Babanak the Great has ruled the Bekebel clan with an iron fist for 59 years. He is proud, arrogant, and easily angered - qualities which temper his popularity. As a natural-born sorcerer, he has impressive magical powers and longer life than most kobolds. Unlike many rulers on Oro-oro-ponoro-poron, he keeps no treasure hoard for himself and seems to have little ambition - that is, little ambition beyond ruling the most powerful kobold clan on the island. Yet despite his fiery personality, the Bekebel clan has grown larger and more powerful than ever before under his rule.

In addition to providing leadership and judgement to the clan, Babanak holds the responsibility of creating many of the clan’s offerings to Tuvdak the Magnificent. A very capable blacksmith and sorcerer, Babanak often forges and enchants Tuvdak’s gifts himself. He also works with some of the clan’s master blacksmiths to forge unique shapes, and Elned the Wise and Paparnad the Mystic to weave greater enchantments.

Role-playing Babanak

Personality

Babanak sees the world through a critical and self-centered lens, evaluating his experiences only in terms of the impact they have had on him. He is efficient and critical, being nearly as critical of others as he is of himself. Nonetheless, he feels a great pride in his position of power - a pride which has made him arrogant and insensitive in recent years. He takes insults to heart and allows them to feed his self-doubt, a behavior he conceals by responding with notoriously fierce rebukes.

Motives

Babanak acts in accordance with a complex array of desires. His primary motive, always looming above the others, is the need for excellence. He sets high standards for himself over and above the expectations others have of him, and he goes to great lengths to attain them. He is also motivated by his desire for power. Though he would be ashamed to admit it, much of what Babanak does as the leader of the Bekebel clan is engineered to further elevate his standing. Third, Babanak seeks security for his clan, placing its safety above his own. He works tirelessly to anticipate potential threats to the Bekebel and to take preventative measures against them. Finally, Babanak acts in accordance with his love for Tantan the Inventor. Many of Babanak’s seemingly uncharacteristic decisions can be explained by his consideration for Tantan’s particular needs.

Background

Babanak was born to Gava the Supreme, the ruler of the Bekebel clan, and Nort the Pyromancer, the greatest sorcerer in the clan’s history. Nort died in battle defending the clan from the Lukurru before Babanak was born, leaving him with a fractured childhood. Many suitors offered to help Gava raise her son while she ruled the clan, but she spurned them and chose to instead take Babanak’s upbringing into her own hands.

Throughout Babanak’s childhood, Gava raised him with the intention that he would one day succeed her as the clan’s leader. She brought Babanak to every political meeting, invited him to read every diplomatic letter, and shared her reasonings with him at every hour of the day. This gave Babanak unrivaled political intuition, a trait he still upholds. She also regaled him with stories of her and Nort’s exploits - in particular, their hard-won victories. She reminded Babanak daily that she and Nort had risen to power from humble beginnings, and that she knew Babanak would similarly achieve greatness. She rarely told him of their failures, though, and she spoke of Nort’s death as unavoidable and tragic. Consequently, Babanak always thought of his parents as unattainable ideals, to be forever approached but never reached. Each of his failures pained him deeply, and still does.

Despite his idealization of his parents, Babanak was frustrated by his lack of freedom in the citadel. Gava kept him occupied at all times and never let him wander freely, so his social experiences were limited. Nonetheless, Babanak found the time to become friends with the apprentices of a nearby carpenter, one of whom was Tantan the Inventor. Tantan and Babanak found love for each other, and in the following years Babanak’s studies withered while his social life blossomed. Much to his mother’s annoyance, Babanak began to skip important meetings in order to spend time with Tantan and her friends.

A few years later, Gava suffered a debilitating injury which left her unable to speak. Babanak, being already familiar with the political workings of the Bekebel clan, was the obvious choice as her successor. So, just as Gava had anticipated, he was unanimously chosen by Gava’s advisors to take her place as the leader of the clan until she recovered. In early days of his rulership, Babanak continued to live much as he had before, spending several hours with Tantan each day. However, as time went on, it became clear that Gava would never return to full health. Babanak finally took the title of Babanak the Great and assumed a permanent ruling position.

Since Babanak became the ruler of the Bekebel clan 59 years ago, he has faced both political and personal issues. The war with the Lukurru clan was a source of constant negotiations, parleys, and fresh grievances. Eventually the fighting settled between the clans, but their hatred for one another never abated. Babanak took responsibility for producing the Bekebel clan’s offerings to Tuvdak the Magnificent, collaborating with metalworkers and sorcerers to appease the clan’s draconic overlord. His relationship with Tantan became strained - the clan’s seers peered into his future and foresaw death and destruction were he and Tantan to marry. Babanak doubted their visions and wished to marry Tantan regardless, but Tantan was wary and did not want to risk danger to the clan. They remained unmarried and continued their normal duties, seeing each other only in the time they could spare. Babanak repeatedly asked his seers if the vision had changed, but always the answer was the same.

Over time Babanak forgot his old wants and became increasingly invested in the clan’s success and safety. He spends long days working with engineers, craftspeople, and miners to enlarge Bekebel Citadel’s borders and secure its walls. Now Babanak rules the Bekebel clan with strength and pride, and the other clans on Oro-oro-ponoro-poron respect and fear his power.