The Chromatic Chord

Rakhal the Storm-Caller

Also: Rakhal, the Storm-Caller

The Orc god of the scouring wind of the Windscar, a Resonant of Zephyr who breaks what has gone stale; his following is growing, and he grows more volatile with it. See The Gods of the Medieval Era.

Origins and Birth

Rakhal the Storm-Caller was born from the collective impatience of the Orc kindreds of The Windscar Expanse with whatever has gone stale.

In harsh country, stillness kills. A camp that stays too long fouls its water and grazes out its ground. A route no one tests becomes a route no one can trust. A pact kept out of habit, after its terms have stopped being honoured, gives false shelter: it looks like safe passage until it fails. The wind that scours the escarpments and strips the dust basins was, for the Orcs, the force that showed which shelter was real. They did not pray for "calm" or "safety"; they prayed for testing. They begged for "a wind that shakes the camp," for "a gale to strip the false shelter," and for "the fury that clears the air." They were willing to risk destruction if it meant ending a stillness that would kill them more slowly.

Appearance and Presence

Rakhal appears as a figure of terrifying, electric vitality, radiating the energy of a brewing tempest.

  • Visuals: He is a towering, heavy-shouldered Orc with skin the colour of bruised purple clouds, crackling with arcs of blue-white lightning.
  • The Atmosphere: Wherever he goes, the air grows heavy with ozone and dust.
  • The Voice: His voice sounds like rolling thunder mixed with the roar of wind along a cliff face.

Powers and Abilities

Rakhal does not just summon wind; he commands the chaos. He does not just bring rain; he scours away the old.

  • The Tempest: He can summon a localized whirlwind or dust storm to scatter a raiding band, strip a false treaty-ground, or break a stronghold grown stale.
  • The Clearing: He can blow away dust, smoke, magical illusions, or corruption, revealing the truth or cleansing the land.
  • The Updraft: He can lift heavy objects or people into the air, allowing them to escape danger or reach high places.
  • The Gale's Fury: He can infuse his followers with a state of berserk speed and strength, allowing them to move faster than thought and strike with the force of a gale.

Current Status: The Breaking Point

Rakhal is active and growing stronger as more of the Windscar settles.

  • The Strain: The Windscar Pacts have long balanced anchored basin holding against exposed escort and treaty-ground, and both sides have grown heavier with old claims, guarded reserves, and rules of rank.
  • The Dilemma: Rakhal is torn between scouring what has gone stale and sparing what still holds.
  • The Volatility: As his following grows, Rakhal is becoming more unpredictable.

Relationships with Other Entities

Legacy and Echoes

Rakhal is a living legend across the Windscar Expanse.

  • The First Gale: At the start of the windy season, camps light fires on high ground and dance in the wind as it rises.
  • The Legend of the "Still Well": The story is of a camp that stayed so long at one well that the water soured and the herds sickened, and still no one would move.
  • The Dust-Raiders: Rakhal's young zealots ride out in the brown wall of a dust storm, faces wrapped, and fall on a guarded reserve while its keepers can see no further than their own hands.
  • The Struck Tent: A camp whose shelter is struck by lightning in the first gale is said to have gone stale in the god's eyes, and its neighbours will not camp beside it until it has moved twice.
  • The Lightning-Struck Thorns: Along the escarpment routes, there are lone thorn trees that have been struck by lightning but did not burn.

In the Writers’ Guide

See Also