Rhesh Turakbar

Rhesh is a minotaur title. Generally translated as “clan leader,” it more literally means “blessed warlord”—the chosen champion of the Horned King. Turakbar claimed the title by butchering his predecessor Rhesh Haalrac, seizing control of the Kor’mur clan and the fortress known as the Fist—now, Turakbar’s Fist. The Kor’mur (“Blood Horns”) interpretation of the Horned King is a tyrant who rules through bloodsoaked intimidation, and Turakbar follows this example. He revels in his role as a champion of dark powers. His horns and armor are engraved with glowing runes, and he enjoys crushing the life from his foes with his massive clawed gauntlet. But those who've met him can attest to the fact that he’s more than just a bloodsoaked brute. Turakbar is surprisingly clever, and has a talent—a gift of the Horned King—for sensing the fears of others. He enjoys tormenting his foes and rivals, both physically and psychologically. While he’s not the most powerful of the warlords of Droaam, Rhesh Turakbar may well be the most monstrous.

The Kor’mur are the largest of the minotaur clans, and the Fist is a powerful fortress on the edge of Breland. Both led the Daughters of Sora Kell to appoint Turakbar as the warlord of the region, further establishing his dominance over the other clans. When the hostilities between Breland and Droaam were at their height, Rhesh Turakbar raided deep into Brelish territory, sowing terror and burning supplies. Today Turakbar and his forces primarily patrol the border between Droaam and Breland, but they also regularly raid into Breland. They generally remain north of Graywall, avoiding the main trade road—but anything else is fair game. They rarely actually take anything in their raids, and they often wound or maim victims rather than killing them; their goal is fear, not plunder. The Daughters of Sora Kell say that these raids are the fault of Breland for refusing to recognize Droaam and thus allow for an absolute determination of borders; they say the violence is Breland’s fault, both for settling too far west and for refusing to include Droaam in the Treaty of Thronehold.

If your character is from the western frontier, it’s possible you’ve already had an encounter with Rhesh Turakbar. His reavers could have razed your farmstead or killed your friends or family, leaving you alive and hungry for revenge. Perhaps it seemed as if he was going to kill you, and then he turned aside—and you’ve always wondered why.

Rumors About Rhesh Turakbar…

• Rhesh Turakbar has no love for the Daughters of Sora Kell. While he knows he doesn’t have the power to challenge them openly, he is constantly pushing the limits of his authority and finding ways to defy them. If he could find a way to overthrow them and steal their power, he would.
• While Turakbar appears to rebel against the Daughters, this is merely a stance. As a champion of the Horned King, he has to appear to be indomitable tyrant. Beneath this posturing, he is a strong ally of the Daughters and they are helping him research ways to increase his fiendish powers.
• Rhesh Turakbar despises goblins and kobolds, and has sworn to kill Kethelrax the Cunning before the end of the year.

TURAKBAR'S FIST

In Brief: Droaamite fortress, citadel of evil

Key Inhabitants: Rhesh Turakbar (male minotaur warlord), Byraka (female minotaur raider), Ghwyyr (male gnoll warlock), Haakar (female half-orc hunter)

Imagine a barren plain covered with shards of polished black stone. These fragments have edges sharper than knives, and they gleam when the lightning flashes—for there is always a storm over the plain. Look more closely, and consider the shapes of the stones; perhaps you can see the outline of a vast and terrible city built by fiends in a time long forgotten. This foul metropolis fell long before humanity rose, but one piece remains. Look from above, and you can see that this was surely the heart of the ancient city: a fortress tower, a spire of dark polished stone studded with blades and sharp edges. No mortal hand or mundane tool could shape such a thing. It is a vile relic of a forgotten age, the hand of an overlord raised in defiance. The Dhakaani named it t’Kaash, the Fist. They recognized it as a thing of evil, but even the power of the empire couldn’t destroy t’Kaash. Anything that dwells in this fortress will be corrupted by it, but it has never stood empty for long; those with evil in their hearts are drawn to it, yearning for the power it offers. It has known many masters, but today it is Turakbar’Kaash—Turakbar’s Fist.

The fortress now known as Turakbar’s Fist lies north of the town of Graywall, almost dead center between the Graywall and Byeshk Mountains. It serves to guard the border of Droaam, but it is far older than the Daughters of Sora Kell. Anyone who’s spent time on the western frontier knows the stories. Turakbar’s Fist is a remnant of one of the first cities in Khorvaire—the citadel of the overlord Tol Kharash, more commonly known as the Horned King. Everyone knows stories of how the Sovereigns defeated the ancient fiends or how these dark powers are bound by the Silver Flame; it doesn’t take a Korranberg education to imagine that this Horned King may be bound beneath this spire. The people of the east often imagine the denizens of Droaam to be cruel, bloodthirsty monsters, and Turakbar’s Fist has long helped drive that image. As soon as you approach the fortress, you can feel it drawing out the worst parts of you, driving mercy from your thoughts and whispering of the power you could wield if you have the strength to take it. Or perhaps you will feel courage and hope being burned away. For the Horned King is a spirit of tyranny, and if you aren’t prepared to be a tyrant, it brands you as a victim.

Given the power of this place, some might wonder why the Daughters of Sora Kell didn’t claim it themselves. Why isn’t this the seat of power, instead of the Great Crag? The obvious answer is that this isn’t the vision they have for Droaam. However great the power in this place, it is a place of petty tyranny. The warlord of t’Kaash will always be driven to dominate through force and terror. Turakbar and his Fist are a useful tool for the Daughters, certainly. And it is better for them that he can terrorize the east, for driven by his demons, he will shed blood one way or another.

Turakbar’s Fist is a literal citadel of evil. It is mainly a place you will hear about in unpleasant stories, the source of the bloodthirsty reavers who ravage the western frontier. Should you ever have cause to go there, be sure you’re well-armed and prepared. The denizens of Turakbar’Kaash respect strength and cruelty, and if you show any signs of weakness, they will consume you.

Interesting Things About Turakbar’s Fist

• Raiders from t’Kaash have been a threat in this region throughout history. There have been periods of time when the spire has stood empty, and times when the inhabitants have directed their aggression westward—periods when the servants of the Horned King spread terror among the goblins and orcs to the west instead of the humans to the east. The fortress of Orcbone was established to protect settlers from the reavers of the Fist.
• In the eighth century, the Church of the Silver Flame sent an army of templars to cleanse this vile fortress, which at the time was held by a legion of Gaa’aram orcs and fiend-bound gnolls. While brutal, this purge succeeded. However, the templars found it impossible to destroy the citadel and concluded that there was no imminent danger of the overlord being released. Furthermore, they realized that anyone who remained in the citadel for long would be corrupted by its power. As the fortress was far from civilized lands, the Church withdrew and issued an edict that the faithful should avoid the region around this dark spire. It was in the wake of this purge that t’Kaash was first claimed by the minotaur clans.
• It is the custom to name the spire by its current master. So it is currently known in Droaam as Turakbar’Kaash, Turakbar’s Fist. However, fifteen years ago it was Haalrac’Kaash. Rhesh Turakbar is a powerful warlord who's held the fortress since the rise of Droaam, and it seems that the Daughters prefer to work with the fiend-worshipper they know. But if Turakbar is slain, someone new will surely lay claim to the Fist.

Businesses and Locations

Few easterners enter Turakbar’s Fist and live to tell the tale. But there are a few who have seen the inside: merchants, entertainers, escaped prisoners. The archives of Flamekeep have detailed maps made when the templars briefly seized the spire. What these stories share is the fact that the current inhabitants of the Fist didn’t build it. The disadvantage of having indestructible walls is that you can’t remove the obsidian impaling spikes or widen the halls. Turakbar may hang banners and mount trophies, but at the end of the day he and his warriors are squatting in a demon’s fortress.

Turakbar’s Fist is surrounded by a number of small villages and strongholds. These follow the old model of the Barrens; a chib dominates a community through fear and force. Often these are minotaurs; the Blood Horn minotaurs hold Turakbar’s Fist, but the Red Hooves and Blade Breakers are lesser clans in the region. There’s also a few trolls and ogres among the chibs. While the other minotaur clans have their grievances with the Blood Horns, all of them bend the knee to Turakbar as the Daughters’ appointed warlord.

Important People

The Blood Horn minotaurs rule Turakbar’s Fist, but they make up less than a quarter of its population. Many of Rhesh Turakbar’s soldiers are Gaa’aram orcs, along with a handful of worgs and feral shifters. These warriors are the ruling class, supported by a host of goblins, kobolds, and ogre servants. While there are a few rebellious spirits among these servants—the kobold warlord Kethelrax the Cunning was once bound in Turakbar’s Fist—most are trapped by their fear of Turakbar and the soul-crushing influence of the Fist itself. In addition to Rhesh Turakbar, a few of his lieutenants are known throughout the frontier.

Byraka, the Bloody Ghost. This minotaur is a rising star among the Kor’mur clan. She is a fierce war leader whose reavers are responsible for some of the most terrifying raids of the last two years. Baraka has silver-white fur, though it is often stained with blood from her kills; survivors of her raids called her “a bloody ghost” and she has embraced the name. Rhesh Turakbar appreciates her skill and the terror she spreads in his name, but many believe he sees Byraka as a rival and hopes she will die in battle.

Ghwyyr. This gnoll was once a hwyri—a demon-hunting warden—of the Znir Pact. No one knows what led to his fall, but he went from hunting corrupted minotaurs to serving as the warlock-priest of the Horned King. Ghwyyr is a dangerous spellcaster who claims to commune with the Horned King. He advises Rhesh Turakbar and performs vile rituals and cruel sacrifices at Turakbar’s Fist. The gnolls of the Znir Pact despise Ghwyyr and have sworn to destroy him.

Haakar. Once a bounty hunter of House Tharashk, this half-orc left her house to follow the path of the Horned King. While she occasionally accompanies raiding parties, Haakar prefers to stalk her prey alone. While she will pursue any enemy of Rhesh Turakbar, she is infamous for hunting Sentinel Marshals; she’s known to have killed three so far, and wears their Deneith signet rings as trophies.

Connections to Turakbar’s Fist

• (Gnoll) The traitor Ghwyyr is your brother, and his betrayal shames your bloodline. Somehow, you will end him.
• You’ve been having vivid nightmares about Turakbar’s Fist. You don’t know if it’s calling you there to die, or if you have a purpose to fulfill—if, somehow, you can break the power of the Horned King.
• Your family or friends were killed by Byraka during a raid, and you have sworn to take vengeance on the Bloody Ghost.
• Haakar stalked a group you were traveling with. She took you by surprise, killing your companions but leaving you alive. She said you weren’t “fully seasoned,” but that she’d find you again when the time is right. You're determined to be ready for her the next time you meet.

This is first draft material from Frontiers of Eberron, untouched by any editor! Aside from my current uncertainty about the final form of the book, this will surely be edited and revised before any sort of publication. Thanks for your support!