Ko is a wise hermit living in the badlands.
History[]
Early History[]
Originally from the East, Ko came to the Black Mountains region as part of an army that had conquered many lands. He was a medicine man rather than a fighter, although he has excellent fighting abilities. When the army had finished its conquest, Ko asked the warrior-king who led them if he could remain in the region, and was granted permission to do so.
Ko soon settled in a shack in the Badlands, and though he kept to himself he became known to some of the local tribes, some of whom thought the hermit strange and believed that he practiced magic. After some years, Ko noted the appearances of the young man Raf outside of the Northmen village, practicing with weapons of his own invention.
Troll Mountain (Episode I)[]
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Troll Mountain (Episode II)[]
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Troll Mountain (Episode III)[]
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Personality[]
Ko is highly intelligent and curious, and is arguably the smartest and wisest human in the region south of the Black Mountains. He is quite knowledgeable about the different races who inhabit the region, such as the trolls, hobgoblins and mountain wolves, although he is less familiar with the internal cultures of the Northmen and Southmen tribes.
As a result of his time serving his homeland's army, Ko developed an apathy for war and violence (though not to the point of pacifism), as he disliked the things people did to one another, which led to him preferring to live out the remainder of his days in the Black Mountains away from people. Though not unsocial, Ko made no effort to approach any of the human settlements in the River Valley, preferring the solitude, yet missing opportunities for topical debates.
He admires invention and courage and values wisdom, traits that he sees much of in the young Raf. Ko recognises that the boy still has much to learn, and while he believes it better that Raf discover most of these things for himself rather than simply tell him, he doesn't hesitate to offer some snippets of wisdom.
Ko tends not to judge individuals based on the actions of the rest of their people, which is how he came to understand the more intellectual nature of field trolls like Vilnar, and how he did not condemn Raf as backwards-thinking like most of the Northmen. However, he did show hesitation in rescuing Düm from the gripping mud, though this was largely due to his uncertainty that a troll would understand the gratitude Raf offered him, but nonetheless helped Raf when he insisted on doing so.
Ko is highly loyal to his comrades, as he endeavored to continue aiding Raf upon learning of Vilnar's imprisonment, even orchestrating an elaborate scheme to further Raf's goal to steal the elixir from the trolls.
Skills[]
- Gifted Intellect: Compared to most residents of the Black Mountains and River Valley, Ko is more worldly and learned, a result of a lifetime of obtaining knowledge for himself.
- Expert Tactician: Ko is a gifted tactician, as he was able to plan out a way for Raf to escape his imprisonment, acquire the elixir and destroy much of Troll Mountain. He was able to keep his plan straight-forward enough that Düm was able to follow it, having the dragger take him before the Troll King as a "captive" with his firepowder (claimed as black salt), then call out subtle instructions for Raf to pick up on.
- Skilled Combatant: Despite his age, Ko is a skilled fighter when it comes to using crossbows and swords, having gained much experience during his time serving his homeland's army. He was able to fend off attacking hobgoblins with little effort while on the move.
- Blade Mastery: Ko is proficient in the use of swords, as he was able to parry the strikes of the attacking hobgoblins without being injured while making slashes of his own.
- Skilled Marksman: Presumably trained by his homeland's army, Ko is highly proficient in using his crossbow, being able to quickly draw a bead on his targets and bring them down, such as when he rescued Raf from the Lowland Wolves in the dark.
- Expert Spy: Ko is very good at shadowing people without their knowledge, as the art of moving silently and unnoticed is a skill his people value highly. He was able to observe Raf practising with his creations for a few years without the young man knowing. He has the skills to shadow groups of travelers through the Badlands without their noticing, such as Bader's war party.
- Expert Physician: As a former medicine man for his homeland's army, Ko is quite knowledgeable about medicines and treating injuries.
Equipment[]
- Crossbow: A ranged weapon belonging to Ko, presumably a keepsake from his time serving his homeland's army. Ko used it in his plan to free Raf from the trolls, having Düm hide it beneath the Fighting Platform in advance, and after the adventure was over, he allowed Raf to keep it for himself.
- Sword: A metal-forged blade belonging to Ko, which he used during the hobgoblins attack on the party to defend himself and Raf.
- Firepowder: An invention of Ko’s people, a flammable powder which can be a useful weapon against rival armies or large beasts. When he departed from his King's army, he took six barrels of the substance with him, and kept it in his shack in the Badlands.
Trivia[]
- The physical descriptions of Ko, as well as his recollections of his life, suggest that he came from Eastern Asia originally.
- He is a small old man with a long greying beard, oddly pointed eyes and he wears a hat made of wicker.