Mruthgor the Shaman-King

[Sadok]

Name: Mruthgor the Shaman-King
Alias: N/A
Rank: Chieftain & Shaman-King

Age: Deceased
Gender: Male
Race: Orc
Clan: Clan Redblade
Class: Shaman
Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Family: ? ? ? (heir)
Known Friends: Gruthgar the Ragged, Thur-Ruk Oracles, the Varog'Gor, Cult of the Wolf
Known Enemies: Thunderlord Clan, Ogres

Appearance:
Clad head to toe in various Clan heirlooms, Mruthgor seemed keen indeed to project an image of legitimacy. His long beard would grey prematurely due to his spirit-walking -- in latter years, he was never seen without the mighty enchanted iron mace known as the Scepter of the Shaman-King.

Personality:
A manipulative flatterer and scheming politician, Mruthgor took advantage of his Chieftain Gruthgar's lack of interest in domestic Clan business to increase his influence and subtly assert himself as a powerful figure in Clan Redblade.

Mruthgor was a notorious egomaniac as Chieftain, aiming to create a cult of personality around himself, and enforcing his will ruthlessly with the Varog'Gor. Any critics of the Shaman-King would mysteriously disappear, and if they reappeared at all, would soon start singing his praises.

History:
The line of Kraag seemingly ended when the last of his kin, Gruthgar the Ragged, died without an heir. The elders of the Clan gathered and consulted the Thur-Ruk oracles to ask the spirits of the ancestors who should lead them now. The oracles named Mruthgor, a shaman of the tribe who had been the old Chieftain's most trusted advisor, and so he became chieftain and a new dynasty began. Mruthgor was the first of the Shaman-Kings and each of his successors was in their turn a powerful spiritwalker.

In ruling with an iron fist, Mruthgor would cultivate other, more mysterious followers. Talk of strange blood-rituals in the shadows of Kraag'gol circulated, and the first Varog'Gor emerged. These Wolf-Claws gained a reputation as berserkers, fierce fighters and ravagers. Some said that they would enter a trance before battle and that the spirit of the wolf would take over their bodies, transforming them into half-orc, half-beast warriors.

Mruthgor was pleased by this new caste of wild but utterly loyal warriors, and made the Varog'Gor the heart of his army. Orcs of the Clan began to regard them with a mixture of great respect and more than a little fear. Warriors of the Nag'Ogar would compete for the honour of being chosen by the Varog'Gor to join their mysterious pack, but Mruthgor would only choose a few to join them. It was not enough to be the strongest or bravest -- the Shaman-King chose only those with the right character, the right kind of spirit to become one with the wolf.

Soon, Mruthgor had coerced the Thur-Ruk Oracles into an unprecedented ritual to forge a powerful artefact and weapon. Decades of spirit-walking had dealt a cost to the Shaman-King, as his spiritual powers began to fade. To reverse this, the Oracles pledged their power to him, each sacrificing some of their spirit within the Scepter of the Shaman-King, which became an extraordinary spiritual conduit.

Upon Mruthgor's death, the Scepter would be handed down from Chieftain to Chieftain, though none had the power to wield it. It would be lost following the upheaval of Akesh the Poisoner's treachery, only emerging decades later in the hands of the Twilight's Hammer cult, who sought to adapt its power to enslave untold numbers of elementals to their cause.

Mruthgor's spirit reached out and connected to several Red Blade orcs, convincing them to scour all of southern Kalimdor in a bid to track down the Scepter. After the Shaman-King's spirit personally escorted them to the gates of Ahn'Qiraj, the tribe descended into the ancient city to retrieve the Scepter and ensure it did not fall into the hands of evil again.

Things you may know about this character:
The Scepter of the Shaman-King is being held in a secure location, currently known only to Sadok Sharptongue. Whether any of the tribe's spiritualists can even wield the artefact is unknown.

Mruthgor's spirit responds well to flattery, making him an easy ancestor to barter boons from.

Mruthgor's memorial stone in Kraag'gol is six inches taller than Kraag's.

Things you may not know about this character:
Mruthgor was the founder of the legendary Cult of the Wolf. Little is known of the origins of how Mruthgor came to found this circle of shaman, but the most commonly told story is that, after a long period of searching and meditating, he had found the spirit of the first revered Wolfking, Kraag. With the Wolfking's help, he created the Cult in order to make sure that the clan will continue walking the path of the spirits and the wilds, true to the wolves that had once terrorised and, eventually, allied the clan.

Memorable Quotes:
"We shall be as wolves; ferocious and spirited. The blood our enemies will flow before us, as we, the Redblades, move as a pack."

Other Information:

• The Call of the Shaman-King
• The Night Before Kosh'harg