training and endeavors, Asterak finally felt at home with his clan, empowered by the respect he had gained through his hard work. But all that changed when whispers of cultists arose, about how druids on spiritual journeys and hunters gathering game went completely missing. But nothing prepared the half orc for what happened to Akuka: she had been abducted from her tent, her tracks quickly running cold just outside of the Wolf's Den.

Rage, duty, wanderlust, and even more rage flood the young half orc's mind as he sets off on his journey to the Wolf's Den. Just as he had disappeared when he was a child, he seeks to bring back Akuva or walk away from his tribe forever, unable to bear the shame of losing the one he was bound to guard...and the one he loved most dear.