The World Of Khoras - Civilization - Organizations

General Description

The Heralds is the name of a small guild of detectives, soldiers, spies, informants and covert agents that operate under the rule of a mysterious council. This guild specializes in information, but it’s actual activities are quite diverse. Through a combination of blackmail, bribery, covert activity and divination (some say), the Heralds always seem to know what’s going on throughout Stovikar. They often sell useful information to other criminal groups. They are especially good out finding lost things and sniffing out the truth. The Heralds straddle the fence between a criminal organization and a legitimate business. They can be hired to find things, lost people, solve crimes and so forth. However, they also have numerous entanglements with other criminal groups. Their hands are not clean. One day, they will find a lost child, the next day, track down a runaway slave. As long as they are paid, the Heralds will do any job. The Heralds are a somewhat secretive group and the ruling council is shrouded in mystery. Even the size of the group is unknown, but city officials estimate the group has between 200 and 400 members.

Important People in the Heralds

Kalgarun

Leading the group is Kalgarun, an intelligent and brilliant tactician who can see connections where others see nothing. Kalgarun is an obese and horribly ugly man. His size and disfigurement are the results of an unfortunate magical mishap that occurred in his younger days when he was a wizard – an accident that also led to his total loss of magical ability. Every attempt to undo his condition has failed. One benefit of his condition is that he is highly resistant to magical attacks upon his person. Kalgarun now lives in seclusion and rules from the group’s headquarters. Few see him. Kalgarun is a well-read genius with an analytical gift and the mind of a master detective. He spends his time reading, writing and in meetings with his top lieutenants. Despite never venturing out, Kalgarun is one of the most influential people in Stovikar, pulling on threads that affect the whole tapestry of the city.

Vatesia

Vatesia is a young human woman with pale skin and long red hair. She is a skilled diviner with a natural gift. She is able to divine the past, present and future. She is able to see into the minds of others, peer into far off places and even send her mind to other dimensions. These powerful abilities are difficult to control and have nearly broken her. She is plague by nightmares which often leave her exhausted, bitter and depressed. She drinks excessively to calm her troubled mind and has become a spice crystal addict, finding that the crystal allows her to sleep. In her younger days, she believed that the gods had cursed her and she was very near suicide. However, she met Kalgarun. Kalgarun has an uncanny ability to calm her with his wise conversation and endless patience. He has been teaching her to control her gift and rein it in. Vatesia has found some measure of solace and acceptance with the Heralds. The group provides her with everything she needs – food, shelter and an endless supply of ale and spice crystal to keep her subdued and happy. Without the drugs and alcohol, her versions simply overwhelm her. She, in turn, guides her visions toward specific goals to help the group find the answers to questions they seek. She is still learning to control her abilities with Kalgarun’s help. Her visions are often cryptic and Kalgarun and others must piece together the clues she provides. She is not the Herald’s only source of information, but she is one of their most valuable assets.

Thadius

Thadius is a  charming, handsome and affable young man. He is also a confident speaker with a quick wit and a knack for reading people. Thadius knows hundreds of citizens in the city and maintains good relations with many people in positions of power. Thadius is a man of many skills – he is an expert cat burglar, a stealthy infiltrator and a master of disguises. He is far better with a blade than most people would assume. He is also fluent in several languages and well versed in the heraldry, nobility and social protocols of all kingdoms in eastern Ithria. He is known as something of a mischievous rogue and has bedded quite a few women in the pursuit of the Heralds’ goals. His public persona is that of a minor noble and owner of a sugar plantation. Few know that he is a high ranking member of the Heralds. Thadius is one of Kalgarun’s lieutenants and is in charge of all of the group’s spies and covert agents.

Strago

Strago is a tall and thin man with a trimmed beard and aristocratic bearing. He dresses in finery and has an unflinchingly calm, solemn and thoughtful manner. He rarely smiles and never laughs. Strago takes care of the day to day activities of the group. He maintains meticulous records on all investigations, all secrets learned by the guild, all prophesies made by Vatesia and so forth. This group simply could not function without Strago’s detailed notes and efficient record keeping. Strago is Kalgarun’s right hand man.

This website was last updated March 31, 2026. Copyright 1990-2026 David M. Roomes.

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