Gorath



Gorath of the Ardenian Clan is a half-moredhel playable character in Betrayal at Krondor. He first appears in Chapter 1.

Appearance
Gorath looks as menacing as Owyn Beleforte looks innocent. There is a haunting quality in his eyes that seems wolfish, as if he is a creature on the run. A long scar, nearly hidden by his hairline, traces the left side of his face from temple to cheek. Gorath wears a beard that is not possible for those of pure Elven and Moredhel descent. He does, however, have the lobeless pointed ears typical of his kind.

History
The son of a moredhel father and a human mother, Gorath is an eligible claimant to the moredhel throne in Sar-Sargoth.

At twelve years old, Gorath took leadership of the remains of his father's tribe, the Ardanien clan, who had made their home in the Green Heart forest. He grew to wed a witch named Cullich and the Ardanien became a mighty force under his leadership. With his impressive military acumen and backed by his clan's renewed strength, Gorath directed one of the only moredhel defensives to successfully beat back the Tsurani during the Riftwar, even as thousands of their kin fled the Green Heart for the supposed safety of the Northlands. Only starvation and superior Tsurani numbers finally drove Gorath and the Ardanien across the Great Northern Mountains to join their moredhel cousins in the Northlands.

Despite arriving with no desire to meddle in Northlands politics, Gorath grew restive as Field General Delekhan used the memory of Murmandamus to rally the moredhel against the Kingdom of the Isles. Watching friends die in the field general's service, Gorath came to believe that it was time for the moredhel to leave conquest behind and look to their own. His vocal criticism of Delekhan's leadership to the Great Rising led to his imprisonment in Sar-Sargoth, and he escaped only with Cullich's aid, even as her longing for a glorious future and contempt for his "cowardly" beliefs brought their love to an end.

Memories later read by Gamina included fire-lit hills, the sounds of voices and galloping, and images of Delkhan howling wolf-life before the moon, swinging his bloody sword against other moredhel and screaming words of wrath and damnation.

Escaping to the Kingdom of the Isles, Gorath was rescued from pursuit by Delekhan's minions by Seigneur Locklear, who was taken aback to realize he had saved the life of a moredhel. Gorath surrendered and asked to be taken to Prince Arutha to convey a warning about Delekhan's evil intentions toward the Kingdom.

Chapter 1
As the game starts, Gorath watches an uneasy Owyn Beleforte, who had joined their camp on the roadside south of Yabon, tending to Locklear's wounds. Sensing the presence of an assassin, Gorath leaps forward despite his chains and kills a moredhel attempting to attack, recognizing him as a relative and a sign of the deepening rifts Delekhan has caused in moredhel family ties.

Afterwards, Gorath declines Owyn's offer to bury the assassin, stating that it is "not our way." The likelihood of encountering further assassins after Gorath's blood influences Locklear's decision to remove his shackles to keep him alive until they reach Prince Arutha in Krondor.

After a treacherous journey and a secretive arrival through the Krondorian sewers, Gorath is brought to the Palace under Locklear's supervision. Locklear presents him to the court as proof of the dire news from the Northlands, shocking the assembled nobles. Exploiting the tense moment, an assassin attempts to kill Arutha, who is saved by Pug.

Chapter 2
At the council table, Gorath faces scrutiny from Kingdom officials as Arutha ponders the party's story. To settle Arutha's concerns about assuming the situation from vague, speculative hearsay, Gorath submits to mental probing from Pug's daughter, Gamina, but she finds his moredhel thoughts very chaotic, catching only glimpses of his youth and images of Delekhan. Makala the Tsurani Great One, present to discuss trade between the Kingdom and Kelewan, confirms magically that Gorath's intentions are true. Impatient with the talk of trade agreements, Gorath warns that the moredhel are watching their borders, Nighthawks are spying on their imperial cousins, and that Arutha must prepare his troops to meet Delekhan's invasion before winter.

His dicatorial tone angers Arutha, who retorts that only Locklear's word protects the "dissident moredhel" from execution and that more concrete evidence is needed. Gorath cites the humiliation of breaking his oath and surrendering to an enemy as evidence enough, explaining to Makala his hatred for Delekhan. As additional proof, Gorath offers to intercept one of Delekhan's messengers at Romney to find evidence of the warleader's intent and let Arutha know where the forthcoming attack would take place. Arutha permits the journey, though still distrusting him enough to deny him Kingdom supplies and funds.