Braith Ba'kil

Brief Summary

Braith Ba'kil is the heir to the Ba'kil family's reign over the largest Thaltrane clan on the continent, which holds the badlands capitol in Drysku'l known as 'The Outpost'. Tough as shells on the outside, this rude and oftentimes brash Thaltrane can be the greatest liability on your side, or perhaps your fiercest ally. Considered a young adult at the age of 17 turns--since the Thaltrane have considerably shorter lives than tribes that have descended from the Gweri'dol--Braith was expected to take on a role of absolute leadership until he botched every trial he was put through. Unable to prove himself to his people, he was nearly exiled to his death until an opportunity arose in a VU-hosted summit.

Personality

Braith can seem like a real punk at times, with no respect for elders, no respect for his peers, and little regard for tactfulness in a difficult situation. He is not the sort who holds his tongue when something bothers or upsets him. He won't filter his thoughts when he feels the need to speak them. He thinks he's tough--no, he KNOWS it--and he's never above attempting to prove it, even if it could end up putting his life at stake for no great reason. Attempting to damage his pride might just get everyone killed, so it's strongly advised against. Humoring him is your best option, unless he's about to get everyone killed regardless, in which case you may want to stop him as soon as vastly possible.

For someone of such a brash nature, he can be pretty emotional. Most of the time, it's a harmless brood, or a reckless swagger, but his triggers seem to revolve around death and violence. He doesn't seem to like either one of these things! Funny how a guy who pretty much talks the talk isn't as fond walking the walk. Insulting his family will bring the wrath of the First Dragon upon you, so yeah, don't do that. If you really don't like being alive, try hurting a child. Go ahead. Try. You won't be able to mouth an excuse before a bullet makes its way through your skull. Braith has a strong fondness for the young. He becomes more of a big brother than a big jackass in his/her company. He also seems a bit calm and civil around them too--he even watches his language!

Strangely enough, he doesn't go down that lone wolf route you'd expect someone of his type to be. Braith needs company, even if he never seems satisfied with it. He doesn't always opt to go it alone. The only time he actually wants to be left alone is during a time of weakness or concentration. When he puts his mind to something, Braith is a very skilled Vastrian. Aside from his natural talent as a marksman, he seems to excel at building things. He has even mixed a few of his own poisons that work a lot better than some of the stuff his tribe trades.

He has a habit of sounding a lot less intelligent than he really is, which means when he does end up saying something deep, meaningful, and even eloquent, it'll grab your attention. It was almost as if he was raised to keep the smarts to a minimum, and therefore he covers it all up by speaking informally and treading over all things heavily. You would think being a smart dude overall that he'd be ace at keeping out of trouble, but Braith practically ends up in trouble every minute of his life. As stated before, he is easy to sway emotionally, and prone to snapping at the worst times. 

History

 Braith had the glorious fortune of being the first son to the patriarch of largest Thaltrane clan in the region, the Ba'kil. They dwell at what is considered among their tribe as the capitol of their scattered domains, simply known as 'The Outpost'. The oldest of all Thaltrane clans, the Ba'kil are a perfect mixture of business and brutality. Their home, homely yet industrial, invites brave traders from around the world in sharing their valuable and illicit products. As the patriarch's first son, Braith was expected to become the heir of his father's clan, though as it stood, it was anybody's game. His father, Valt Ba'kil, was highly respected after having lead the clan through a few difficult times. His ruthlessness and cunning were second to none; that's how it must be for a male to keep the patriarch role in Thaltrane society. Any member of the family can stab another in the back to climb up the hierarchy, but it is universally understood when one individual deserves that critical role.

It was clear early on that Valt expected great things from his son, but he never seemed to be satisfied with what he had until it proved itself worthy of praise. Braith was no prodigy. He wasn't the most motivated kid in the world. He liked to pretend he was one of the big guys when he was just a hatchling, but whenever he was faced with grim reality he seemed to shrink back like a coward. It's far more natural for Thaltrane to go rushing into danger with their heads down, skull-plates gleaming. Braith hesitated where his cousins would charge without a second thought. Valt noted this attribute as his son's major weakness, and often pressed him into roles that were far too mature and dangerous for a youth to handle. His father kept forcing his son to grow up, but it made the boy even more defiant and seemingly lazy. It was getting to a point where Braith would fail in hopes that his father would draw off the pressure, but no matter how hard he resisted attempts to be hardened and polished like a blade, he eventually became every bit as dangerous as other folks in his family.

It wasn't more than 6 turns after he was born that his brother, Gynn Ba'kir, was born. It was a controversy at first among the clan; patriarchs were only allowed to have multiple children if they were either born in a small clutch together or no more than three turns apart. This was due to a tradition amongst heirs--when the eldest was of age, the second-eldest has to duel the sibling to the death. In short, a patriarch only ever gets to keep one heir, one child to call his own. Gynn would only be 5 turns by the time Braith reached maturity, which to Thaltrane is considered later childhood.

The two brothers were close however, and Braith wasn't giving any thought to killing his younger sibling as they grew up together. He even used to dream of running away with Gynn so they wouldn't have to. The environment around The Outpost is cruel and dry however, with strange, monstrous predators lurking on the outskirts of the land. The two wouldn't have lasted very long beyond the borders of their home, and they couldn't fly like most Vastrians could. They entertained running off, but when the time came, they found themselves face-to-face at the first ceremony.

Braith didn't want to kill his brother, but he knew if he did not, he'd risk both of their lives at the hands of the family. He offered to allow his brother to kill him instead; something they agreed on the night before the duel. What happened however, was highly unexpected. His brother dropped dead on the field, pale since he walked out. Rumor spread quick that Braith poisoned Gynn before the duel (something that instead of being met with scorn actually brought him praise among his people). The true culprit remains untold, but Braith has long suspected his father of having poisoned him, and it severely tore a rift in their relationship. It wasn't a secret after all--Gynn was clearly the weaker son. His father never had to say a word on the matter to expose that belief. It simply showed in the way he treated the younger one throughout his life. He was never as hard on Gynn as he was on Braith. Ultimately, Valt had done it to strengthen his eldest son's image in the eyes of the family--for Braith's own good--but everyone knows the worst can get done for the 'right' reasons.

Another milestone soon followed. Braith was to prove his adulthood by pulling off his first successful raid.

It failed miserably, though casualties were limited. This was of no coincidence. Braith was not into it. Infuriated, Valt had his son work in the mills for a time until he prepared the next trial.

Another failure then followed, this time with more casualties. Braith's reputation was falling apart before Valt's eyes. His cousin was beginning to gain some popular traction among their people. Time was running short for the lot of them.

Meanwhile, a cadaver is brought to the medics lodge. A well-known rambler, a Thaltrane known as Hein Zi'tug, was discovered carrying several documents on a rare artifact in a foreign land, as well as an invitation to a certain summit. When Valt received word of these developments, he spotted an opportunity to bring his son's reputation to light again. If he couldn't work well with a crew, perhaps he just needed to shine alone to impress the family. When Braith was given the opportunity, he sought to use it as an excuse to leave his clan altogether, but when he was threatened with exile (which to the Thaltrane that pretty much means kill on sight) he had reservations about dropping the mission. That and he seems interested in going on an actual journey, as opposed to taking part in an ambush or raid. It's rather uncanny how much the dead dude looks like him too. Perhaps it was destiny that he'd be going in Hein's stead.