Throk was a towering warrior of the nomadic Tuskari—elephantine humanoids who roam the southern dune sea of The Sands of Serrakhan. Known to many as The Mountain, he was revered for his immense strength, enduring spirit, and skill with a broad golden glaive. Though once a lone survivor of tribal slaughter, Throk rose to prominence within the Janissary Order and later stood among the ranks of The Sunsations during their final campaign to The Isle of Ember.
Origins & History
Throk hailed from a wandering Tuskari clan known for their austere survivalism in the wind-scoured dunes south of Shariz. The Tuskari did not build cities nor chart maps—only bloodlines, stories, and memory tied them to the desert. Throk was a warrior of some renown within his people, notable not only for his size and strength, but for his endurance through the dune seas depriving environment. That reputation would be tested when his clan was ambushed by a desperate band of Kroot raiders seeking shelter and supplies.
Though his kin perished, Throk alone stood against the tide—felling a half-dozen Kroot with his glaive in a defiant stand. As he prepared for death, arrows already peppering his back, a detachment of Janissaries swept in to route the remaining raiders. They were led by Vicerys, known as The Viper, right hand of Sultan Hakim Atis and elder of the Janissary Order. Vicerys watched the wounded Tuskari’s resilience with interest—and did not forget it.
Life
In the fighting pits of Shariz, Throk proved himself a living monument. He wielded a custom-forged glaive of golden brass, too heavy for most men to lift, let alone wield with grace. The crowd gave him his epithet—The Mountain—not merely for his stature, but because he did not yield. In time, Vicerys extended him an offer to join the Janissary Order. Throk accepted, donning the ceremonial armor of a Janissary with pride. Though not born to the Serrakhan Sultanate, he upheld its laws, marched in its parades, and earned his place through strength alone.
His service extended beyond the city walls. During an expedition to the Sunken Temple of Sukri, Throk was among the Janissaries stationed to protect the Emris Adventuring Guild as they uncovered the lost Vault of Talus. When Kroot ambushers descended on the party mid-delving, it was Throk who held the line long enough for the Sunsations to complete their task. In recognition, Headmaster Altair Emris granted him honorary status within the guild—a rare title given to those not of its ranks.
A New Oath
When Talyen confronted and deposed Sultan Hakim Atis, the Janissary Order fractured (see: Sultans Showdown). Some fled. Others resisted. Throk did neither. Disillusioned by the truths revealed—the Sultan’s bloodline, corrupted by the curse of the Sphinx and puppet to Malekith—he cast aside his allegiance and pledged it to Talyen. Not out of politics, but principle.
He would join the Sunsations on their voyage to the Isle of Ember, where Malekith's chained pyramid (the Tomb of the Twin-Spirit) towered above a sea of ash and fire. There, Throk would face his final battle during the opening moments of the Battle of the Black Sun. As the Sunsations prepared to confront Malekith, the false Avatar of the Sun was not amused. With a casual flick of radiant light, he eviscerated Throk—removing his head and shoulders in a single stroke, then brushing dust from his nails.
Legacy
Though his death was sudden and brutal, Throk’s loyalty was never questioned. The Janissary Order, restructured under the Senate of the Sun, commissioned a statue of him in the Exalted Enclave—where other Janissary heroes of past ages stand immortalized. The Sunsations remember him not for his death, but for his presence: a sentinel of the sultanate, unyielding and honest. His glaive, retrieved from the obsidian battlefield, remains displayed in the guildhall in Shariz as a reminder of the first to fall in the final war.