Mance Rictar and Kerak in Battle
Mance Rictar is an insane blackguard who formerly served the Horde in Scarfell. He operated both as heavy cavalry and as a general.
History and Personality[]
Rictar was born in the city of Stonebourne in Cramen, where he grew up in poverty. Unable to support himself or his dying mother, he turned to crime by mugging travellers in the lower quarter of the city. Things were going well until he attempted to rob a cultist of Graz'zt. He was beaten badly and kidnapped by the cultist, but impressed with the young thief's defiance in the face of torture and death, the cultist kept him on as an apprentice. As a rite of initiation, Rictar was forced to kill his own mother while under the influence of a powerful drug. Seemingly, Rictar was uncaring after realising what he had done, at least for a few months. After he finally took his revenge on the cultist, the guards in Stonebourne only found fragments of bone within the city's sewers. Rictar had escaped south into Thane, where he served as a mercenary and got a reputation as an unpredictable and brutal warrior. After he successfully completed a contract to kill a paladin and his family, Rictar was visited by a man in dark armour who spoke to him about his order and the work they did. He made a gift of an unholy horse to Rictar, and the man told him that he was a true servant of Graz'zt and that there was work to be done leading an army in Scarfell, that he would be promised true power once the Horde had overwhelmed the Imperial Heartlands. The mysterious stranger also told Rictar that he would have the aid of a powerful dragon, Morkhazastansivenereth. Rictar accepted the offer and rode north to Jagged Peak, where he had a fortress constructed and an army assembled. Rictar remains mentally unstable and evil. He enjoys inflicting pain, humiliating his enemies and elaborate and torturous executions.
Skills and Powers[]
Rictar is a proficient blackguard, very strong and tough, with good leadership skills and a quick mind. He uses a number of stylised weapons, including a demon's head hammer, a vicious spiked flail and a long curved greatsword, always from horseback. He would often use magic while charging to terrify lesser enemies, or roar savage war cries while swinging his weapon. His armour and shield prevented most attacks from penetrating to his flesh, so he charged with impunity straight into enemy ranks to scatter them or cut through them, depending on numbers. He and his horse, Kerak, usually worked as a single unit when fighting.
In the Campaign[]
The party heard that Mance Rictar was holed up in his fortress at Jagged Peak, and they took great efforts to ensure the battle was as efficient as possible. Backbiter, Hanu, Iskander and Viserys tackled the dragon Morkhazastansivenereth so that he would not join the fray, and Viserys used magic to kill a number of highborn on the castle walls. They joined up with the Margrave and the Thanish troops and stormed the fortress. Although Rictar fought courageously, and almost killed Iskander, he was eventually defeated.
Rictar and Kerak are currently being held in the Dreadhold in Dura. A number of noblemen have suggested that Rictar was driven by circumstance and deserves a chance at redemption.
Kerak[]
Mance Rictar's horse is a massive black stallion with glowing red eyes and immense physical strenth. He and Rictar worked very well together, and he was known to kick and bite savagely in battle. Rictar had also enchanted his horseshoes to enable Kerak to fly.