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The Kalkara are fearsome and powerful creatures, seen in The Ruins of Gorlan, native to the Mountains of Rain and Night. At some point, the rebel lord Morgarath gained control of three, and used them to hunt, target and kill people who he wanted dead. Two of these, the last known Kalkara, were killed by Baron Arald, Battlemaster Rodney, Halt O'Carrick, and Will Treaty, in the ruins of Castle Gorlan.

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A vague image of what a Kalkara might have looked like.

Appearance[]

A Kalkara's physical makeup is described as being like a cross between a bear and an ape. They have incredible speed and strength. They can move quiet and unseen like Rangers, although for the Kalkara it is part of the nature as a type of creature. Their bodies are covered in thick, heavily matted hair and coated in a sticky, wax-like substance, resulting in a natural armor comparable to the strength and durability of scales. With vicious talons on each hand, and standing over two and a half meters tall, they represent very intimidating and dangerous foes.

While their physical prowess alone classifies the Kalkara as extremely dangerous enemy, their true horror lies in another power: anyone who looks into the red, hate-filled eyes of the Kalkara is immediately rendered helpless and stunned due to an overwhelming feeling of fear it invokes, which paralyses any who make eye contact, although an individual with an extremely strong will can resist enough so that they could break eye contact.

Whether this is some variety of magic, or an unexplained scientific natural ability is unknown. However, it is this that allows the Kalkara to overcome and cut down even the strongest of prey.

Kalkara attacks Halt credit Nathaniel Newlin

A re-enactment of the battle between the Kalkara and Halt, even though the Kalkara has red eyes, and this Halt is not scaled, just to know, Halt is never depicted this tall.

Strengths/Powers[]

The Kalkara can use their eyes to paralyze their victims with fear. This is comparable to the way a snake paralyzes a bird before killing it. While one is paralyzed, they will be unable to move or react, becoming vulnerable to attacks from the Kalkara. The full effects of this ability are unknown, but it is suspected that, if used for an extended period of time, it can stop a human's heart, killing them with no outward signs of having been attacked. However, if one of an iron-hard will who is expecting this power in confronted, they have the slightest chance of breaking the gaze enough to escape and continue the fight. Their thick fur creates a protective armor capable of enduring blows from weapons such as swords, axes or arrows. They use their legs to sprint deceptively quickly and can jump very far distances. They also show incredible endurance as they are able to keep ahead of Ranger Horses Tug and Abelard. They are also able to keep ahead of Baron Arald and Sir Rodney's battlehorses. Furthermore, though single-minded, the Kalkara also demonstrate shows of a mind of incredible cunning when it comes to assassinating their victims, as in both cases where they murdered victims, their hand was not discovered, although the survival of the Kalkara species was debated at that point so there was no reason for an individual to think of them. Although they can work well in day, Kalkara also have excellent nocturnal vision.

Weaknesses[]

While their matted hair is very strong, the substance that coats the hair is waxy and as such is flammable. They are also obsessed with silver, which is how Morgarath recruited them. Due to their single-mindedness, they must return to their den after every assassination before receiving a new target. This allows Will to track them. Their simple animalistic behaviors also cause them to pause and scream out in triumph when they kill or are about to kill, making them vulnerable to surprise attacks. They are also afraid of fire as it is the only sure way to kill them, due to the waxy substance on their hair. This gives Will a window of opportunity to use a flaming arrow to kill the last known Kalkara. It is also said that the second best way to kill a Kalkara, after fire, is the use of battleaxes, broadswords, lances, maces, and other such heavy weapons, as one was killed that way by three fully armored knights. However, only one soldier survived, and he was crippled for life, further showcasing the Kalkaras' might.

Intelligence[]

While the Kalkara show mostly simple instincts, they also demonstrate levels of high intelligence. They were able to mislead Halt into believing that they did not know he was following them. Will, however, did notice this fact and professed his thoughts to Baron Arald and Sir Rodney. During the same journey, the Kalkara were able to ambush Halt. Halt had noticed the fact that the ruins of Castle Gorlan would be an ideal place to be ambushed, due to the fact that he would not be able to use his longbow much. This strategic point for restricting Halt's use of his longbow again emphasizes the Kalkara's intelligence. Given that Halt also suspected that the Kalkara might have potentially recruited members of the Plains population with promises of protection, it is possible that, in addition to presumably understanding human speech, Kalkara can, like Wargals, develop a vocabulary that allows them to communicate with humans. Additionally, Morgarath cannot control them through his mind like he can with the Wargals, due to their intelligence. Instead, he controls them through their obsessive love and worship of silver.

History[]

The Kalkara are a mysterious race and because of this, next to nothing is known about their culture other than the species appear to be native to the Mountains of Rain and Night. However, it is known that when the rebel baron Morgarath was planning his rebellion he made several expeditions into the dreaded Mountains of Rain and Night, searching for unnatural allies he could use against the kingdom alongside his loyal human followers. After several attempts, the rebel baron successfully found the Wargals and bent them his will. Despite his new soldiers unnatural strength and new, pitiless behaviour, Morgarath, hoping to find and recruit more of the strange beasts and ancient monsters that dwelt in the mountains to his cause, continued to search the mountain deeps, leading to him finding the three Kalkara (possibly the last remnants of a dying race) and in turn converting them to his side. However, as the Kalkara were more intelligent and strong-willed than the Wargals, Morgarath was forced to promise them something in return for their services. Eventually, the Baron somehow learnt of the Kalkara’s strange obsession with silver and bribed the three monsters with vast quantities of the precious metal in return for their aid, though it is never mentioned if he actually used them in the First Araluen Civil War. Whatever the reason, the three Kalkara acted as specialized assassins, killing who ever Morgarath wished dead. Seven years after the war ended, one of the Kalkara was killed by three knights (although it is unknown whether or not the Kalkara was acting under Morgarath’s orders). However, before it fell, the Kalkara was able to kill two of the knights and cripple the third for life. It was after this battle that the Kalkara’s existence was confirmed.

Second Araluen Civil War and Apparent Extinction[]

Preparing for his second invasion of Araluen, Morgarath sent a platoon of Wargals to attack the centurions of Three Step Pass in order to distract the guards while the Kalkara slipped out and made headquarters of the Solitary Plains, beyond the Stone Flutes, planning to have them kill of the kingdom's war leaders to sow seeds of confusion among the army ranks. During this time, it is quite possible they may have made an alliance with the people of the Plains, promising their safety if they aided them. Using the plains as a base, the Kalkara were sent out twice to kill Lords Northolt and Lorriac, who were both essential to the Kalkara's master's first defeat and would be greatly needed for the war. Both of these assassinations were successful, the monsters executing Northolt with their talons, which they framed as the result of a deadly encounter with a bear attack while Northolt was hunting and killed Lorriac through a prolonged stare, which eventually stopped his heart, which they were able to frame as a stroke, despite vague reports concerning sightings of their presence in the area. However, due to their single-minded nature, the Kalkara were forced to return to their lair after every assassination, where Morgarath or, more likely, one of his underlings, would show them their next victim. After assassinating Northolt and Lorriac, Morgarath sent the Kalkara after his most hated enemy; Halt O'Carrick, the Ranger who had been essential to his first downfall.

Kalkara vs

Kalkara Vs. Halt

The second-to-last Kalkara was gravely wounded by Halt, who sent a barrage of arrows into its chest within a "hand's breadth", but then the last one smashed his longbow. It was the combined efforts of Baron Arald and Sir Rodney who finally pushed the wounded Kalkara into the fire. Halt threw his knife into the remaining Kalkara's eye, with his own eyes closed so as to beat the hypnotizing stare (a feat only a handful of Rangers could have accomplished) and sprinted for the Baron and the Battlemaster, Sir Rodney, but he never made it; the Kalkara jumped up and knocked him unconscious. When the Baron stepped forward, attacking with his broadsword, the Kalkara blocked it with its arm, and swiftly injured the Baron. However, Sir Rodney stepped forward before the Kalkara could kill him, and smashed his battleaxe into the Kalkara's side, staggering it. Before he could strike again, though, Sir Rodney was paralyzed by the Kalkara's stare. The Kalkara then screamed in triumph as those three men (Halt, Baron Arald and Sir Rodney) had caused it incredible pain, and now it would be able to kill them. The problem was, there were four people, not three. It did not notice Will, who coated an arrow in flaming pitch and shot the remaining Kalkara as it was celebrating its victory. With its death, the species is likely to have gone extinct, as those were the last known living Kalkara.

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