Markrag Chiptusk

Guildmaster Markrag Chiptusk is a member of the Council of Three, the ruling body of the City of Garlond, along with Captain Errol Dendrith and Judge Rayne Blackwell. He is the holder of the Seat of the Artisan, a published writer, and the guildmaster of the Alchemist's Guild of Garlond, a renowned institution within the city.

Biography

According to his autobiography, Markrag was born in Throeshold, a village on the southeastern edge of the Marrens, near where the River Kosewick meets the sea. Markrag's father sold the family horse to get his son an education at Prinstead University, where young Markrag set off to at 14 to study alchemy. Mere days after he arrived there, he noticed erratic troop movements in the city, and soon learned that an invasion of his homeland was imminent. Together with a group of other students, Markrag made a chain of people barring the eastern gate of Prinstead - only to get struck across the face by the pommel of a Falchion's blade. The chain - and his tusk - was broken, and the Grasynnian invasion of the Marrens had begun. After getting in trouble with the university's administration, Markrag did not engage in any further direct protest - instead choosing to utilize his personal skills to fight against this injustice. While quietly and deftly keeping up with his studies, he secretly kept track of military movements in and around the city, and used his newfound grasp of magic to send telepathic messages to those better equipped to act upon this information. Young though he was, he became a vital element of the counterintelligence in the area - which was even used to get his own father to safety. However, after nearly two years of this espionage, he was found out and captured, to be sent to Hartmere for imprisonment. He ended up spending the remainder of the war in a military prison. When he emerged from his cell, he was a man grown. Gone was his youthful idealism: Markrag chose to keep his head down and focus solely on his alchemy. To that end, he settled in Gernet's Wall and dedicated himself to his craft. He made an honest attempt, but he found that the stigma of a half-orc ex-prisoner in this part of Galessia was too strong to overcome. That was when he had a chance encounter with an old acquaintance from his university days, who encouraged him to try the City of Garlond instead, and its renowned Alchemist's Guild. With nothing to lose, Markrag set out for the city. As soon as he walked through the gates, Markrag was struck by the vastly different atmosphere the city and its people had as opposed to the Grasynnian yoke he had been stuck under for years. He settled happily, and joined the Alchemist's Guild almost immediately - his university education, while halted prematurely, was more than enough to get him a membership. He also became politically involved again, albeit from a more cautious, neutral perspective. Within a decade, he had become a noted professional and frequent petitioner to the Council of Three. When the Seat of the Artisan freed up due to the retirement of Krachnar Groutbeard, there was no competition: Markrag Chiptusk became the Council's newest member. In the years since, Markrag has continued his alchemical practice. He has found success in transmutations and infusions, and has been awarded with multiple honors and prizes - including the title of Guildmaster. He has also published multiple books: Watching and Learning, his own autobiography; An Analysis of the Alliance of Overmyre, a rather critical dissection of the northern alliance; and Chrysopeia, or: The Unending Pursuit of Alchemical Excellence, a history of the craft of transmuting metals.

Personality

As a child, he had an extreme fascination with observing people and documenting their behaviors. By the time he turned eleven, he already had a solid grasp of every inhabitant of Throeshold, their daily routines, and how they interacted with other people. This was what allowed him to partake in wartime espionage in Prinstead. Whereas his imprisonment dampened this behavior, during his life in the city, his old habits revived. Long a heated political activist, ironically, once on the Council, Markrag seemed to calm down. No longer showing himself as a passionate debater; instead, he was often the quietest of the three. Many attributed this to his tendency to analyze, however some assume he was nothing but a power-hungry opportunist all along, who had now achieved his goal. During votes, he often sides with Errol Dendrith without much of a word, though he occasionally provides an unexpected swing vote the other way. Outside of his duties, Markrag is a quiet, solitary man. He is unmarried and lives alone near the Captain's Tower. He has a large laboratory in his basement, but vehemently refuses anyone access to it. He is a known follower of Oghma, and can often be found at the Binder's shrine in the city when he is stuck on a rather difficult conundrum.