Khelmet, the Dagger Wielder

Index

Khelmet, as known as Khel-Met in the kreg-hak territories where he lived most of his life, was a rak-slayer hero, whose fame expanded to all of the Norwald. He was born on Therehan, second mansal of Ladak 6097, son of Morka IV and Salthak I, and he died, sacrificing his life to trap Hakko in the Netherwald, on Aldrahan, first mansal, Darif 6470. After his passing, he was well known for his pure heart, which gave him the possibility to use Thekar to open portals.

Family

Khelmet was Morka IV and Salthak I’s first born, thus, Thostar’s big brother. He was part of the Khelthenean royal family, and although he was told about it, he was never really interested in it. He never had a love interest. His parents were Salthak I and Morka IV. His adoptive father was Re-Vek, and he had an adoptive sister, called Hepa, who was in reality his niece, although they never knew they were related by blood.

Biography

Early aner

Khelmet was born on Therehan, second mansal of Ladak 6097 at Kheltena’s castle. His parents were already decaying, but not completely consumed by madness and greed. A mansal after his birth, Morka and Salthak organized a welcoming to the Norwald party for their son, which was actually an excuse to show off Thekar to try to get some praise from the surrounding countries. The very same dahan of the party, Aidaran, knowing about the dagger (as it was made very clear by the king and queen that they owned it), assaulted the castle, trying to steal the dagger of the gods from them.

Luckily, Re-Vek, who was one of the wizards of Studious Fortress’ who still knew about the importance of the dagger, was there. Intuiting something catastrophic would happen, he was fast enough to convince the monarchs to give him the dagger and the baby to protect them both. He ran away to his cave in Nar-Ka and raised Khelmet as his own child.

Although Re-Vek had the dagger of the gods and could use it, and even let Khel-Met wield it, as it was his right, Studious Fortress recommended that he didn’t unless it was completely necessary.

Due to Nar-Ka’s xenophobic tribes, and not wanting Khelmet to bear with racist situations that could lead him to death, he disguised his kureton traits and transformed his appearance into a kreg-hak. Claws and teeth were filed down, ears cut pointy and scleras tattooed to black. His name was also pronounced in kreg-hak’s pronunciation: Khel-Met.

Subterranean life

As a teenager, Khel-Met was already capable with short, mid and long range weapons, and used some basic spells flawlessly. Re-Vek taught him as much as he could about magic, fighting and History, and he instructed him about the importance of the dagger of the Gods.

However, they were almost trapped in that cave, as Nar-Ka tribes didn’t accept outsiders. Re-Vek, being a kreg-hak from Sha-Ak, was neither well received, so they had to live completely on their own, hunting and growing crops while avoiding the nomad tribes. Khel-Met could pass for a Narkian, but him not belonging to any tribe could raise some suspicions. It would be useful in case a Narkian saw him by chance, but not for him to try to cooperate or trade. In addition, Narkians were also not completely comfortable with people from other tribes inside of their very own territory, so in any case, Khel-Met’s features were useful to hide from danger, but not to try to approach the other tribes.

With an incomparable energy as a young adult, Khel-Met needed adventure and traveling. Staying in the same cave for aners and getting trained by Re-Vek, without getting to know anybody else was getting harder, so he had the idea of exploring the foothills. Narkians live in the mountain tops or the higher parts of the mountains, so it should be alright for him to go exploring the bottom parts of the mountain ranges.

That’s how he discovered a whole civilization in subterranean passages. Only loredinos and korkeroths lived there. Khel-Met was impressed by how they created that many tunnels, and his curiosity led him to know more. But the tharais who lived there, seeing his kreg-hak features, were afraid he would try to exterminate them, and fought him as if he was an enemy. He had a very long fight against some loredinos who were hanging in one of the first rooms of the tunnels, and he won fairly without killing any of them. The loredinos, surprised that he didn’t, asked him to tell them about himself. He said he wasn’t against them and their people, and that he was an outsider to Nar-Ka too.

The loredinos still didn’t trust him enough, so he visited them every dahan, bringing all sorts of gifts, earning their trust. Aners later, he finally became friends with the subterranean people, knowing almost each one of them and all about the History of their people.

Sadly, the trips to the subterranean passages were discovered by Narkians. A tribe that had established close to Re-Vek and Khel-Met’s cave saw Khel-Met traveling back and forth, and were intrigued to know more about that lonely kreg-hak. Five kreg-haks followed him to the tunnels, and seeing the loredinos, unsheathed their weapons and started killing everybody they saw. The subterranean people fought with bravery against the Narkians, killing three of them. The other two fled back to the tribe’s encampment, planning to tell the rest of the clan everything they saw in order to organize attacks on the tunnels as many times as needed, until everybody was dead.

Believing it was a trap set by the outsider, the loredinos took Khel-Met and kept him prisoner. He used his eloquence skills to convince them the attack had nothing to do with him. Lei’derinosil, the one loredino who trusted him the most was very hurt by the Narkians, but thankfully alive. Rel’oilerlerler, the one who trusted him the least, on the other hand, was perfectly fine and in charge of keeping the prisoner. Khel-Met told them that, if he was set free, he could call his father, who would be able to heal Lei’derinosil. Rel’oilerlerler thought it was another trap to finish them, but it was the only way to at least have the opportunity to heal his friend, as they didn’t have enough knowledge on healing to be able to get Lei’derinosil to make it.

Khel-Met was chained and accompanied by Rel’oilerlerler and a giant korkeroth called Okokokokok, to the cave where he lived with Re-Vek. Khel-Met’s adoptive father had gone hunting, and the cave was, as always, protected by magic, so invisible to the eye. Khel-Met called his father four times, but there was no answer, so the loredino started to be impatient, and, due to the short temper he had, he ended up screaming. The Narkian tribe was still around, and their attention was called. They got there and, seeing a kreg-hak being held by a loredino, started to attack Rel’oilerlerler. Not so much because of the kreg-hak, as they didn’t know him, but driven by the hate towards the different.

The korkeroth stepped up and ripped most of the Narkians, and so did Khel-Met, still held by the chain. In the middle of the fight, Re-Vek came back. He, being the great wizard he was, stopped the battle with a snap of his fingers. Everybody except Khel-Met was frozen. Re-Vek asked for an explanation, and Khel-Met told him what happened, and to please not kill the loredino nor the korkeroth. He agreed and with another finger snap, he made the insides of the Narkians explode. Their organs popped up through their eyes, mouth, ears and nose, blood bathing Khel-Met and his friends. Rel’oilerlerler and Okokokokok were very impressed and scared, and started venerating Re-Vek, who had a very different appearance from the kreg-haks they used to know. They forgave Khel-Met and freed him from the chain that was still holding him.

He then asked Re-Vek to please come heal Lei’derinosil. He agreed, under one condition. As one Narkian tribe discovered the location of their cave, they were now unsafe and had to move. Narkians didn’t know there was a home there, but they did know two tharais that were not part of any tribe were living in the surroundings. So they asked Rel’oilerlerler if they could move to the subterranean passages. Rel’oilerlerler accepted. Re-Vek and Khel-Met took everything from the cave (they didn’t have much) and together with the loredino and korkeroth, went back to the subterranean passages.

Re-Vek was taken to the room where Lei’derinosil was, saw the wounds and mumbled some words while putting his hands over the loredino. In a matter of a couple soblor, Lei’derinosil was perfectly fine. Everyone in the tunnels heard about the wizard and Khel-Met, and praised them as heroes and family. They dug a room for the two of them, and helped them place their items. They were very intrigued and afraid by Thekar, but Re-Vek never let them get close. He hid it shortly after he was left alone.

The subterranean passages allowed Khel-Met and Re-Vek to travel a lot through the nearby countries, getting from time to time to Studious Fortress and allowing the young hero to experience all kinds of adventures.

The family was living in the tunnels with these tharais, and Khel-Met, thanks to his many trips, thought it would be a great idea to use the tunnels as shortcuts for people traveling from the frontier countries. Narkian tribes never allowed travel through their mountains, killing everyone who tried to cross the country. This made foreigners have to take a longer road in which they wasted many extra dahans. His thirst for adventure was almost demanding him to help foreigners: he wanted to become a noble hero, and this was a great way to start.

After a debate that lasted for a whole mansal, Khel-Met managed to convince the loredinos and korkeroth to let him use the tunnels to help travelers of the Norwald, and in exchange, they would get exquisite food and drinks from other countries. He traveled to Kajtar, which was the most accessible of the closest countries, and started to tell people who looked as if they were going to start a journey if they wanted to save time by going through the subterranean passages. Most didn’t trust him, but a very desperate couple wanted to get to their destination as fast as possible, so they agreed on giving them a barrel of Kajtarian beer if Khel-Met could get them through Nar-Ka without making themselves noticed by Narkians. He did, and the travelers and the loredinos and korkeroth as well were very happy with the result.

Khel-Met’s name started to be more and more famous and praised in the nearby areas, as he got so many families to travel through Nar-Ka without any harm. The subterranean people were very happy with the food and drinks the foreigners kept bringing, and Khel-Met started to challenge himself to harder and harder quests such as slaying beasts and animals that terrorized villages.

One of his most important acts of heroism was the following: there was a family of a pregnant kureton and her parents who were fleeing Kajtar some aners after Thostar’s coronation. They wanted her to have the baby far from the country, and that seemed the fastest option they had available. During the journey through the mountains, the female got in labor way before it was expected to. She passed away while giving birth. The grandparents didn’t have a way to raise the child, as they didn’t have money nor a home nor a way to live on their own. Khel-Met brought the baby back to Re-Vek and told him that they had to adopt the baby, who she called Hepa, as it was her mother’s name.

Death

The family kept living like this until some messengers from Kajtar came looking for Khel-Met. They were seeking for him because he was the only hero that they thought could help them and the worthiest they’ve ever heard of, and were trying to mend the mistakes their king had committed. Thostar I went missing, and shortly after, Hakko, the Ancient Rak of Darkness was awake and setting an eternal night to all of the Norwald.

Khel-Met, avoiding Narkians, lived in the subterranean tunnels and didn’t go out until it was night time, so he didn’t see that something was different until he was told so. These people risked their lives traveling to Nar-Ka to find him, so he knew it was indeed important. A council was made with Re-Vek, and among the many discussed possibilities, this one was chosen: he would ride the beast, and once Hakko was flying straight or down, he would jump from his head and open a portal that would take the beast to Shadi, just in front of the portal to the Netherwald. Inertia would do the rest, and he would be trapped in the Nightmare World. He then would just have to open another portal under him to bring him back to the tunnels, and Norwald would be saved from the beast.

The fight was brutal and exhausting. It was way harder to get on Hakko than he expected, but he managed to ride the beast. However, the rak was immense and he struggled to get on top of its head. Once he got to the skull, he was already very high in the sky, and Hakko was flying and twirling trying to make Khel-Met fall. After a very long fight, it was the perfect time to jump and open the portal. If he lost that chance, he might have died trying, waiting for the perfect moment. He opened the portal, the rak crossed it, and suddenly it was bright again. The plan worked, but Khel-Met needed so much force to open such a big portal, that his arms didn’t respond anymore. He couldn’t open the second one, and smashed himself against the floor, dying instantly.

Repercussion

He had fallen in one of Ni-Ik’s mountains. The people who lived there recognized the hero and sought for his father, who had also acquired some fame. Nobody dared to touch the corpse nor the dagger of the gods, which, gracefully, had landed stabbing the hero’s back. Its edge was strong enough to rip his armor. Re-Vek mourned the death of his son for the rest of his life. For one aner, he was allowed to live with Hepa in Ni-Ik. He took Thekar back with him, and a statue was raised for Khel-Met in the very same place he died.

He was buried under the statue, and, since then, there’s a celebration of that dahan in which people sing songs about his heroism.

Hakko, the Ancient Rak of Darkness, was trapped in the Netherwald. Each aner, the very same dahan of his passing (Aldrahan, first mansal, Darif), a celebration across all Norwald, but biggest in Ni-Ik, is organized.

Due to his sacrifice, Hepa was chosen to be heiress to the throne of Kajtar, as a way to thank Khel-Met’s act of heroism. The Emperor of the Arkoth Empire, Roshek III, chose her assuming she would behave as his adoptive brother, an example of perfection, and did all the necessary for her to be well raised and trained.

Re-Vek also moved to Khelthena’s castle, living a peaceful life without worrying about any possible need. He brought Thekar with him and hid it in the spot that was specifically prepared for it in the vaults of the castle.

Songs about Khelmet and his sacrifice are sung all over the Norwald, his death being celebrated as a reminder of courage and strength.

Khel-Met

Khel-Met, the Dagger Wielder

Birth: Therehan, second mansal of Ladak 6097, Fourth Era.
Death: Aldrahan, first mansal, Darif 6470, Fourth Era.
Cause of death: falling from a great distance.
Death ceremony: Burial in the same spot where he landed. A statue was raised over his tomb. Celebrations all over the Norwald ever aner the dahan of his death.
Official romantic relationship: None.
Progeny: None.
Father: Re-Vek
Biological Father: Salthak I of Kajtar.
Biological Mother: Morka IV of Kajtar.
Siblings: Thostar.
Theirno: Second.