Chimera

The Commander

Tchari Thrak, better known by her alias Chimera, was an orc mercenary leader and the founder of the Menagerie. A veteran of the Night Wars, Chimera became a war hero when her ragtag qorhv blunted the Thanasian advance into Auros in 899 1A.

"You could see the wars on her. The gray of her hair, the lines under her eyes, not to mention the scars – especially that spiderweb of black veins under her chin. Hand her a dragon's-head axe, though, throw a lion's pelt around her shoulders and pop a horned helmet on her head and she was the spitting image of that three-headed monster that drove the dead back into their graves. It was only under the costume that you knew her to be a tired, disheartened old woman, searching for a war she'd long ago won."
– Beholder's Log

History

Born in 891 1A, Chimera rose to claim the thrakdom of her qorhv at the comparatively old age of eight years old. She ruled her people for less than a year before the dead invaded.

Night Wars

When Thanatos first made landfall in Auros, it was in Tchari Territory. After their initial attempt at parley failed, Tchari Thrak responded with force, holding the undead at bay until runners could be sent to summon the nearest Confederacy members for aid.
For 30 years, Tchari Thrak waged a fighting retreat against the ceaseless hordes of the dead. Her qorhv was nearly broken many times over the decades but it always grew again as more and more oprhaned units – often elves from Cymbia and dwarves from Khûm – swelled her ranks. Desperate for any help she could find, Tchari Thrak took them all under her wing. Among these was a younger Remorhaz, not yet a famous an elven sword-dancer.
This earned her the name Chimera, for the three-headed monster – elven, dwarven and orcish – that she'd created. During the Night Wars, Chimera was a household name, the only qorhv the Thanasians couldn't defeat.
Finally, in 30 2A, the dead ceased their advance. It seemed, however abruptly, that the war was won. Indeed, both elven, dwarven and many orcish powers withdrew from the region, believing the fighting finished. Yet it proved not so for Tchari Thrak.

Second Age

Located deep in the Spoils, Tchari Territory was devastated by the undead invasion. What's more, while the vampire generals had retreated, many of their dead hordes remained, either inert or roaming the Spoils like wild animals. When the Sister Empires retreated, only Tchari Thrak remained to clean up the mess.
She and her qorhv spent another twenty years fighting the Thanasian remnant, even toppling a vampire fiefdom or two. It all ended in 48 2A when a unified force of orcs – including Throka Thrak and his qorhv – and mercenaries – including the Iron Word out of Obsidios – laid siege to the last true undead bastion in Auros: the deathess city of Aos. It was a three-year ordeal, eventually named the Night of Twenty Moons. During this time, Tchari Thrak gave birth to a pair of sons – Umber the eldest and Griffon the youngest. Finally, in 50 2A, the vampire lord was overthrown and the siege broken.
Two years later, with no wars left to fight, Tchari Thrak would rebrand herself as Chimera and her qorhv as the Menagerie, a brand new mercenary company, looking for work.
Across their checkered career, however, Chimera began slowly to lose faith. Defeat after embarrassing defeat embittered her and she began to realize how pointless were many of the petty conflicts she was embroiled in. By 67 2A, she'd taken to drink and despair, her sterling reputation in tatters and her prospects bleak.
Until, one fateful night in Qoza, she signed a contract in a drunken stupor, a contract offered by Vhakizla, the Wyrm Returned.

Character

Personality

All Tchari Thrak knew was war. Since the moment she became thrak, her nation and her people were on the brink of constant annihilation. This hardened her but it also made her priorities quite clear. She cared deeply for the people under her charge, regardless of who they were or where they came from, and would go to great lengths for their benefit. She was opportunistic, learning that any advantage, no matter how small, can be useful in war.
She was known for her obstinacy, however, and her wide stubborn streak, particularly in her personal life. Many personal relationships went sour and unrepaired in her past. In her later years, she took to drinking and deep, brooding funks from which none could pry her loose.

Abilities

In addition to a skilled fighter, Chimera is an excellent tactician and an inspiring leader. Sixty years of war have taught her quite a few lessons about how to gauge one's opponent, how to exploit a weakness and how to survive with an army on the march.
The past sixteen years, however, have conspired against her. As her qorhv shrinks and shrinks, her skills and her confidence are shrinking too. Many in the company wonder whether her best days are behind her.

Campaigns

The Menagerie

The mother of the player characters and the company's commander, Chimera is the central NPC of The Menagerie.

• Vhakizla: Drunk in the Arqon's Suite, Commander Chimera was attacked by assassins while signing the contract with Vhakizla. (Chapter 1) En route to Vhakizla, she slept off her hangover and questioned her son on whether or not she'd made a mistake in signing. (Chapter 2) When the Speaker in Shreds commanded her to break the Pious Blockade, she was initially recalcitrant but was nonetheless encouraged by her Tent (Chapter 3). Anxious about the contract she signed with the undead, Chimera chose to stay behind in Vhak while the Commander's Tent crushed resistance in Izla (Chapter 4 – 5). At Zarkani Hill, Chimera was both enraged and heartbroken at Griffon's death and Caliphar II's disappearance (Chapter 12). In Vhakizla's throne room, she aided the Tent in combat against Strategos Kharix and, in the strategy session, advocated to advance into the Ghostmire (Chapter 13). En route to Akiz, she made a pass at Vulture but he politely declined (Chapter 15). Chimera led her troops to victory, charging through ghostly armies, exsanguinated guerillas and vampire spawn to rescue her son, deep in the Summer Palace (Chapter 16). As her army looted the city of Akiz, the surrounding water transformed into wine, an ancient enchantment to satisfy the lord of this place. Back in Vhak, a pleased Vhakizla offered Chimera a standing position as her new strategos, which the commander politely declined (Chapter 17).
• Khûm: En route to their next contract, Chimera tested Umber's strength, reminisced about the Night of Twenty Moons and drunkenly mistook Griffon for his brother (Chapter 1). To pass through Ptsohu territory, Chimera was required to hold the thrak's infant child all night, while the thrak had to hold Griffon's hand (Chapter 2). She was infuriated to see Yorgos and his Iron Word competing for the same contract and fought him fiercely in their joint interview with Dûnya Dragonbane (Chapter 3). When they were eventually hired, Chimera took the company north to Snowperch while the Tent hunted Tyrodax (Chapter 5). When they finally reconnected, the Commander was further incensed by Dûnya – denied access to Snowperch, attacked by kobold guerillas, her camp riven with black bloat (Chapter 10). When she learned of Stirge's treachery, she sent Harpy to hunt her down but he was too late. One she finally took possession of Snowperch, she initially refused to permit Dûnya inside, due to her new associateion with Yorgos of Nyre (Chapter 12 – Chapter 13). At the war council, she was poisoned and nearly petrified, talking Umber back from the brink and arguing with her sons about whether to face dwarven justice and whether to seek Yorgos' help (Chapter 14). Her sons encouraged Chimera to finally speak with him and, when she did, he entreated her to fold the companies together and give Griffon something better to inherit (Chapter 15). 

Name: Tchari Thrak
Alias: Chimera
Ancestry: Orc
Born: 891 1A (Tchari Territory, Auros)
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 230 lbs
Hair: Gray
Eyes: Blue
Alignment: Neutral Good
First Appeared: Vhakizla – Chapter 1
Most Recent Appearance: Khûm – Chapter 15