Gi'chak's page

Born in the jungles of the Mwangi Expanse Gi'chak lived a rough life on the outskirts of the dreaded city of Usaro as part of a small tribe that served the simian peoples of that land. The methods of serving ranged from acting as servants, gatherers and performing other menial tasks, to—for those fortunate enough to impress the Gorilla king or his minions—acting as sentries and guards, or far more likely; as dinner, entertainment, or sacrifices to the Demon Lord Angazhan.

It was this harsh and highly competitive environment that he was thrust into. From an early age it was apparent he would not become one of the muscle-bound warriors 'blessed' by Angazhan with mouth-frothing strength, and though he proved smarter than many of his 'siblings' (the young of the tribe being raised communally) his agility and keen vision called him out as a future sentry. Such a position could only be realized however, by evading the many hazards and dangerous inhabitants of the savage community on which their tribe relied.

The mortality rate was high, but from the two dozen which had been born in the same year as him, himself and four of his siblings survived to 'adulthood', obtaining positions that provided them some measure of protection from the predations of the Charau-ka, Girallons, and other intelligent simians. Gi'chak obtained a position as a treetop sentry, and occasional messenger, leaping nimbly through the trees; twin sisters Os'ny and En-ril were gifted with powers of nature and the elements and Theria was adept with animals, and grew knowledgeable about plants. It was only his brother, the youngest Tin-ver who was given the blessing of Angazhan and tended to drool excessively.

While it was still a harsh and unforgiving life it was one that Gi'chak could--and to a degree did--enjoy for several years. It was only in 4709 with the resurrection of Ydersius that his life was disturbed. Miraculously the siblings yet remained alive, and had become something of an elite unit, at least amongst the lesser tiers of Usaro. When the Gorilla King received news of the approaching serpentfolk army the kingdom was thrown into preparations for war, and Gi'chak and his family were sent forward as advanced scouts.

Their first meeting with the serpentfolk was short and brutal. They managed to observe the approach from above for a few hours before they were discovered. Os'ny's warning—something about a scry whatever that was—came mere moments before their perch came under fire from spears and magic. They fell back as best they could, retaliating and exacting a toll from the snake-men before they were forced to turn tail completely as En-ril fell. Without her healing might they could not stand before the power brought to bear upon them, and worse than that they found their retreat blocked. With Tin-ver carrying En-ril they were forced eastward. Theria did her best to heal her sister, but found her efforts hampered as the serpentfolk harried them, driving them from the familiar lands around Usaro.

More than a week later and hundreds of miles from Usaro the serpents finally seemed to lose interest and the exhausted monkey goblins gratefully collapsed. It was there, in a ramshackle camp with little food and less supplies that they were discovered by dwarven explorer, Smafl Darkclay. Needless to say they were less than welcoming, but exhausted and weak as they were they posed no real threat and Smafl seemed uninterested in violence. After some tense minutes they parted ways, having traded knowledge of the serpentfolk for some information on a settlement further east known as Kibwe where they might be able to resupply themselves.

It took several days longer for the goblinoids to agree to risk the city. With very little knowledge of the world outside of Usaro they were wary of what to expect; nevertheless they cautiously made their way into the city, settling into the Straggleblock where they were able to carve out a small niche for themselves. A burgeoning awareness of the world outside brought more discussion, and in the days and indeed weeks that followed, as they restocked with whatever the could steal they came to an agreement to try and make it on their own. It was only when a battered, poorly maintained, and nearly non-functional revolver fell into their hands—Gi'chak's bow having been broken by a serpentfolk spell he had been seeking out a replacement weapon—that they recalled something that Smafl had said about a place called Alkenstar. With the other criminal elements of Straggleblock making it clear that the monkey goblins had overstayed their welcome they left the jungle city, following some vague directions to the city in the wastes.

Several months later they finally stumbled into the wastes and set about making a name for themselves. Offering their services as skilled mercenaries they actually started to make a reasonable profit and something of a name for themselves. They encountered Smafl again, and developed a cordial professional relationship. With his aid Gi'chak was able to discover the marvel of firearms; he replaced his bow as well, but it couldn't quite compare to the penetrating power of the revolver up close.

They tore up the wastes, taking jobs as guards, bounty hunters, whatever payed well enough to afford them some luxuries. It was not quite the same as the canopies of the jungles but there were enough benefits to keep them content where they were.There they mave have grown old and died (and spawned a new terror of ravenous monkey goblins upon the town of Alkenstar), but any plans for spawning and expanding their population (if indeed there were such plans, that sort of thing just tended to happen) were interrupted by one fateful trip. They were 3 days into a hunt for some mutants that had been harrassing caravans in the area when they were beset by a storm. Flashes of raw magic, errant bits of weather and a chaotic mishmash of colors and effects surrounded them and scattered them to the winds. Pain from dozens of small wounds, burns, cuts, and abrasions all conspired to overwelm the gunslinger, and the last thing he saw was his brother and sisters being torn apart, consumed, vanishing, before consciousness fled.

He awoke with a throat full of sand, half buried in a drift and began to claw and drag his way free of the heavy suffocating mass. He errupted from the side, hacking and retching up everything he'd every eaten, and looked up to find a nubmer of camels looking curiously at him. The others took off after he shot one of them and fed and drank it's blood. Fortune was with him and he proved to be only a couple days from a small settlement where he was able to purchase some supplies and orient himself. He made his way to Sothis and has spent the last several months replenishing what was damaged or lost in his relocation, before finally starting to head south again.

He's not sure how he'll get past the chaos in Katapesh, but he intends to return to the Mana Wastes and find out what happened to his family and bring them back if he can.

Gi'chak is a hardened and determined adventure. Though he may be only fifteen he was five when he first started hunting and earning his keep; and the harsh life he has lived and his many brushes with death have left him quite resilient despite his average physical condition. His skin is relatively pale for his kind, though still an earthy, speckled tone, and well scarred. He stands a smidgeon under 3 feet, and weighs in at just 35lbs. He adorns himself these days in a relatively simple, hot weather outfit but still retains his well worn explorer's outfit both modified for his... unusual body type (notably an opening for his tail). A sash across his chest holds a variety of objects and a couple bulging pouches of ammunition, while the rest of his meager possesssions are in the backpack hanging from his shoulders. He is rarely without his revolver (though this is usually tucked away out of sight), bow, and a shortsword dangling from his belt.