Zorthawn

"Throw me to the wolves and I will return leading the pack." - Zorthawn

Zorthawn is a golem that currently serves Korblox's Empire as a Bladesman. Originally a Royal Guard serving a within the ancient Northern Wastelands, he was killed in the line of duty. Hundreds of years passed until an experiment by the Mage King himself gave the soul life once again. This time, it was in the body of a colossal stone golem, rivaling the size of the General himself. Hating the magic that had once killed his people, turned him into a hideous monstrosity, and changed the entire realm as he once knew it, Zorthawn has set out on a quest to vanquish the dishonorable art and its most notorious champions, artifacts, and mythical beasts.

Personality
Unwaveringly loyal to the brotherhood of Skullhelm, as he was to the royal family in his previous life, Zorthawn has strong convictions and a head thicker than most boulders. Introduced to Korbloxian culture by Zarkonan Zenheart, the golem thinks that the Empire is justified in their use of magic as a means to destroy it. Much of the magic used in Korblox seems to be more divine to him, as it is directly granted by the Archlord, the supreme entity worshipped widely by many peoples beyond Korblox alone.

Zorthawn is not known for his friendliness. Beyond a few close companions here and there he has remained alone in much of his adventures. He is a good tactical leader however and has won his share of war games. Humbled time and time again by his superiors, he has been broken and molded into a Korbloxian with likeminded ideals since being indoctrinated.

Strict to his principles, Zorthawn, an otherwise calm and collected creature with mercy and compassion, is known to erupt in bursts of silent rage at sorcerers who refuse to die honorably, and has been mistaken for a Bloodbringer at times for how he collects skulls in executioner fashion.

Appearance
Zorthawn's appearance has changed considerably since he was first inducted into Korblox's Empire. Hating the monstrosity that he became, the golem carved more humanoid features for himself and is now only 8'11".

Powers and Abilities
Immense Strength: As one of the largest Korbloxians in history, Zorthawn has a lot of momentum behind his attacks.

Berserker Rage: If he notices an opponent using dishonorable combat, Zorthawn is known to lose control and stop pulling his punches. A hatred washes over him, turning him into an instrument of wrath and carnage.

Weapons
Thaumaturge’s Blight: An axe used to remove enemies who use magic against Zorthawn in combat. It was made from the strong metals of the deep chasm, earned in the test for Bladesman. Magic is drained from opponents when in contact with the weapon. It may be used to cut through magical attacks and nullify their effects, as well as block the more powerful blasts. There's no telling how much magical energy is stored within Thaumaturge's Blight, but its alleged storage has caused many sorcerers and mercenaries to hunt kill Zorthawn for it.

Frozen Warhammer: Once a trusty club given to any non-sentient golem for combat, it was blessed by the Skullhelm deathspeaker and melted down into a hammer fit for a Mandible.

Throwing Hatchets: Zorthawn always has a set of many average-sized battleaxes to use as hatchets for when fighting disgraceful opponents with an affinity to flee or attack from a distance.

History
Much of his origins are exclusively known only to the Deathspeakers of Korblox's Empire with the exception of himself beyond that is tied to the Mage King's past. The legends of how his past life may have looked like are as follows:

Zorthawn began his story as a son of two barbarian warriors. He pushed to be great just as they were, leading to an obsession with warfare and strength training. When he was young he picked out a baby goat, and carried it up a nearby hill each day. As he got older he fed the goat until it became fat, and the weight of the animal grew as he became stronger. When the goat no longer grew he ate it, then he began taking a calf, and when it became a bull he ate that too. By that time he was ready for the battlefield.

A majority of his youth was spent hunting large and intimidating predators to prove his worth to his people. For his coming of age ceremony he was tasked to defeat the barioth. This was a test not often given to the normal soldier, let alone one so inexperienced. After a long, brutal bout, Zorthawn killed it and wore its pelt as a trophy. As Zorthawn aged to adulthood, he began taking part in war. Trained from birth, he was massive in height and stature. Seven feet tall and muscular, he towered over nearly all of his peers. During the famine of the Frozen Wastes, Zorthawn, survived through the royal meals, but it seriously affected the power of the royal family.

After the death of his people, Zorthawn's soul was discovered by the Mage King.

After his induction, he quickly gained the rank of Mandible proving his abilities against each foe he faced. Once he was used to his clunky body, he could hold his own in matches with Bladesmen from the beginning. He soon after joined the Skullhelm tribe.

Through direct training with Korbloxian brass, improvement continued on and on. One day, the Mandible was put to the ultimate test of his abilities. The Mage King had seven highly-trained Korbloxian units hunt him down and try to defeat him together. Their combined magical ability was nearly able to best Zorthawn when they pushed Zorthawn into the chasm, assuming he had met his demise once again. When Zorthawn finally returned, he had the materials for Thaumaturge's Blight. Fashioned crudely into a new hammer, Zorthawn used it to defeat each of the seven in one great battle. He had passed the test and was promoted to Bladesman of the Empire.

Skullhelm Tribe
Within the Skullhelm territory, Zorthawn is known well as a skilled and honourable warrior. Zorthawn's reputation means much to him, and he has yet to break his oath by using magical power. This is why Thaumaturge's Blight is so coveted, the magical energy within may be exceedingly great.

His abode is furnished with the skulls of hundreds of magical creatures and wizards. He lives a spartan lifestyle with very little comfort or close friends.

Notable Facts

 * His code of honor is very strict, and he is known for showing mercy to honorable foes who adhere to his terms of combat.