Kassandros the Scorned

Physical Description

Identifying Characteristics

Kassandros is a tall, lean man with muscles built from a lifetime of riding and hunting. His skin bears the deep bronze tone of someone who has spent every day under an open sky. His face is weathered, etched with lines from both laughter and hardship. Tattoos wind their way along his arms and across his chest, depicting stories and symbols of his people—they resemble stylized animals, natural elements, and ancestral symbols, representing a life steeped in tradition. Kassandros wears a mix of well-worn leather and metal armor, adorned with tokens from his travels—feathers, beads, and carved bone. He carries a double-headed axe, each blade bearing the insignia of his tribe. His hair is long, often tied back in braids, and his dark eyes reflect both the warmth and fierceness of his homeland.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Kassandros hails from the windswept plains northwest of Tatharia Capitolina, a vast and often-overlooked region officially under the Empire's banner but culturally worlds apart. The plains are home to nomadic tribes that have resisted the centralizing grip of Tatharian power for generations. Born into one of these fiercely independent clans, Kassandros grew up amidst a tapestry of oral tradition, horse culture, and a distrust of imperial influence. His name, unmistakably Tathar, hints at a more complex history—his lineage can be traced back to an ancestor who once lived within the fold of Tatharia but chose exile rather than bending to the rule of Icaghor. His family wears this history like a badge of honor, though it has also made them targets for suspicion.
The tribes of the plains, while proud, have often found themselves in uneasy alliances or skirmishes with the Empire’s border forces, and Kassandros has always walked the line between resistance and pragmatism. He became known for his skill in battle, both on horseback and on foot, but also for his charisma and ability to speak to the hearts of his people. When a neighboring clan was wiped out in a skirmish with an imperial patrol, Kassandros took it upon himself to gather the survivors and integrate them into his tribe, solidifying his reputation as both a warrior and a leader.
He entered the Bellatorius Ferox Torneamentum not for the glory of the Empire but for the survival of his people. With Tatharia Capitolina’s growing expansion and Empress Naram-Sin’s policies threatening to assimilate or extinguish the plains culture, Kassandros sought a way to protect his tribe from within the Empire’s own institutions. By winning the Bellatorius, he aimed to gain influence, to be seen as more than just a wild outsider, and to use that leverage to safeguard his people’s way of life.
Kassandros’ journey through the competition was marked by clashes not just of steel but of ideals. He stood toe-to-toe with warriors who saw the Empire as the pinnacle of civilization, openly challenging their arrogance and pointing out the value of freedom, community, and the strength found in living off the land. His resilience, coupled with his refusal to back down from his beliefs, earned him both respect and enmity.

Morality & Philosophy

Kassandros is fiercely loyal to those he considers his kin, with a deep-seated sense of justice shaped by his people’s struggles against the Empire. Though he is wary of those in positions of power, he believes in the possibility of change—that perhaps the Empire can be made to respect those who refuse to conform. He carries himself with a quiet confidence, seldom boasting but always ready to prove himself. His humor is dry, often catching others off guard, and his laughter comes easily when surrounded by his comrades.
Beneath the hardened warrior’s exterior, there is also a tenderness—a love for the open plains, for the sound of the wind over the grass, and for the stories passed down by the fireside. Kassandros fights not just for survival but for the preservation of a way of life that he fears is slowly slipping away, and he bears the weight of that responsibility with pride, even as it wears on him.

Table of Contents

Species

Human

Ethnicity

Tathar

Other Ethnicities/Cultures

• Eoperaxi Nomads

Aligned Organization

Raven's Accord

Other Affiliations

• Gemegishkirihallat