Kalth

Kalth is a thri-kreen monk.

History
Kalth's hive, warned by premonitions of a great disaster, sent out scouts to locate and destroy the threat. Kalth is one of these scouts.

Kalth has been away from the hive and other thri-kreen for quite some time, and as a result is... a little off.

Shortly after arriving in Brightstone in search of companions, Kalth met a party of adventurers who already knew of the terrible threat to the world and were devoted to fighting it. Overjoyed, Kalth eagerly joined the newly formed Challengers of the Unspeakable.

During a battle to rescue the bones of Sir Maligant, Kalth was struck a fatal blow (actually, many blows) and nearly died. However, in a vision from the Raven Queen, Kalth was healed and survived the battle. Kalth wanted to begin worshipping the Raven Queen as a result of this, but upon questioning her priests learned that the Raven Queen's philosophy was too different. However, this near-death experience has inspired Kalth to research the various deities and religions of the world, leading Kalth to eventually follow the Path of Light. Out of all the gods, however, Kalth holds the Raven Queen in the highest regard.

In the battle at the Fortress At World's End, Kalth closely handled the Tear of Boccob, leading to a lingering Far Realm taint. Kalth was later able to remove this taint after the Battle of Silverstone.

During the Battle of Silverstone, the party had to perform a ritual pledging themselves to Orcus. Immediately after the battle, Kalth, wracked by guilt, visited the Raven Queen's temple in search of atonement. After successfully slaying a powerful servant of Orcus, Kalth was freed from the pledge.

... (stuff happened)

During the final battle against Tephra, Kalth was lent the powerful Estorian artifact Wings of Light. Unwilling to give it up, Kalth agreed to serve Vyrellis as a personal guard in exchange for continued use of the artifact. Kalth also founded a monk academy in Estorium, to assist in defending the nation.

A few months after founding the academy, Kalth simply vanished, along with the Wings of Light. Despite a thorough search, no trace of the thri-kreen was ever found, and rumors still persist that the monk had somehow found a way of walking through time itself.

Bar Stories
Memorable moments in Kalth's career.

"Falling Damage"
So there we were, right? Charging up to the temple entrance on our wolf pack, when this griffon comes soaring out. Also some other guards, but I was focused on the griffon. I knew it was bad news, 'cuz none of us can hit it in the air, and it can swoop down and claw us anytime it likes. I knew we had to take it down fast... and I knew just how to do it, too.

It takes a few minutes, but as we're fighting our way through the guards, I finally see it - our opportune moment. The hippogriff was hovering just a little too low, so WHAM! I teleported right on top of it.

Yes, I telepo- I can too! It's a monk thing. Buy another round and I'll show you!

You see? Now then, there I was, right above the griffon, finally close enough to smack it around some. I wound up and gave it one of my strongest blows - so strong that I almost knocked it right out of the air! It actually fell a few feet before it was able to catch itself.

Now, some may say that I hadn't thought this through, what with me now being 100 feet in the air with nothing but an angry hippogriff between me and the ground. But that's just not true. See, I had a plan. It was a good plan. I was going to wrestle that hippogriff right down to the ground!

Well, step two of my plan - land on the griffon - didn't work so well. Its feathers were slick with blood, so I slid right off it with nothing but a handful of feathers to show for it. Started plummeting straight down. I couldn't let things end there, so as I fell I threw a rock at it - don't laugh, don't laugh, you have no idea how useful they are - I threw a rock at it and pegged it right between the eyes!

Then... I hit the ground. I tell you, I made a crunching noise when I hit. It really hurt. But it didn't hurt nearly as much as when that hippogriff crashed down right on top of me.

See, when I pegged it with that rock? I knocked it out cold. I was too busy watching the ground come up at me to notice, but the damn thing was falling out of the sky right behind me. Died when it hit the ground, and nearly killed me in the process. But I got the last laugh in that fight.

Epic Poetry
Kalth... is not a poet.

The Return of Gryff
We Challenge the Unspeakable In this temple we saw the warnings Broke the seals and bypassed restraints That we might destroy what lay within We opened the coffin

What emerged, in our amazement Our lost companion who had vanished Sealed away into the Far Realm Defending us from madness he fell In death he saved us all

We spoke with joy and confusion In joy welcomed our companion, asked In confusion how he came here But he did not recall the Far Realm Or how this came to be

Something aberrant lurks nearby Warned our mighty ranger, his axe bright Shining that aberrants are near And until the coffin had opened It had not lit before

Something aberrant lurks within Warned our fearless battlemind, her soul Devoted to slaying such things Corruption in our lost companion She had not felt before

Should we bring him, should we leave him We know how every path will end, he Will be consumed by this evil Fall to corruption and die again Slain now by our own hand

Our quicksilver monk found a way A magic path to a Feywild grove There our lost companion would rest While we returned and sought for magic Strong enough for a cure

Our clever sorcerer, knowing A path once opened can be retraced Should our friend fall while in the grove Nothing remained to bar his escape So gave our friend a draught

With it he promised bold tongued lies An easy passage to the Feywild Swift reunion on the far side Concealing that it granted cursed sleep Deceived our friend drank

Our friend drank and fell into sleep And with sleep fell his glamour'd disguise This was not and had never been Our long lost friend or dear companion But an aberrant fiend

With deceit it had sought freedom With deceit it was betrayed and died We slew it quickly and we mourned Our companion who we lost once more Who had never returned

Pyramid of Shadows
Beware all you who travel here For this lying gate, when I stepped through It spoke: Your glory at the cost Of another's misery, and yet All misery was mine

Believing my friend bore the curse We sadly ventured forth, however In battle I fumbled my blow Those of the gate appeared before me And cruelly struck me down

Narrowly was that battle won We who Challenge the Unspeakable Pass along to you this warning As you travel further in this realm Remember this door LIES