(old) Cherzra's Background Story

[byzanthia]

Cherzra started on Toril as anti-paladin character in Bloodstone. Eventually he switched to a Troll warrior, called Ucktz. That was in the early 90s. After a pwipe he came back as Cherzra. This story mentions both Ucktz and Cherzra.

'Him damnd ting, him mus die', Cherzra thought to herself. 'Me got put hammer
hard on he hed, me learn him. Prove meself. Mek Ucktz proud!'

Prowling forward to him, she saw the lizard-thing he had just killed lying
on its back. He had left her, left the others, they were dead now. Curse him.
She didn't just want to get back to Ghore first now. She would be the only
one to get back to Ghore. So he must die.

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Three days before, this whole thing had started. It was that time again, every
once in so many years the troll elders would arrange this to see if the
young ones were fit for adulthood. The path seemed simple. This was for those
who would lead the life of warriors, and surviving through this ordeal
certainly qualified one as strong and determined.

Cherzra was one of those young trolls, a female, now 10 years old. She was
the daughter of Ucktz and had his features. Thin. Strong. She had his state
of mind too. Ucktz was proud of his daughter despite being disappointed at
having female progeny at first. In all the years Ucktz had roamed the lands
and swamps, seeing and killing a great many things, he had never cared for
what happened after he occasionaly mated with female trolls he came upon,
always moving on soon after. But after being badly wounded near the underwater
things off the human town of Calimport, he decided he had smashed enough.
Years of killing had left their marks, Ucktz being scarred, but they
had also left him with a score of items from his foes. However this time
they had been routed, fleeing with half the group dead. Troll regeneration
is one thing, but having your arm practically slashed off one's shoulder
when tanking monsters twice one's size is a pain indeed, especially when
your group is attacked from the other side by another score of foes.
So after the group he was with had recovered from the defeat by the ghast
things, he decided to head back for Ghore after those long years. Ghore,
some days travel through the woods north of Baldur's Gate. It was there
he met a female troll that had his liking and they bred, making another
small troll. This small evil grew and he liked her. She was mean, meaner
than most male trolls. Mean like Ucktz. So Ucktz liked her.

Cherzra was thrilled by the stories of Ucktz and the other trolls who had
left Ghore to destroy things, and from a tiny troll on she had longed to
do so herself. During the years before she would reach adolescence Ucktz
taught her how to smash stuff, and in adolescence he learned her how to smash
even harder. Cherzra was by then a menacing troll, skinny like Ucktz yet
filled with strength and speed. Upon reaching the tenth year after her birth
Ucktz gave her his hammer, the very hammer he had smashed from the dark dwarf
king in his travels and used to destroy many things. This hammer she wielded
like not a dwarf ever could, and Ucktz and her smashed many more things. Then
came the time she would take the test, like the other young ones who wanted
to travel out of Ghore out into the world, walking the path of warriors in
adulthood.

The test was different every couple of years, so it was not possible to go
over it in advance. Generations before had been taken from Ghore and left
as far as near the humans in Bloodstone Keep, while others had been left
in the mountains where the Ogres roamed. It took days to get to these spots
but the shamans that came along would make it so the young ones did not
see the road. They had to get back to Ghore, by themselves or in groups.
It did not matter. Who got back had proven himself.

The group Cherzra was in had walked for three days, moving slowly, thus being
sure that the young ones and the rest of the group were safe from danger.
They walked through the woods, avoiding most contact and killing everything
they couldn't avoid. Then they reached Havenport where the young ones were
told to make their way back to the Ghore swamps if they were to live.

There were twelve trolls this test, nine males and three females. Cherzra
knew each of them, having been raised among them. But in the last years she
had come to dislike them, for she knew then they wanted to be warriors like
herself. And she wanted to win. To be the first back. Thus they had to work
together, but all danger did not come from outside the group. Every troll
wanted to be the first to get back throught the swamps to Ghore. After much
arguing the decision was made to split up in two groups. Cherzra was with
Grokh, Erg, Zhux, Uthma and Gzrer, and they set off. They had all heard the
stories of the outside world from warriors and shamen who had been there,
but aside from the swamps near Ghore none of they had really ventured out.
They set off south of Havenport, heading eastward. After some hours they
came upon a lone human, and they lay in ambush and caught him. He was
scared to death, being in the hands of six horrible trolls, and he quickly
answered their question of what direction Baldur's Gate was. From there on
they would know that the swamp lay north, and in it was the safety of Ghore.
'Stoopid homon, tanks fer da way, now ya die ya litel ting, hehehee', said
Erg. This was, ofcourse, agreed by the rest of the group and they tore him
limb from limb taking the remains with them as provision for the yourney
ahead.

After a day's travel, having passed the halfwayhouse between the forest and
the Ogre mountains, they stumbled upon a river. They had to cross, knowing
that Baldur's gate lay north somewhere. Strolling down the river they spotted
the ferry, and it was decided that they capture it in order to cross.

As night came, they attacked the ferry. It was now occupied only by the
captain, two deckhands and two merchants. In the fight which ensued Zhux was
killed, burnt to death by a fireball from a merchant. Furthermore his
companion was versed in the magic arts as well, and Erg was blinded as she
charged upon him. She stumbled off the ferry and was pulled to the sea
in the strong currents, cursing and shouting as she drifted off. The remainder
of the trolls now had the ferry though, and they crossed the river. Walking
on they noticed the outline of Baldur's Gate against the night sky, staying
well clear of it and going around the city in a wide arc.

They did not know the other group of trolls had not taken enough care after
crossing the river, they had hurried too much in order to try and get back
to Ghore first. They stumbled upon a patrol of elite watchmen, fighting
bravely, buy they were hopelessly outnumbered and outclassed. All of them
died, but they died like trolls and cursed the remaining humans as their eyes filled
with blood.

So Cherzra, Grokh, Uthma and Gzrer prowled on. Cherzra grinned evilly, knowing
the three others would try to reach Ghore first as well, and that the group
would only last as long as their temper was short. But for the time being
they had to remain together, as the grey blue mists of the fields of the dead
loomed ahead. Baldur's Gate was now behind them and they knew the swamps were
behind this road. Walking as quietly as they could they traveled next to the
road, hands on their weapons. Suddenly in their midst two skeletons stood up
out of the mud, hissing softly, decomposing pieces of skin hanging on their
yellow bones and eyeless sockets staring at the young trolls! Cherzra and
Gzrer immediately wielded their hammer and sword, thinking that the faster
they take out these two things the less chance there would be that more
monsters would hear the sound and arrive to do battle as well. Cherzra smashed
her hammer into the first skeleton's hip, sending shards of bone flying all
around. The thing stumbled but sliced its shortsword across Cherzra's leg,
causing a bleeding wound, and she grinded her teeth. As Gzrer parried the
other skeleton's blow, she noticed that Grokh and Uthma were running off
northwards along the road. Curse them! They had seized the opportunity and
ran off to make it back to Ghore! Cherzra roared a deep growl, spewing threats
of death and decapitation and worse, but she knew they would try to get back
to the swamps before her. Growling she didn't notice the skeleton's lunge
at her belly, and its weapon ripped right into her belly. Purple-grey blood
dripped from the wound and she dropped the mithril hammer as she grabbed
at her stomach with her claws. But the skeleton didn't pause, swinging
wildly at her head. Cherzra ducked, and grabbed her hammer with both hands,
then jumped up with it behind her head. Fuming with rage, from the others
fleeing as well as her own distraction, she swung it down with full force on
the skeleton's head, crushing straigth through its skull and neck. Ribs
snapped as it crumbled to the ground and she ripped her hammer free. Glancing
to her right she saw Gzrer was now surrounded by two more skeletons, and she
ran towards him. Gzrer roared as he was hit in the back of the head by a mace,
the blow stunning him momentarily. Cherzra swung at the skeleton with a wide
arc, the weight of the hammer and the momentum snapping the skeleton in two.
As she looked up she saw a shimmering thing standing over Gzrer, two red
eyes peering at her. Then something was muttered, and as Gzrer swung at the
thing he was engulfed in flames! Roaring madly he stood, burning on both
his arms. The shadow pounded him hard in his leg, causing him to fall to the
ground. Both skeletons were now upon him too and Cherzra decided it was best
to flee this situation. Gzrer was lost, he died a troll. Her belly had by now
healed a little bit and she ran off northwards, hoping that thing would be
busy with Gzrer for a while still.

Thrashing madly across the road, not caring about running into possible
human caravans, she ran through the mists. After half an hour she heard
the soft trickling of water, and Cherzra now moved to the side of the road.
Slowly, a bridge and the river below it became visible. Upon the bridge
stood a massive shape, towering over Cherzra, who was not the smallest either.
Slowly it growled, hunching forward, grasping its sword, the fingers
moving about over the blade. Behind it Cherzra noticed the corpse of a troll,
slashed limb from limb. It was Uthma, and she had obviously met this thing's
blade. Not wanting to meet that fate, Cherzra jumped over the side and
thrashed over the riverbank. Luck was with here, because it remained where
it stood, looming like a dark guardian in the mists, fading from view.

Cherzra now knew where she was. Ucktz had taken her here on occasion, and
it was a few hours from Ghore's gates. But the swamps were full of dangers,
and to travel here meant to keep one's guard up at all time. Usually
the trolls were in strong groups as they wandered through here, and
occasionaly some didn't make it back. However, Grokh was still ahead of her.
So she ran with all the speed she could, following the murky river, and
ignoring the pain in her midsection from the still not totally healed wound.
After a seemingly endless period of time, she noticed his footprints embedded
in the dark mud. Determined to get back at him, she followed them, thinking
of all Ucktz had taught her. She could not have it that she be beaten,
especially after Grokh's cowardly flee. Thoughts of revenge and anger were
fighting each other in her mind.

After some more minutes, she noticed another trail following Grokh's. A few
minutes later she heard the sounds of battle, and she advanced cautiously
through the boggy marsh. Peering through the thick air and undergrowth
two figures became visible, obviously in heated battle. It was Grokh, locked
in combat with one of those foul lizard things. Things were going well for
the troll as the lizard was fighting with only one arm remaining, and it was
backed up against a tree. Grokh blocked its attack with his shield, following
up on this by bashing the shield against the lizard, thus pinning it against
the tree. Then he rammed his axe in its chest, leaving the lizard slowly
sliding downwards in the mud with a deep red trail behind it.

Cherzra growled, hissing at Grokh. 'Ya leff me an Gzrer, ya stinkin son of
a toad, ya leff us hopin we die!' 'Now me get my turn, ya foul traiter!'
Grokh spit on the lizard corpse before him, and replied 'Go ta hell, me
tek care of ya now den if da skeletens couldnt do it'. Cherzra and Gzrer
circled each other, oblivious to the danger of staying there in the swamp.
It was clear to Cherzra only one of them would get back to Ghore, and
she was determined it would be her. She would be to one to win, if not
to be accepted as an adult warrior then only because this meant Gzrer would
be dead in these waters. Gzrer. Stinkin ting. Dead stinkin ting soon. Cherzra
feigned a few strikes, which Gzrer responded to by moving his shield arm to
the endangered location. Gzrer laughed, noting Cherzra was not armored like
him. Fool, she didn't even wear a shield! He struck out with his axe,
swinging to Cherzra's right. She quickly positioned her hammer vertically,
with the large head pointing to the ground, and the axe harmlessly struck at
the handle. Then she suddenly swung the head around, pulling on the handle's
end with her other hand. This resulted in the hammer smashing into Gzrer's
face, and amazed and stunned at the same time he stumbled backwards. Regaining
his composure before Cherzra could follow up with another attack, he madly
dashed at her, his shield ahead of him. This surprised Cherzra and the quick
attack hit her head on, sending her flying backwards to land in the mud a few
feet further. Gzrer jumped forwards, the iron point on his axe held straigth
forward as to hit Cherzra square in the chest. She frantically rolled to the
side, Gzrer crashing into the mud. Cherzra swung her leg over to her left,
kicking Gzrer in the back of the head with her foot. Madly he stood up,
swinging wildly in rage at Cherzra. She backed up to where he had bashed her,
picking up the large hammer where she had dropped it. Gzrer foamed at the
mouth, now apparently having totally lost control, as he dashed forward. His
slash caught Cherzra on her left arm. The pain was bad but her rage easily
blocked it out. Gzrer grinned evilly thinking he had the advantage now. He
took a step with his right leg and rammed his shieldwearing left arm forward.
But Cherzra sidestepped, and he crashed into the ground. Cherzra had foreseen
this and was already swinging around, hammer held high above her. Gzrer
turned around having realized his mistake too late. What he saw was the
huge head of the hammer crashing down upon his face, cracking his skull. He
sank to the ground instantly, the force of the blow being so much that when
his skull hit the ground it cracked again, spilling red tissue all over the
place. Cherzra grinned evily. She spit on his corpse, and said 'now who da
better troll'. Then she spit on his corpse again, stepping on him as she
slowly walked on to the gates of Ghore. She was the daughter of Ucktz, and
she would soon be ready to go out into the world.