Ragrak

Teardrop Pearl Necklace Apparel A refined necklace strung with a luminescent pearl. 690 Broken Clay Pot Trinkets The chipped and broken surface of this pot belies its original craftsmanship. 25 Broken Clay Pot Trinkets The chipped and broken surface of this pot belies its original craftsmanship. 25

Ghoul Given the choice between plunging headfirst into the Wyrmwound or spending 30 minutes in Ragrak's company, one might seriously consider the Wyrmwound. After all, some good might come out of it, like a third eye, or extra digits. Ragrak is a Neutralized Ghoul, a dragon who has failed his Necromantic Trials, fallen into the slow decline of a Virulent Ghoul, and finally been given a second chance by a Necromancer with the fortitude and skills to neutralize his failure. Ragrak is less than grateful. But then, he is not truly neutralized. Caught up in the Necromancer Kobari's blasphemous machinations, Ragrak is held hostage to his own health. Forced to deliver messages to the unholy necromancer Myazma and carry out all of the distasteful tasks beneath a Necromancer's dignity, Ragrak has no choice but to obey lest Kobari let the corrupted flesh at the base of his spine spread its virulency through his body, bringing with it wracking, excruciating pain. If Ragrak behaves Kobari will keep the virulency in check, but he never lets the mirror forget the hold he has over him, deriding him and calling him Ghoul when there is no one else to hear. Much of that viciousness is due to fear. If Ragrak fails in his duties and Kobari's crimes are discovered, they will both be executed. Bitter, cynical, and cruel, Ragrak vents his despair with excoriating words on anyone who will let him get away with it. He is a terror to Kobari and Kishna's hatchlings, serving almost as an initial Trial to test their mettle and resiliency before they leave the nest. The only dragon within Outfit Vector that he can stand, and who can stand him, is the diminutive Pyrvaiz. Ragrak claims he only associates with the monotone 'mirror' to take his money in their perpetual games of cards and bones, but on a free evening one can be sure to find them around an impromptu fire, snarling and exchanging barbed insults. And somewhere to the south, where the stray winds of the Twisting Crescendo meet the encroaching contagion, Ragrak's secret heart, his mate Extolla, waits to welcome him home.

Mate Necromancer Gambling Partner ♬ Theme ♬ Song Name

History
Before there was Ragrak, the broken ghoul, there was Ashier, whose name meant hope. A child of two Necromancer parents, Ashier was raised to believe any path was open to him. His parents did not ask him to take the Trials and so when he left the nest he chose to remain in the Sundial Terrace with his childhood sweetheart, Extolla. They were happy, and very much in love, and Ashier wanted to give her the world. As they began to discuss starting a family he realized that the rank of Necromancer would carry with it certain privileges, and a guarantee of material stability. Extolla would be respected as a Necromancer's mate, they would never have to worry about the next meal or the future of their offspring. And so, already much older than any Plagueling initiate, Ashier set out for the Wyrmwound.

He made friends along the way, falling into the company of Affogoto and his band of young hopefuls. It made the Trials seem almost like a game, and Ashier was confident he would pass with Necromantic blood flowing through his veins. He chose his perch by the Wyrmwound alongside his new friends, and they joked and laughed until they fell into their meditative trances. One by one they were touched by Mother's Plague, and one by one they succumbed. By the 23rd day, all but Affogoto had become a Ghoul. Awash with horror and despair and not knowing what else to do, Ashier fled back to the Sundial Terrace, instinctively seeking out the comfort of his mate. It was a mistake. While Extolla spoke for him, his old clan knew a Ghoul in their midst would lead to nothing but death and the destruction of all. The pair were chased from their home in a shower of stones and worse, and left with no choice but to return to the Plaguelands where there was at least a chance that a plague-worshiping clan would take them in, or a passing Necromancer help them.

Extolla convinced them both that the latter would be their salvation. She kept them alive, and moving, and bargained and begged with any Necromancer who deigned to listen. It was Extolla who found Kobari, and brought him to the cave where they were sheltering. Kobari offered Ashier a choice, and outlined the terms of his servitude. With her mate already close to madness and death, Extolla begged him to accept. Finally he did, even though it would separate them. His Skydancer mate would not be welcome at Outfit Vector.

It was an agony for them both, and every day brought further miseries. Extolla was close to despair and Ashier, now Ragrak, slipped beneath a tide of rage, grief, and guilt. Knowing they could not continue on as they were, Extolla finally left the wastes, settling with a trading partner to the south. Ragrak visited when he could, and seeing his mate settled, with some measure of happiness, was enough to keep him going for one more day, and then another. Ragrak didn't believe that they had a future, but he kept up the pretense for Extolla's sake, secretly waiting for the day when she realized she could have a better mate, one who would be there for her, and lift her up instead of drag her down.