The Orlanthi tribal leaders assume that the Telmori tribe must have a king. This is a misunderstanding of Telmori culture, but when the Telmori deal with the Orlanthi Kostajor Wolf-Champion stands in for them as their ‘king.’
Kostajor is over eighty-years old, and respected for his wisdom in guiding the people.
Kostajor is the son of Ostling Four-wolf, ‘King of the Telmori,’ and Onelisin Cat-Witch the granddaughter of Sartar. He is continually torn between his savage Telmori nature and the loyalty he has to his mother’s kin. The savagery of his five sons, the Helkos Brothers, is tamed only by their loyalty to their father’s Royal House.
An old man now, Kostajor is still one of the most famous warriors in Dragon Pass. He formed part of the Telmori Royal Guard to Prince Jarolar of Sartar as a young brave. He saved Jarolar’s son, Prince Jarosar, from the disastrous defeat at Dwarf Run. He was one of the trusted advisers of Tarkalor Trollkiller, both in his war with the Kitori and the conflict in Tarsh; he saved Tarkalor’s son Terasarin at the Battle of Grizzly Peak Grizzly Peak.
Even as an old man, Prince Terasarin sought his counsel. He was too old to fight with the Household of Death, but he sheltered Kallyr Starbrow when she fled Lunar Empire assassins.
He led his people against the Maboder tribe when they broke Sartar’s treaties — and Kallyr showed the loyalty of the House of Sartar by fighting alongside him then. Jomes Hostralos killed his wolf brother and one of his sons in the subsequent fight, and a broken hearted Kostajor sued for peace. He still hates Jomes, who now wears the skin of his wolf brother as a cloak.
Kostajor has never recovered from the death of his wolf brother. His grandson Ostling Spotted-Fur is now a hostage — at the mercy of Queen Ivartha the Skinner. The light has gone out of the old man’s eyes, and he has grown thin and wasted. Many people whisper that perhaps it would have been better if he had died along with his wolf brother instead of being tortured by the years that were to come.
Now Kostajor sits quietly by the fire. He hunts only on Wildday when he assumes wolf-form. Some say he waits for death, others that he waits patiently and quietly to have his vengeance on Jomes.