Therak Duskstalker

[Therak]

Name: Therak Duskstalker
Alias: Crude
Rank: Varog'Gor

Age: Late twenties
Gender: Male
Race: Orc
Clan: Clanless
Class: Rogue
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Family: Vaala (Daughter) and Thu'uk (Son)
Known Friends: Sinami Swifthowl
Known Enemies:

Appearance:
Therak is very thin for an orc, and a bit on the short side. But wiry, rather then malnourished.
His armor is decorated with fur, and his cloak with its hood seems to be made from the same material, perhaps Garn fur?
What looks like tribal tatoos snake their way from his left hand, up across the shoulder and through his face, stopping at his eyes. A long scar runs from his brow across his left eye, all the way down to his chin. His torso is covered by a multitude of scars and if you look closely you can find a faint "X" shaped scar hidden beneath his beard
His cloak is made from the fur of a wolf, its face creating a hood.

Personality:
Therak is usually calm, preferring to think things through rather then rush headlong into anything. He's happy to make jokes, and smile around the campfire.
He likes his secrets, often answering vaguely or changing the topic when someone tries to dig to deeply into them. Trust from him is something earned over time, likely a long time. As such he makes friends very slowly.
There are those who would (and is) calling Therak paranoid. Which isn't quite true, he's willing to give most a chance, or a second chance provided their crimes hasn't gone too far. But suspicious behaviour will make him suspicious and leave anyone less trusted by him.
He's fond of good food, and has quite a sweet tooth. Quite blatantly satisfying it by the campfire. At least he's not averse to sharing his food.

History:
Theraks first memories are of starvation in an internment camp. What little food he got was often stolen from him by the bigger orcs.
Throughout those first few years the guards were kinder to him then his own kind ever was. Some of them would give him a bit of bread when noone else was around, and through that keeping him from starving to death.
The camp was put to the sword by the time Therak was six or seven, with only a handful survivors escaping. Therak being one of them.
His next contact with orcish society, was a group of scouts trapped in a snowstorm. Therak found them and led them to shelter in a bearby cave. They explained in common (Therak hadn't yet had the chance to learn to speak orcish) that they were on their way to join the rest of their people, to take ships east.
They invited him to come along and gave him the name 'Snowstorm' to go with Therak, in memory of how he'd saved them.
Therak spent the Third War as a scout, not taking part in the direct fighting but rather keeping the armies informed of movements and clusters of enemies.
After the war was over, he found himself unwelcome anywhere he tried. He didn't belong to any of the clans, and that made him suspicious.
Slowly getting pushed further and further away, finding no place to stay longer then the night he began to turn to robbing those on the roads to make a living.
It was just a matter of time before he began to attract too much attention, travellers began to travel in groups, or hiring guards. And the Grunts and Sentinels began patrolling the area to a point where he just could not stay.
Instead, he made his way to Orgrimmar, joining the Sixty Thieves and taking the name 'Crude'.
He early on became trusted by the leadership, after he was offered to join an attempt to overthrow the leadership, played along and turned them all in to the Enforcer.
It was shortly after this that Therak had his first brush with the Red Blades. Greggar Ironfoot, a former Thief ran in to Therak in Grom'gol, telling him that he should join the Red Blades instead. Therak turned him down, but was told he could always find a place among them should he change his mind.
Therak thanked him politely for his offer, but made it clear he knew where his home was. With the people who had given him a chance.
Theraks quick wit, and talent for the underhanded saw him rising in rank and trust among them. In the quick handovers of power, first from the Bandit King to his right hand, then from her to Boom, the former trickster. Therak found himself named Enforcer, and in charge of discipline and making sure the other thieves kept to what few rules they had. It wasn't long until he was also in charge of dealing with the troubles with the Red Blades, Therak made a deal with them, and came down hard on any Thief who broke the deal. Anyone wearing a Red Blade tabard was off limits.
The deal held, but barely.
It was around this time a female orc joined the Thieves, by the name of Morgeth.
She took the name 'Taint' in recognition of her fel powers and the stains it had left on her hands.
Therak ended up taking Morgeth in as his protegé, trying to teach her to survive in the cut-throat life of Orgrimmars underworld.
Therak was the one to give Morgeth her 'X' shaped marked, carved into the palm of her hand.
Morgeth and Therak became friends, and eventually even something more. That something died the day Therak faked his death, not informing Morgeth beforehand, to make the whole thing more convincing.
Their friendship turned sour, they ended up fighting almost every time they met, Physically or verbally. Eventually, Morgeth left the thieves and Therak used what influence he had to make them leave her alone.
Boom was never a good bandit king, unpredictible and with a nasty streak. The Thieves didn't like him, but kept their peace until he one night led a small group of them and torched the Orgrimmar Orphanage.
A week later Boom had been stuffed into a barrel, and the barrel filled with sand and nailed shut.
The title of Bandit king was up for grabs, and it was between 'Ghost' and 'Crude'.
Therak didn't want it, preferring to remain behind the scenes, instead taking the place as Right Hand.
Before long, this new Bandit King had also gone overboard. He was cruel, going as far as to rape one of the Thieves. The beginnings of another rebellion was building. Many Thieves looked to 'Crude' as the logical choice, rallying behind his banner before even talking to him to see if it was something he wanted.
Therak escaped in the best way he knew how to. He faked his death again, this time he didn't return.

Therak spent some time travelling, one night running into Morgeth. True to their usual form they fought, but this time it went further. Morgeth began to tear Theraks soul from his body, only at the last moment stopping herself and using more fel magic to force it back.
It took weeks before Therak realized he was getting ill, and weeks more before anyone could tell him what was wrong. Something had tagged along when his soul was forced back into his body, slowly spreading and causing organs to start failing. In time he managed to keep it in check by a ward, that was still feeding off his life force. So the illness was kept in check, but the thing that kept it in check was slowly killing him.

The Lich Kings invasion from the north, and the following assault on Northrendtook Theraks attention away from trying to find a long term cure. Instead he spent his time scouting, and fighting with other units up there. At one point serving under Gnash Stronghand. After a few months, Gnash went to rejoin the Red Blades. He told Therak that he'd be welcome to join them. Therak said no, choosing instead to go home and rest. Maybe even finding the chance to be cured of his illness.

Over time he got worse, a particularely nasty attack with fel pushing his illness into taking his sight. As such he spent the last months before the Lich Kings fall, and then the time until Deathwings fall wandering as a blind orc.

An old shaman offered Therak to see what he could do about his eyes. Therak, not having mentioned it at all got suspicious, but accepted the offer. Next thing he knew he woke up on the ground, able to see. The old orc was nowhere to be found.

A few months later Therak decided to take up the offers on joining the Red Blades, if nothing else it would be a good place to die.
He figured he could stay out of Morgeths sight long enough to prove himself an asset, and give her more difficulty to get rid of him. Unfortunately she found him too soon. And only through clever manipulation did he manage to get the chance to prove himself before she killed him.
Sadok tutored Therak as a New Blood, and he was given tasks ranging from leading  a pack in a hunt, to writing a poem.
After he finally took his oath in Tanaris, not much happened. Somehow he worked out an accords with Morgeth, where she only tried to kill him occasionally.
In time, he and Grogona Marshfang (later Wolfheart) grew closer, first friends and then more. They named their son Thu'uk, after Theraks dead brother.
But as time passed, him and Grogona grew apart, to the point that when he got ill again, and began coughing blood. She wouldn't even look at him, instead he relied on Rhonya who had became a good friend, and with a lot of work and a final desperate attempt. He was cured from his affliction.
Not long after that, the rebellion against Garrosh broke out in truth, the tribe was slow to join but eventually did. Taking part in a campaign going through Ashenvale, into Azshara and finally into Orgrimmar itself. During this campaign Bloodmark ascended as Chieftain and shortly after Therak ended up leaving Grogona for Rhonya. Finding some measure of happiness in having a real mate.
Therak was raised to be one of the first of the Tribes Gul'thauk, later becoming the Alpha Gul'thauk. Leading them all, in the absence of a Varog'Gor.
Rhonya and Therak ended up having a daughter, who they named Vaala, who was born after a shipwreck in Westfall.
Eventually, Therak was raised to be Varog'Gor to Rargnasha, an orc he had little like, or even respect for. Their views differed on what a Varog'Gor should be. Therak thought they should put the tribe first, Rargnasha that they should put the Chieftain first. But he remained Varog'Gor, through the assault on the Dark Portal and into the Draenor of the Iron Horde. Here Rargnasha stepped down as Chieftain, again leaving Kozgugore as the Chieftain, something Therak appriciated. Their views on the Varog'Gors duties were a closer match.
Not long before they finally returned to Azeroth, Rhonya left Therak. In the same breath as she broke of their oaths, she demanded that Therak keep his. Something that left Therak with a deep distrust, and dislike for his former love.

Things you may know about this character:

• Therak likes good food, often cooking at the campfire, sharing with anyone who is there.
• Therak often sits by the fire, opening and reading stacks of letters. Throwing them to burn as he's done reading them.
• He has a fondness for using caltrops in many situations
• Therak doesn't like killing in cold blood, or for no good reason, often preferring to just knock his opponent out if it's possible.
• He has a knack for surviving against the odds, having recovered from such things as a broken neck and being trampled by a pit lord.
• He doesn't particularely dislike the Alliance, he'll fight them when he has to, but he has several friends among them.
• Theraks firstborn, Thu'uk was not with Rhonya, but with Grogona.
• Therak prefers the snow to the warmth of places like Durotar and the Barrens
• Therak is uncomfortable in the presence of spirits, often not even hearing or seeing them during tribe rituals.

Things you may not know about this character:

• Therak has many friends in the Alliance, people he are in regulat contact with about mutual interests.
• Therak is hurt by how the tribe often sees him as an assassin, turning to him to learn of poisons, or how others call him 'Scorpion' and 'Serpent'. On one hand, it serves his image as Varog'Gor, on the other it's far from who he is. He'd much rather be seen as who he really is.
• Therak has a severe allergy against some key component in healing potions, making his throat swell and possibly killing him. As such he avoids any such thing
• Therak sees himself as someone outside the tribe looking in, rather then someone they'll come to to talk with. The only times orcs seek him out is when they need something.
• Therak fears his own death, worried what might happen after. He knows what he's done in the past is likely to make him unwelcome in the eternal plains... if he even ends up there...

Memorable Quotes:
"If they have ouchy feet. They can't chase me down. If they can't chase me down. I'm a happy orc." - To Krogon when he expressed worry about Theraks love for using Caltrops
"Life is a game, we're all pieces on the board. Either you move the pieces around you or they'll move you. Make your choice before it's too late." - To Morgeth, trying to teach her the ways of the world
"Think, assess, act." - Another attempt to explain to Morgeth on how to be.

Other Information: