The Gorelocks of Oz Boz

'Use Every Part'

Masters of blood, bone, bile, and sinew, gorelocks have garnered a gruesome reputation among Destrea's arcanists. Opting not to fuel their magicks using more the traditional methods of component casting or living transfer, Gorelocks instead scavenge arcana from the discards and offal of the natural world. This technique inevitably lends a certain 'uncouthness' to the results of their spellcasting, but their work is just as potent as their 'cleaner' counterparts.

Ragtag Band

Their origins as practising arcanists, as well as an organization, date back as far as 50 FE, with the Roiy'na'menghchka tribes of the region which later became The Mort'hano Highlands. Most tribes who wandered the hilly, rocky plains featured gorelocks, which at that time were called bloodmages. Their duties were rather rudamentary at first, mostly tied to the healing of wounds and the blessing of food & water. However, as time wore on, the potential applications for their arcanic gifts grew exponentially. 

By the time of the Brother's War, in 177 DC, gorelocks were capable of all manner of ghastly and magnificent things- such as the grafting extra limbs onto living creatures, or even making near-perfect disguises using the skins of dead folk. Some, it was discovered, could summon 'gortals' which serve as arcanic tunnels through the Dimension of Holding- collapsing the distance between any two points in physical space that the gorelocks casting the spell could see to nil.

Enter The Dragon

Unfortunately, these capabilities soon caught the eye of The 2nd Legionate, who, after conquering the Mort'hano Highlands and the orcish clans who controlled them, conscripted the gorelocks into the Voranite military. Their truest test, however, would not come for another century or so, when they were pitted against the fearsome Voltari of Kholea. Relentless and cruel, the Voltari proved more than a match for the gorelocks at first, striking them down with furious volleys of arcanic lightning whenever the two factions met on the battlefield.

Slowly, however, the gorelocks learned their opponents' tendencies, and how to exploit them. The Voltari were formidable, yes, but their mages were over-specialized in their use of arcana. Individually, they could not withstand the casting versatility of the gorelocks, who all through their training, had had to make do with whatever was available to them. This critical difference in mindset, more than any particular display of casting prowess, is what ultimately proved the difference-maker in this deadly test of arcanic power. The conflict eventually culminated with the Duel at Torrhen Valley, where a young Nemo Kordan (the only surviving gorelock from the battle prior) and two Voran Legates faced off against the notorious archmagus of the Voltari, Crassius Bray. It was Kordan who struck the final blow, sealing the mad sorcerer away into the earth with a well-timed sinkhole.