Crongkamoor

Description/History

• Description

  This large bull wouldn't normally be taken at first glance as either a scholar or a shaman, and yet those two things were exactly what he was. Eight feet in height, not counting horns, and around seven hundred pounds of bulky muscle easily lead one to believe that he was a warrior first, foremost, and only. And admittedly, the big warhammer on his back did nothing to disillusion this preconception. However, the flashing silver eyes with their amethyst rings around the pupils shone with an intellect and insight that no simply soldier could ever be accused of.
  
  His long black hair left to casually fall to mid-back was straight, thick, and luxurious. His grey fur with its' numerous black markings was thick and shaggy, but soft and (like his hair) excellently groomed. Huge hands with two big fingers and a large thumb on each were covered in black, straight fur that was not nearly as thick as the rest of his body. Powerful, tree-trunk-like legs ended in glossy, dangerous hooves.
  
  His outfits consisted generally of plain leather trousers (generally black or brown), and plain cloth tunics (red, black, blue, or grey). Bracers on his wrists were a strange metal that were obviously more for function in fights than decoration, as there were multitudes of scratches upon their surfaces.
  
  All in all, a very well-put-together beast, combining power and intellect...unfortunately lacking in speed and agility, though. Ah well, not everyone can be perfect.

• History

  The Shaman's History (Abridged)
  
  Crongkamoor was born to Rangk and Troovar of the Sapphire Moon tribe. His father was a warrior and his mother a hunter, so nothing much was expected of the new arrival except the joys that came with any new baby. The young bull grew his first ten years like all the other children: playing games, learning the tribe's history, and doing the chores expected of all the youths. It was a good early childhood. He was happy with his family and his tribe.
  
  Shortly after his tenth birthday, he and some of the other children were out gathering berries with some of the women of the tribe. It had been a good day with excellent weather, soft breezes, blue sky, and many berries to be picked. The children had even had time to take an extended swim in the river for a break before returning to their task. As they returned to the village, they were attacked by an absolutely monstrous bear. The adults picked up what children they could and ran to get help, but Crongkamoor and three other boys were separated and unreachable. The bear, realizing that it had easy prey, fell upon the youths, claws and fangs ripping two of them apart while Crongkamoor and the other survivor ran away.
  
  Not willing to let prey escape, the bear chased after them, bloodlust and hunger driving it forward. The chase was short, as they reached a section of the river where the swift current and jagged rocks made it impassable. The bear arrived seconds later and lunged at Crongkamoor, but he was saved by his friend, who shoved him out of the way and took the killing bite instead. A scream of pure rage and despair was the only memory that Crongkamoor had before blacking out as the bear turned towards him.
  
  He awoke to find himself inside the hut of the tribe's shaman, stiff and sore, but otherwise, it seemed, unharmed. It was explained to him that just as the rescue party had arrived, they had witnessed Crongkamoor summon forth the water and rocks from the river to pummel the bear into, as the shaman put it, 'a stick mass of pulpy flesh and blood' before passing out. It turned out that he was a shaman himself, though his abilities had not had a reason to manifest until just that time. And it had been decided that Crongkamoor would spend the rest of his youth with the shaman, studying and learning.
  
  Many years passed, and the young boy grew into a fine young bull, his mind and powers trained by the shaman, while his body was trained by his hunter father. The old shaman was a small, lean male who had never bothered with building up his physical body since he used his powers for everything. However, the incident with the bear as a child had driven Crongkamoor to make sure that he would never be helpless again, powers or not. And he was respected for this decision, though it practically flew in the face of tradition.
  
  Unfortunately, as most of these stories go, tragedy struck the tribe. An army from the 'civilized' lands came through the wilds, and they put the tribal peoples to the sword and the torch, only keeping the women, the children, and the magically gifted for slaves. As in tune with nature as Crongkamoor was, there was nothing he could do to protect himself from a betrayal by one of the villagers who shot him in the back with a poisoned dart.
  
  Years of slavery followed, sometimes as a gladiator, sometimes as a pleasure slave, occasionally as a bodyguard, and once (only once) as a cook. The cook thing did not end well...for anyone. Eventually, however, he ended up under the ownership of a kindly old man who not only treated the bull with kindness and compassion, but also had private tutors brought in to teach the shaman various languages, histories, skills, and talents. After a few short years, the young male was an intellectual force to be reckoned with. His curiosity and thirst for knowledge never truly satisfied.
  
  After five years, age and poor health caught up to the old man. Upon his deathbed, in front of witnesses and legal representatives, Crongkamoor was granted his freedom as well as all the worldly possessions the old man owned. A reward, he was told, for excellent service and giving the old man a happy end to a lonely life.
  
  Crongkamoor had no desire to stay in the old man's home after the death, nor any real use for all the trappings of wealth the old man kept as a status symbol. So everything that he had been given was sold. A vast fortune in coin brought in from the sales, and with his financial future secured, he made his way into the world, leaving his past of ash and tears to blaze a future that would, hopefully, be brighter.