Drand

"I will rise as Drand once did, to rule with compassion, cleverness and, above all, might."

— Dynasty King Kadir

Titan Drand, a fabled hero of Aradin legend, is said to have lived before the Thalassian Landing. He protected the peoples of the Meleatte River from enemy tribes and dangerous beasts. Above all, he was known for his incredible strength, said to be unmatched by any man in past and future. The lor, a signature weapon of the Aradin, was supposedly invented by him.

History

Whether or not Titan Drand really existed is unknown. He reportedly lived many hundreds of years ago within a tribe of Aradin along the Meleatte known as the Toredin. He was born to the Guide of the village, and was apparently so heavy that, as an infant, he had to be carried on the back of a camel.
As Drand grew, his older brother, Ormon, grew jealous both of Drand's strength and the possibility that he would be chosen as the next Guide of the tribe. In a bid to remove himself of the problem, Ormon lied to Drand about having received a vision from the ichor. He claimed that, down the river towards the coast, there was an enormous beehive which had not yet been claimed by any tribe. He lamented to Drand that he had already promised to go hunting with their father, and that he would not be able to find the hive. Drand, a compassionate man, offered to get the hive instead. Ormon suggested that he leave his spear behind, as the bees would likely be intimidated by the approach of a warrior as large and formidable as Drand. Drand complied with his brother's logic and set off down the river to find the hive.
However, this was a trick. Ormon had received a vision from the Ichor, but not oh a beehive. What he had really seen was a large, dead camel being feasted upon by an argore. Pleased, he took a second bowl of ichor, intending to see a vision of his future as Guide. Instead, however, Ormon received a terrifying vision of Drand fighting the argore and being slain by the beast. Although this had been what Ormon had intended, seeing it with his own eyes made him feel terrible guilt. Waking to his foolishness, Ormon ran off to stop Drand from finding the tree.
Unfortunately, Drand did not run at the speed of a normal man. He bounded with great strides, and had thus already found the camel, even though Ormon had had set off not long after him. When he found a dying camel at the place along the river where Ormon told him the hive would be, he was furious, thinking his brother had played a trick on him. His anger only grew worse, however, when the predatory argore, who had been circling above, watching the camel, flew to the ground, intending to kill the man who would steal its food. Drand ducked and lunged, managing to avoid the creature's swipes, but had no way of defending himself as, per Ormon's suggestion, he had left his spear behind.
Seeing a heavy log sitting in the river, he quickly snatched it, finding it weighty even for him, he began carefully twirling it around his body in order to distribute its weight. However, the argore was quick, and prepared to leap at Brand once more. As it did this, Ormon came close enough to throw a stone from the river which hit the creature and distracted it. Titan Drand pummeled the log downwards, crushing the beast's head beneath it. As he did this, Ormon arrived. He began weeping, thanking the Mother Mountain that his brother was okay. When he saw the enraged look on Drand's face, he realized he would have to confess.
He explained his plan and admitted his cowardice. He kneeled before Drand, welcoming his death. Here, the legend diverges. Some day Drand snapped his brother's neck. Most, however, believe that Drand, being compassionate, forgave his brother. Indeed, Drand did not desire the position of Guide, and so it would likely have gone to Ormon anyway.
Supposedly, Drand enjoyed so much the log as a weapon that he took it wherever he went from that day forward, engraving stories upon its bark of his many adventures. Thus, the lor was invented; a weapon used by the strongest and most skilled Aradin warriors for hundreds of years to come.

Ethnicity

Aradin

Life

400 BL 300 BL 100 years old

Birthplace

The Meleatte River

Hair

Long dreadlocks