Khudaal Silverbelt

"''"Nineteen men had tried to take him, nineteen men had made a slip, And twenty would be the warrior with the greatsword on his hip."''"

Khudaal Silverbelt, Scout-Ranger of Thelsamar and Warbrand of the Dwarven Vanguard. A skilled outdoorsman and deadly assassin who now works in tandem with the forces of Ironforge to ease the guilt weighing on his conscience from his time spent as a hitman.



=Physical Description=

Khudaal stands roughly 4' 8" tall, and is a bit stocky, especially in the shoulders. He wears a bushy red beard, with two braids on the side, and has a small braid woven into the short hair near his left ear. He also wears a ponytail in the back, tied off to keep it from getting in his way.

He has dark brown eyes, and pale, milky skin. He is usually a bit dusty from his adventures. Up and down his arms, and across his chest, he has several battle scars from the knives of enemies who got a bit too close. One scar slashes down over his right eye, from eyebrow to cheekbone, but the eye is untouched. His left ear is missing, and has been replaced with an iron prosthetic forged by one of his close friends. On his left bicep lies, in purple ink so dark it's almost black, a rune that does not belong to any known alphabet.

Known professionally as the 'Crimson Reaper,' Khudaal dresses in leather armor dyed blood-red. The leathers, which were crafted by Khudaal himself, are faded and well wrinkled from many years of use. Patches and stitches can be seen, expertly integrated into the armor so as to make it seem like a feature rather than a fix. Battle scars litter the armor as well, slashes and slices all over where enemy blades didn't quite make it through the padding.

=History=

Khudaal was born in Thelsamar, near Loch Modan. He lived there with his uncle, for his parents were killed soon after his birth when cultists from the Twilight Hammer raided the village.

He was raised as a hunter, trained by his uncle's friend to stalk the woods hunting the black bears commonly used in the region's famous blood sausages. It was here that he learned how to skin animals and use the leather to create armor and other useful items.

When Khudaal turned 24, he decided to join the Rangers of Thelsamar to help protect his hometown against attacks from gnolls, giant spiders, and the cultists from the north. He was placed in the scout division because of his knowledge of hunting. Here, he learned how to stalk a target even better, and to meld himself with shadows to become invisible. He learned much about poisons and assassination techniques as well, and dispatched many threats to the town.

Eight years later, he left his hometown, looking for adventure. He spent some time doing odd jobs for the right price, and is now wandering Azeroth and other worlds seeking his fortune and his fate. In his many travels, he managed to lose the distinctive accent most dwarves carry, and has but a slight affection in his speech.

=Assassin=

The following details were disclosed after Khudaal joined the Dwarven Vanguard as a way of explaining his mysterious past.

After Khudaal left Thelsamar, he quickly became impoverished in the war-torn lands of the Eastern Kingdoms, despite selling his wares as a leatherworker. Starving and desperate, he found himself begging for scraps in the Oldtown district of Stormwind. One night, another beggar attacked Khudaal with a knife, attempting to secure a hunk of bread that Khudaal had scrounged from a feeding trough. Frightened and fighting for survival, Khudaal killed the man, took his knife, and put the body in the canals. Observed by some thugs, Khudaal was offered a choice: work for a shadowy figure known as 'The Boss,' and be paid enough to eat, or join the man in the canals.

Khudaal excelled greatly at his line of work. His training as a ranger enabled him to stalk his targets like prey, and knowing how to hunt enabled him to quickly and quietly end their lives. It didn't take too long before the rumors started to circulate about a new assassin working with the Defias gang, and the people of Elwynn Forest and Westfall took to battening up their shutters a bit tighter at night.

After some time, Khudaal's infamy grew beyond his capability to silence. Tales of a 'Crimson Reaper' wandering through Elwynn Forest and Westfall were shared with terrified enthusiasm around tables, campfires, and inns. Word of a dwarf with red hair dressed in leathers dyed red with blood was shared often, and his enemies grew in number. Aside from dodging the law, Khudaal now had to outwit the knives hired by his enemies, usually related to previously completed jobs.

During one particularly bloody month, Khudaal was singlehandedly responsible for the deaths of twenty hired knives who had set out to claim the bounty on his head. A song was created by a bard in the Lion's Pride Inn, called 'Twenty Men.'

To the town of fair Goldshire came a stranger one fine day

Hardly spoke to folks around him, didn't have too much to say,

No one dared to ask his business, no one dared to make a slip

The stranger there among them had a greatsword on his hip,

Greatsword on his hip.

It was early in the morning when he rode into the town

He came riding from the west side, slowly lookin' all around

"He's a killer, rogue and runnin'", came a whisper from each lip

"And he's here to do some business with the greatsword on his hip,

Greatsword on his hip."

In this town there was a hitman by the name of Killin' Red

Many men had tried to take him and that many men were dead

He was vicious and a killer, though a youth of twenty four

And the notches on his knife belt numbered one and eighteen more,

One and eighteen more.

Now the stranger started talkin', made it plain to folks around

Was a Badlands warrior, wouldn't be too long in town

He was here to take an outlaw back alive or maybe dead

And he said it didn't matter that he was after Killin' Red,

After Killin' Red.

Wasn't long before this story was relayed to Killin' Red

But the hitman didn't worry, men who tried before were dead

Nineteen men had tried to take him, nineteen men had made a slip,

And twenty would be the warrior with the greatsword on his hip,

Greatsword on his hip.

Now the morning passed so quickly and it was time for them to meet

It was twenty past eleven when they walked out in the street

Folks were watchin' from their windows,

Everybody held their breath,

They hoped this fearsome hitman was about to meet his death,

About to meet his death.

There was twenty feet between them

When they stopped to make their play

And the swiftness of the hitman still talked about today

The warrior had not cleared scabbard when a dagger fairly ripped

And the hitman's aim was deadly, with the steel knife on his hip,

Steel knife on his hip.

It was over in a moment and the crowd all gathered 'round

There before them lay the body of the warrior on the ground

Oh, he might have went on livin' but he made one fatal slip

When he tried to match the hitman with the steel knife on his hip,

Steel knife on his hip.

(To the tune of Marty Robbins' 'Big Iron')

=Personality=

Khudaal is a generally kind person, and cares much for his family and friends, two groups which seem to come together as one in his mind. He is willing to lay down his life for those he deems worthy of his friendship and protection, and will go to the ends of the earth to ensure their safety.

He adheres to a strict morale code, though none can say what it might be. However, if he's ever seen doing something a bit questionable, it's usually done so he can "Keep to tha' code."

Those eight long years of stalking enemies in the wild made him a hard man, and he will sometimes be colder, less remorseful, and more callous than the normal person. When it all catches up to him, however, he tends to drown his feelings with a pint or ten in the nearest tavern.

Khudaal enjoys fishing on his time off, and sketching the scenery of new places he visits. He prefers Draenei and Void Elf women, but generally likes all women so long as they are kind-hearted. He likes cooking, and strolling through the woods on a sunny day. He is fond of bears.

=Campaigns=

Operation Blackrock and Roll
The Blackhand Battalion invaded the lands of the Dark Iron dwarves, who are his allies and kinsmen. Through great difficulty, Khudaal and the Dwarven Vanguard managed to repel the invaders from those lands. Khudaal sustained minor injuries.

Operation: Atoll
The Horde of Sylvanas and the Cult of the Twilight Hammer attempted to secure a valuable deposit of Azerite in Vash'Jir. The Dwarven Vanguard, in conjunction with several other forces, repelled the attackers, securing the Azerite for the Alliance's use. Khudaal took three scalps in personal combat, and recieved several serious wounds in the ensuing fights. The scars on his arms and chest are from those injuries, bound together by the shadow magic of a corrupted priest.

Defense of the Wetlands
The Blackhand Battalion attacked the Thanedom of Modr, the lands held by the Dwarven Vanguard. The Vanguard repelled the invaders, but at great cost. Khudaal sustained several minor injuries, and lost his left ear, which has been replaced with a metal prosthetic. Khudaal was honored for his valor in battle with a promotion to Dragoon.

Battle for Dragonmaw Pass
Khudaal and the Dwarven Vanguard sought out and destroyed a band of over one hundred Dragonmaw Orcs in the Dragonmaw Pass in retribution for the innocent lives taken by the Dragonmaw and Blackhand Battalion during the attack on the Wetlands. Khudaal sustained heavy injuries from an axe, but secured the scalps of fourteen enemy orcs.

Battle for Menethil Harbor
Khudaal and the Dwarven Vanguard fended off Horde attacks as they recouped from the Battle for Dragonmaw Pass. Minor injuries were sustained, and the attack was successfully repelled. A shadow fiend summoned by allied forces rendered the land uninhabitable for some time until it was cleared out in a later expedition.

Operation Knightfall
A force of rogue Undead sent by Lady Sylvanas appraoched Stormwind from the south by way of Stranglethorn. Khudaal and the Dwarven Vanguard stood against the horde at multiple points, finally repelling the force under the eaves of Elwynn Forest. Khudaal sustained minor injuries, and was distinguished for his valor with a promotion to Warbrand.