| Recruit Join Date: Apr 2006
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|  New Character: Omar Vrask
Character to Submit:
Full Name: Omar Vrask (formerly known as Omar Crystan)
Age: 22
Class: Barbarian
Race: Half-Orc
Subrace: Half-Giant
Alignment: Neutral Good
Deity: Agnostic
Biography and Description:
When one sees Omar for the first time, it is a common mistake to believe him to be purebred giant. Towering over most of his fellows at 7' 6" and about 350lbs at best guess, Omar was rarely a victim of the violence so common on his home continent of Rilara (except during his developmental years). His uncommonly dark tan skin, due to too many hours spent under the sun during his seafaring days, not only hid what few human-looking characteristics he had left, but made him an even more intimidating figure. Taliana's (his mother's) gypsy heritage also contributed to his dark skin.
Omar was raised by his human mother, Taliana, and for most of his upbringing never knew his father. His mother had often traveled with the gypsies of Rilara, and as a matter of fact it was her traveling with the gypsies and her search for adventure that forged her encounter with Kreg Vrask, Omar's father.
During a skirmish between the gypsy and giant factions, Taliana, in order to avoid what seemed to be certain death, surrendered to the Giants under the agreement that she would cook for them. The giant chieftain agreed that she would be taken and her cooking tested. Only his approval of her culinary finesse could secure her survival. The chieftain, taken in awe by the flavor given by the variety of spices that Taliana had become familiar with amongst the gypsies, could do nothing but appoint her as the tribe's chef. Taliana's adventurous spirit quickly became weary of what she deemed to be an incredibly menial task.
Kreg had never paid much attention to her, but he could not help but see her distasteful regard of her circumstances. In a way very uncharacteristic of giants, he empathized with her. He began to pay her small compliments. Before long, Taliana noticed Kreg's unusual kindness and approached him. The two found that they had more in common than they previously believed. Although the chieftain had forbidden such contact, the two continued to meet in secret. One such meeting resulted in the conception of Omar. Taliana, knowing the punishment that would await Kreg should her conception and their relation come to the chieftain's knowledge, fled during the night using an escape route through a garbage hatch she had become familiar with.
As the months began to take their toll, Taliana quickly realized that she would have to settle down in order to care for this child. In an small settlement not far from the gypsy camp she once belonged to, she gave birth to Omar Crystan. She named him Omar because she believed it to be neither an entirely giant nor an entirely human name. She gave him her last name in what was part of an eventually feeble attempt to conceal his true half-giant identity to the world. As a matter of fact, Omar never knew of his giant-blood until 8 years old when he reached 5 and 1/2 feet.
Childhood was a difficult period for Omar. While half-giants might have been accepted in most lands, Rilara showed no mercy on Omar. The only way he could get respect was by commanding it through physical intimidation. Little did the other children know that his threats were vain for the most part. Taliana, repenting for her wild and careless former lifestyle, had educated Omar to be kind and respectful of those around him. While Omar puts on a front as tough as dragon scales to strangers, on the inside he's as soft as a winter wolf's pelt. Rilara's hostility kept Omar from allowing many to know his true demeanor.
As he grew, attacks on him became much more physical rather than verbal, and he was involved in his share of fistfights. Omar learned of the importance of keeping himself in top physical shape through exercise. One of his favorite exercises, whenever firewood was scarce, was to find a sizable tree and attempt to uproot it chop it up for firewood.
When he reached the age of 16, the racial prejudice and physical attacks became so unrelentless that he was forced to leave. He found work on armed merchant ships traveling from Point Harbor. They were looking for men that were experienced fighters, and while Omar had very limited experience, his potential as a fighter went unquestioned. He was given funds to purchase armor and a weapon of choice to take with him. Finding most of the weapons like trinkets in his hands, he finally settled upon a greatsword.
Omar had never used a weapon and was unsure of his capability in doing so. The captain assured him that he would do fine. During his first voyage with the crew, while passing a bit too close to Karthy, the ship was attacked. The captain was wrong about Omar - and while he found difficulty in defending himself from the onslaught, he survived by swinging his greatsword in great sweeping motions. When the fury of the battle had ended, captain and crew triumphant, they noticed that Omar, in his barbaric rage that had been bottled up throughout his childhood, had decapitated a fellow crew member during the skirmish. The captain swallowed his pride and took Omar under his wing to teach him basics in combat. Up until now, Omar had never had anyone fighting alongside him, and he needed to learn to control his combat.
Omar spent the next few years making a fair sum of money, and returned home at age 21 in an attempt to relive the life he had once known. Upon his arrival awaited a bittersweet surprise. Kreg Vrask attempted to introduce himself, but no introduction was necessary. Omar knew who he was he could say a word. Kreg began a very simple nearly entirely monosyllabic apology, but he had not gone far before Omar knew that this man was worthy of his trust. He embraced him as one man to another with such power that even his father was impressed. Omar listened as Kreg explained how he had believed that his mother had used him to escape the giant camp. However, the emotion he felt with her, left with her. It troubled him. He asked a second gypsy cook that they had taken captive if the gypsy spy network knew where she had settled down. After many years of loyalty he abandoned the camp to look for her.
The reunion, however, was short-lived. Local authorities had come to know of the giants in town and decided to rid the town of them once and for all. Late at night they crept into the Taliana's home in search of the two giants. Omar, whose days at sea had taught him to sleep lightly, was awakened by the intruders, but not before they had assassinated his father - a single slit to the throat. Omar's rage was enough to drive the few soldiers that were there off, killing one. They returned in numbers with an order to detain Omar for killing a town guard. Omar contested that he had done nothing wrong in defending himself and his father, but the soldiers' defense was that they believed that the giants were assaulting Taliana and that the soldiers were defending her. However with no witnesses against such a claim other than Omar (Taliana had fainted at the sight of her deceased lover), the soldiers' statement went unrefuted.
Taliana verbally protested the order to detain her son, and by doing so was labeled as a social deviant and was ordered to be detained along with her son. The two spent nearly a year in prison together before Taliana's weary heart for her son's future began to burst. She explained to him that she would distract one of the guards by luring him to lay with her, while he would make his escape. They said their goodbyes and her plan was put to action. Half-giants, unfortunately are not known for their stealthy capabilites. As Omar was leaving his cell (after using the keys that Taliana had so gently removed from the door guard), he was spotted. Taliana attempted to resist in order to give Omar more time, but the guards would have none of it. She was murdered on the spot.
Omar escaped the prison, and some who know Omar today believe that had his mother not been murdered he would not have escaped. The sight of the guard running through Omar's mother with a sword - the woman that he was making love to just a moment before, infused such an irate anger in Omar that he charged the guard. The guard struck Omar with his sword square in the thigh, but it was not enough to prevent the enraged half-giant from reaching around the man's head and snapping his neck in one swift motion. Omar retrieved the man's sword and thus equipped was able to escape with his wounded leg as his only casualty.
Omar did not know what to do. His only two true friends in life had both passed on to somewhere else - but where, he did not know. He retained his first name in honor of his mother, for she had given it to him, and changed his last name to that of his father's in memory of him. Thus Omar Vrask came to the adventuring business with one goal in mind - to right the wrongs that had taken his parents, and the which are undoubtedly causing others equal and perhaps even greater amounts of pain.
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