Khemmis

Khemmis

Alias	The Ram of Stygia
Species	Tiefling
Class	Barbarian
Affiliation	Weastern Pirates
Role	First Mate

Khemmis is a male Tiefling Barbarian who is the current First-Mate of the Weastern Pirates in Arx Flutallum, and was a slave gladiator that fought in the Stygia Coliseum under the moniker “The Ram of Stygia’. Khemmis eventually escaped his enslavement, and set sail to find a new life for himself, eventually joining the Weastern Pirates and serving as their First Mate. Khemmis is also the brother of Khallis, a member of the Golden Council of Sang-Lothor.

Biography

Life in the Imperium(1460TO-5TN)

Khemmis and his brother Khallis were born into a life of slavery in the Sang-Lothor Imperium on Aries 21, 1460 TO. Together they spent their youth passing from owner to owner, until they eventually found their way to the Coliseum of Stygia**(1475TO)**, where they were beaten, tortured, and made to fight under Emperor Lothor the Prime.

Eventually, Khemmis and his brother faced off against the fearsome Minotaur Thorun. Thorun served to be Khemmis’ greatest challenge, with the Minotaur making short work of him and breaking off one of his horns. With Khemmis dispatched, the Minotaur set it’s sights on his brother, who, without Khemmis to defend him, perished. Khemmis, in a blind rage, mustered the last of his strength and managed to fell the Minotaur, severing its own horn in return and goring it. This violent act cemented his place as the Coliseum champion, and earned him the title of the ‘Ram of Stygia’.

In the aftermath of this battle, Khemmis was gravely wounded, and he was tended to by the Coliseum’s one armed worker Herm, who informed him that his brother succumbed to his injuries. Khemmis, with nothing left to care for but himself, began to walk the bloody path of a gladiator.

Khemmis lived many long years as the Coliseum’s champion, and when off the arena, he spent a great deal of time with Herm, learning from the wise old man. Khemmis grew very fond of him, and together the two shared a great friendship. Herm eventually confided in Khemmis, revealing he was once the champion himself, the Great Hermaeus. When a battle left him with only one arm, Hermaeus was committed to leave the arena. He realized, however, that this life was all he knew. Resigned to his fate, he lived his days beneath the very coliseum he once championed as a shell of his former self.

Escape and Freedom(5TN-10TN)

Hermaeus told Khemmis of life beyond the walls, and Khemmis longed to know of the outside world. One day, when Khemmis found an Imperial soldier mercilessly beating Hermaeus, he snapped and attacked. Together, the two fended off the swathes of imperial soldiers, and that at moment, Khemmis saw an opportunity to leave this life behind. Together the two escaped from the Coliseum. but Hermaeus, weak from his great ordeal, succumbed to his wounds in Khemmis’ arms. From that day forth he vowed to honor his friend and mentor, and live his life in freedom for them both.

Khemmis travelled the world and ended up in the Commonwealth of Port Tormenta on Aigora (10TN), until he eventually met up with a group of former slaves who had formed the Weastern Pirates, and he joined them.

Wind of the Weast(10TN-)

Khemmis was chosen to be the first mate of the Crew by it’s Captain, Tonhkh. Khemmis, was initially wary of the group, and was often rude, blunt, and quick to anger. Over time he grew to trust the members of the crew, and learned to taper his anger, something he never thought possible.

Khemmis’ life changed when the crew, on a Journey to Storm Lake, encountered a Stalwart knight who defended a sanctuary that housed a Great Elder Tree. This knight, a member of a race of sentient mushroom-folk, went by Shrim, and together with the crew, the party attempted to save The Father Tree from a terrible curse that plagued him. Though unable to save the Father, Khemmis gave his life as a last ditch effort to restore the Tree’s life force. Instead, however, Khemmis absorbed the Father’s very life essence, and as a result Khemmis now housed the spirit of the Celestial Tree spirit known as Baal within him. He became Baal’s chosen, and with that, Shrim pledged himself into the service of Khemmis/Baal.

Description

Appearance

Khemmis is a Tiefling of the Levistus bloodline, and as such has icy blue skin, inverted pupils, a spined tail, jet black hair, and a large set of curved horns. Khemmis sports unkept stubble on his jaw, and he ties the top of his hair into a long back-knot.

Khemmis is uncharacteristically tall and heavy-set for a tiefling. He stands at a towering 7’4”, and his lifetime of combat have left him physically scarred, but also incredibly strong. He has a wide build, square jaw, and an athlete’s physique. His left horn, broken during a fearsome encounter that nearly left him dead, has been welded on with a golden band, courtesy of Jebbedo. Khemmis also sports a brand on his left shoulder of the Sang Lothor Imperium’s House Dragmire.

More notably, Khemmis’ body exhibits extreme signs of the influence of fey magic. When the spirit of Baal took Khemmis as a host, a nest of thorny vines began growing around his right horn. His right arm shows spots of green pigmentation, and any armor he wears naturally succumbs to moss, thorns, and bramble within hours of him wearing it. As a result, Khemmis’ half-plate armor and giant-slaying great-axe are both overgrown with vines and thorns. Though they provide an extra edge in a fight, the thorns don’t seem to bother him all that much.

Personality

Gruff, uncouth, and generally lacking in any sense of manners, Khemmis is an intimidating figure to most. Khemmis is generally known for his lack of patience, his poor temper, and his stubbornness. Despite this, Khemmis is above all else, fiercely loyal. He takes pride in his ability to protect his friends, and he exhibits extreme confidence in any and all situations, regardless of whether or not the situation is under control. Despite his strength, Khemmis is easily frustrated by certain tasks, and refuses to acknowledge when he has difficulty with things like reading or coming up with a plan.

Khemmis doesn’t put much stock in education and is unable to read. Though he doesn’t find it particularly necessary, he gets easily frustrated when he is put in a situation where he must, preferring to lie or pretend than admit he can’t read. Khemmis is unequivocally a brute, and he has no shame in this fact. He doesn’t think too much about most things, preferring to go with his gut and let his friends stop him if he’s doing something exceptionally idiotic. Not an eloquent man by any means, Khemmis often has few words, and gets across his point in more ‘unambiguous’ ways.

Though he’d never admit it, Khemmis is naturally empathic, and is often times willing to put his own life on the line for anyone’s plight regardless of the circumstances, provided they pass Cere’s test of trust. This thinly veiled compassion has been amplified by the presence of Baal, who seems to be providing Khemmis with a greater degree of wisdom and control.

Khemmis displays extreme passion in defending Shrim and Baal’s tenets. Though he’s never been the religious type, his enraged state has slowly evolved into a driven focus and determination to carry out the will of the Elder Tree. He is as fiery as ever, but he has learned to channel his raw anger into a focused weapon in nature’s fight against the forces that would seek to dominate it.

Pet Peeves

• large crowds
• children
• authority
• slavery
• reading

Relationships

• Tonhkh
  • Khemmis treats the captain with absolute respect, and would follow him gladly to wherever he wished. Khemmis trusts Tonhkh with his life.
  • “Aye aye, Cap’n!”
• Cere
  • Despite Khemmis’ general disdain for children, Cere exhibits an unnatural aura that makes her wise beyond her years. Khemmis respects her, and considers her to be an absolute moral measuring stick in this confusing and grey world.
  • “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You always do.”
• Jebbedo
  • Jebeddo is Khemmis’ brother in arms. The two have fought together countless times, defending their crew to their last breath. They share a competitiveness, but the two are a formidable team in combat.
• Khallis
  • Simultaneously a complete mystery to Khemmis and also the one man who he feels he shares a kinship with, Khallis is enigmatic and cunning. Khemmis trusts his brother with his life, and he feels as though he is his brother’s keeper as well. Khallis harbors a darkness that Khemmis has sensed, and he wants more than anything to show Khallis a out of the Empire’s shadow.
  • “You’re supposed to be the smart one.”
• Savina
  • Few can relate to the struggles Khemmis has faced in life like Savina, a fellow tiefling. Khemmis trusts Savina’s sharp wit, and can always rely on a well-placed shot from her crow’s nest in the heat of battle.
  • “Nice shot, Savina!”
• Neko of the Nen
  • Tough as they come. You won’t see Khemmis getting on her bad side. Behind all that water-bending grace is a pretty brutal warrior who won’t shy away from drowning some poor fool who messes with the Weast.
• Shrim
  • The pinnacle of honor. Shrim is a stalwart defender of all that his people hold dear. The last of his family, Khemmis is determined to ensure that Shrim finds comfort in his new Weast family. Though Shrim is sworn to serve and defend Khemmis to his dying breath, Khemmis is ready to make sure Shrim doesn’t go down before he does, to his dying breath.
• Baal
  • A mysterious figure to Khemmis. Both a reflection of himself and an enigmatic patron, Baal is an ancient spirit with wisdom beyond Khemmis’ understanding. Through sharing this wisdom, Khemmis has become a Champion to this elder being, and is on a righteous path to being the Champion of Nature itself.
• Danimus
  • A brother in arms of sorts, Danimus was also a slave at in the Coliseum, although he escaped long before I was born. He is a member of the Blannis house, and brother to Desmond. Upon escaping the Imperium, he fled North, where he was trapped by a Mind Flayer for many years. Though the aging Danimus is a scarred, broken man, Khemmis knows he’s still got fight in him, and wants to make sure Danimus knows it too.
• Desmond Blannis
  • The biggest bastard I’ve has ever laid eyes on. He can go on and on about “the greater good”, but I’ve seen enough power-hungry maniacs to know that the only difference between Desmond and Nathair is Desmond thinks what he’s doing is actually good. Nathair has no delusions about his evil, but Desmond somehow thinks he’s this world’s savior. Just another maniac to me. Anyone willing to justify killing innocents the way he has is only biding their time before they meet the blade of my axe.

Equipment

• Feral Oak - Magical Half-plate armor overgrown with moss and thorns.
• Great-axe - An almost unrecognizable great-axe completely engulfed with brambles, moss, and vines.
• Lothlorian flowers
• Tazdeva - A sentient serpent that transforms into a longsword and whip.

Quotes

• “That’s the thing, the wind is always with us.”
• “HOW MY BLOOD BOILS” - during a rage
• “Khallis, stop lying to yourself, you’re not as good at it as you are at lying to other people.” - to his brother Khallis
• “You should probably surrender, otherwise we’ll have to kill ya” - to a great deal of people
• “That’s nice of ya, I’ll make sure Tonhkh takes real good care of yer head…” - To a Nathair priests pathetic attempt to display mercy.

Trivia

• Khemmis’ hatred for children comes from his experience in the coliseum, where the many snot nosed noble children would gawk and laugh at him. They would also often throw trash at him as he fought. As a result, he treats them poorly, with Cere being the only exception.
• Khemmis’ bond with nature began in the Coliseum, where he took comfort in collecting the beautiful thorned Lothlorian Flowers that he was often showered with upon achieving victory in the Coliseum.
• Khemmis has a particularly morbid habit he picked up in the Coliseum of severing his opponent’s heads. He likely would’ve stopped by now, but conveniently it serves a new purpose in aiding Captain Tonhkh in his “head-hunting” hobby.
• Khemmis is named after the Doom Metal Band, Khemmis.
• Khemmis originally wielded a great-sword.
• Khemmis was once in possession of the four Cardinal Oysters, but lost them when he traded them in a bazaar in Looselaw. He has spent quite some time searching for them since then.
• Khemmis has an acquired taste for sea-water. The rest of the crew tell him its unhealthy, but his 20 strength score and 16 constitution score say otherwise.

Current State

What became of Khemmis after the fall of Weastworld is a matter of considerable debate among the Sky Pirates of the Skysea, none of whom can agree on anything except that the Ram of Stygia does not simply disappear.

Some claim he sailed willingly into the World Tempest alongside the rest of the crew. Others insist they have seen him — vine-covered, horn glinting gold, drifting alone through the outer sky — though no two accounts agree on where. There are those who believe Baal did not merely dwell within him but consumed him entirely, and that whatever Khemmis was is long gone, replaced by something older and greener and far less interested in people.

What is known — what the stories agree on — is that Cloudbeard is not the only one who keeps illustrated tomes of his exploits hidden from prying eyes. The name Khemmis still surfaces in dark places: in the ruins of The Lost Sea Beneath the Clouds, in the warnings carved into the hulls of ships that dared challenge the Weast, and in the quiet prayers of those who once called him brother. Whether he is dead, unreachable, or simply biding his time, none of these possibilities comfort the people who thought of his great deeds.