Gar Kalik

"Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of wealth and taste. I've been around for a long, long year."

Sympathy for the Devil, the Rolling Stones

Enigmatic and inscrutable, the entity Gar Kalik is known across the Otherworlds by a bewildering array of pseudonyms. A barterer of souls, granter of gifts, patron of magic users, a devil to some and a savior to others, Kalik works toward furthering some as yet unclear goal only he understands.

ORIGINS

Gar Kalik is an Ascendant, those mysterious and powerful beings who have been meddling the affairs of mortals across the Otherworlds since the Cataclysm almost three millennia ago. Whether or not the Ascendants are of the Elnorian race is uncertain and if so how they avoided the decimation of that race in the Cataclysm is unclear. Since records pre-Cataclysm are lost it is likely the origins of the Ascendants will forever remain a mystery. Unless one of them decides to tell the truth, of course.

Kalik does not help matters by speaking of the origins of himself and his fellow Ascendants frequently, mixing truth with half-truths and outright fantasy to muddle the mix and confuse matters even more.

FORM

Kalik has innumerable forms he takes when dealing with mortals. His seemingly favoured form is that of a short well dressed man with a trim beard and shaven head and a constant smile. It is this form that he takes when he walks amongst humans and desires not to stand out. To Orcs he would take the form of an ancient Orc shaman called the Oldest or a great wild beast named the Mighty Horn. When he appears to Warlocks he dons the visage of the Esteemed Collector, a tall cyclopean figure in voluminous robes. Ultimately, Kalik has a form for everyone; sometimes simple, and other times an eldritch abomination that breaks minds from the sheer horror of its appearance. So many are his forms that most who encounter them are unaware they are the same individual.

GOALS

What are Kalik's goals? To sow discord? To add a dash of chaos to things and thus make them more interesting? Kalik does what Kalik does because he can. His fellow Ascendants, beings as old and powerful as he, do not fully comprehend the machinations of Kalik. Sometimes his deeds work toward a greater good and other times bring about the fall of Kingdoms and countless deaths. He has worked with other Ascendants, namely the revered Esiak, on more than one occasion and the two maintain an amiable friendship, though the latter does certainly not trust Kalik entirely. Such partnerships are always over some highly important matter and Kalik is always there to help old friends. And always with a broad welcoming smile.

He has clashed with other Ascendants on occasion who find their carefully crafted meddling in the affairs of mortals utterly undone by Kalik's far more skillful yet utterly unpredictable scheming. Such occurrences have turned deadly and resulted in Kalik acquiring a long list of enemies. For his part, he is quick to forgive and forget. To a certain point. For whilst he does not hold grudges, he most assuredly never forgets a slight.

On more than occasion Kalik has chosen a certain individual and marked them as his Champion, whether they know it or not. That person may find themselves gifted with strange powers and abilities. These Champions may go on to do great deeds, topple corrupt rulers. Or they may ascend to rulership themselves over the bodies of all who stand in their way. Sometimes a simple shove of a mortal will be enough for the culmination of a scheme centuries later with the descendants of the Champion finding themselves indebted to Kalik with no idea why.

Why would Kalik do this?

Because he can. Because in some way great or small it contributes to whatever his grand scheme is. There would appear no outright malice or a desire to do good motivating Kalik's actions.

POWERS AND ABILITIES

As an Ascendant Kalik is almost invincible. If attacked Kalik may dodge with unnerving grace or merely take the blow and smile broadly with no other effect despite the strength of the attack. He can fly or levitate regardless of form, thus in his human guise he appears to simply float whilst in his titanic draconic form of the World Render he will use its immense wings to propel itself through the air. His mystical knowledge is vast and he has access to the Esteemed Vault, a pocket dimension wherein lies countless rare artefacts that he will bequeath unto those who interests him. He is not omniscient, though his ability to predict the actions of mortals and others does suggest he knows more than he lets on.

It is rare that Kalik will attack personally. Instead he will summon a bewildering array of nightmarish minions varied in form to deal with those he deems irritating. This is in itself a very rare occurrence as Kalik is usually too easily amused by the actions of mortals to take offence. That his fellow Ascendants tolerate his antics suggests he is a major player amongst their ranks, enough for them to prefer to keep on good terms with him. In truth, few have ever seen Kalik truly enraged and thus an unveiling of his true aspect.

SUMMARY

Kalik is a Trickster God. An ever smiling Devil who appears to working toward an utterly unfathomable goal. He can be your greatest friend and ally, your savior when needed most. And just as likely, the smiling face behind everything bad to happen to you. More than most Ascendants, his machinations are unknowable to mortals.