Khadugan Aruktai

Born over 50 years ago, Khadugar grew up in one such family unit. He father, Khubla, was the tribal leader, and from an early age, Khadugan was expected to lead. As a sign of his perceived ‘nobility’, he was raised by his father as a falconer, a role much prized in the Steppe community. Falconry is reserved for a talented few - those who are willing to brave the bluffs to retrieve and train their own lineage of these fine birds. Mostly responsible for overseeing the herds, watching for wolves, and hunting small animals for food such as rabbits, Falconers are revered in Steppe culture as those who are the closest to the imagined ideal of the perfect Warrior.

Khadugan grew up as a talented archer, and has raised and hunted alongside several generations of his own Falcon noble line. His current 3rd generation falcon, Tari, has been with him for nearly 10 years, and the bond between them is strong.

After his father's death at the hands of an orc raid, leadership of the tribe fell to Khadugan at the formative age of 21. Despite being the eldest son, and it being expected of him from birth, he was never a natural leader, and he was ill suited to lead his tribe. His troubles were compounded by several particularly fierce raids, and that seasons winter was one of the worst in memory. Tensions between him and his younger brothers led to resentment and the tribe began to tear itself apart. Low on resources, and sorely missing their father's leadership, his brothers took control from Khadugan, and exiled him from the tribe without a horse - a practice that in reality meant a death sentence.

The first winter was rough, and he nearly starved on several occasions. It was only his skill as a falcon hunter that kept him alive. The real turning point in his fortunes however was his chance encounter with an orc camp. The delicious smell of cooked bison had led him there, and a chance to get a small measure of revenge for killing his father was too good an opportunity to pass up. The first the orcs knew of his presence was the screech of a falcon and a flurry of arrows. Caught unaware, the orcs mostly fled, and Khadugan was able eat a real meal for the first time in months.

Rearming himself, and taking a new mount from his slain foes, Khadugan changed his approach to surviving in the steppes, using guerilla warfare tactics to fight in a land that doesn't lend itself well to hiding. He favoured tactics are to use the gently rolling topography to his advantage, fighting at the maximum possible distance, and relying on Tari to be his eyes. He was deadly efficient at it, and orc raiding party after orc raiding party was ambushed. The Orcs soon feared and gave him the name ‘the Fletch and the Falcon’. His name was brought up to keep unruly children behaved. For over 25 years, Khadugan brought the fight to the orcs alone, surviving off raiding their camps.

One year, Khadugan found himself back at the cattle markets on the River Erke. Despite being mostly self-sufficient, he still found need from time to time to return to the trappings of civilisation. Realising he knew nothing of his the fate of his tribe, he decided to ask around. They had not survived that winter he had left them. The whole tribe had been lost in a snowstorm, not longer than a month after his exile began. Khadugan had wondered what had happen to them in the past, but hearing it confirmed brought it home to him. Despite living by himself for the last 25 years, he felt truly alone in the world, and felt tired. He had shed countless gallons of Orc blood, and yet suddenly, it seemed so worthless. He was the last of his tribe, and his legacy was theirs. Too old for family, and too warped by years of living by himself, the tribe would die with him. He decided on that day that killing orcs was not enough to preserve his tribe's legacy and instead would help carve the Aruktai name in the annuls of history. Gathering, his horse and his falcon, he led them north, into the civilised kingdoms, in the hope of making a name for himself and his tribe as a famous huntsman.