Torrak Keres

[Linaeus]

Name: Torrak Keres ('Torr-rahk Kehr-race')
Aliases: "The Keres"
Race: Human
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green
Age: 40, born in December
Height: 5'11''
Weight: 180 Pounds
Place of Birth: Dagger Isle

Appearance: Torrak Keres is a somewhat large, hairy man with a military build. His tangled, black hair falls just below his shoulders and generally looks as though it could provide shelter for a small animal should the need arise. His body is covered in nicks and bruises, and the scars resulting, from the various sparring matches, military duties, and frequent combat.

In contrast to his personal untidiness and grizzled appearance, his uniform is almost always spotless - exceptions being made only after particularly bloody combat. Along with this, he strives to be at the peak of physical fitness and has cut down significantly on his drinking habits (relative to his previous intake, at least) to help with this.

Background: Torrak Keres is the eldest of an unreasonably large number of children. His mother hunted walruses (the primary food source on Dagger Isle), and his father worked in the mines. His home town was the target of frequent raids by orcs that inhabit the island, and occaisonal assaults by undead from the nearby dungeon Deceit. The day he turned eighteen he joined the Militia. Showing promising leadership skills, Torrak was a Sergeant in the Militia by age Thirty Four. Unfortunately, shortly after he was promoted a local prostitute came forward claiming that he was the father of her child, prompting him to deny this emphatically before hastily leaving the island.

Originally Torrak's destination was Minoc, the mainland's mining capital, but upon arriving on the mainland he learned that Minoc had become a warzone as Royalist forces fought with Vesper for control. Eventually Torrak wandered into Cove, where he joined the Covian Army, intending to relocate to Minoc as soon as the town was freed. Fortunately for Cove, the town was never freed and "The Keres" has remained a loyal member of the Grand Imperial Covian Army since his arrival.

Personality: Torrak Keres has a mild dislike for everything involving the mainland. He dislikes the flora, he dislikes the fauna, he dislikes the climate, he dislikes the people, and he dislikes the mainland brand of Avatarianism (though he's smart enough to keep his mouth shut on the issue). To cope with life on the mainland, Torrak devotes most of his time to his career in the Covian Army and to keeping an eye on his younger siblings, who seem hell-bent on following him to the mainland.

Torrak is a strong believer in the power of discipline, and tries to drill this into his subordinates as best he can. As an Officer, he seldom asks his men to do anything he wouldnt be willing to do himself, and enjoys leading by example. He can seem somewhat harsh at times, though this is the result of a long military career in which he has seen many a comrade fall.

Off duty, however, Torrak is known to frequent numerous taverns, where he is somewhat well known (at least to Swaggers barmaid Rebecca) for his storytelling and humorous but utterly sincere rants.

Military Career: In terms of his military career and war service, things become more complicated. During the Border Wars with the Royalists, Torrak was a reluctant soldier. The cause simply wasnt one the particularly concerned him. However, he didnt forget who his allies were - Vesper. It came a shock to him, of course, when Vesper sold Cove out at the peace conferences. It was during this time that the Covian Army collapsed under the strain of its recent defeat, and became a group of mercenaries known simply as "The Company." When Vesper collapsed into Civil War, Torrak found himself fighting against many Vesperians who had just recently been friends and allies. After the Vesper Civil War ended, with the Company leading the Vesper Trade Union to victory, relations with Vesper remained sour.

Promoted to Mercenary Corporal after the war, Torrak was a strong advocate for the reformation of the Covian Army. When the Army was finally reformed, Torrak seized the opportunity to join the famed 1st Baron's Own Grenadiers, later receiving both his Bronze Arms and a promotion to Grenadier Sergeant. The celebrations were short however, as Cove soon found itself at war with a newly revitalized, expansionist Vesper. It was at this point that Cove formed a somewhat uneasy alliance with the Royalists, who had only months before been their sworn enemies.

After the defeat of Vesper in Yew, Cove, and finally Minoc, Torrak attended the Trinsic Moot and represented Cove alongside Commander Morana at the Moot's Peace Conferences. While a ceasefire was agreed to, nothing was put to paper and nothing signed. Tensions remained high between the Covian-Yewish Alliance and the Vesperian Republic, and fighting briefly broke out in Minoc, with no territory gained or lost by either side. In late October of that year, Torrak led a counterattack against an Orcish attempt to invade Cove via a newly constructed moongate.

[Linaeus]

Updated August 8th 2009.

[Linaeus]

Updated November 13th 2009.