Kalzel Gryjiss

Kalzel Gryjiss
Biographical Information
Race	Nautolan
Homeworld	Glee Anselm
Mother	unknown, deceased
Father	unknown, deceased
Marital Status	Single
Siblings	Aveno Gryjiss, deceased
Born	Year -10 (exact date of birth unknown)
Languages	Basic, Mando'a, Huttese
Religion	Krath
Physical Description
Gender	Male
Height	187 cm (6'1 5/8)
Weight	roughly 96 kg
Hair Color	N/A
Eye Color	Black
Political Information
Affiliation	Krath
Title	Lord Protector
Rank	Praetorian

"When you're down there, trying to hold a ditch with half your squad lying around chock-full of blaster holes and a walker headed straight for you, you don't think about morals. You don't think about ideals. The only thing going through your head is what is going on around you, where are the people you need to kill, where is the nearest cover. Down there, we're naked, thinking only about survival, doing everything we can to make it out alive. Some people enjoy it. I get why they do; the thrill, the rush, the blood pumping in your head as you gun down another sap who was in the wrong place at the wrong time... There's something primal about it all. Animalistic. Survival of the fittest. But once it's all over, you head back to base and can't stop thinking about how you've wasted so many lives over some sort of 'strategical resource', or 'tactical asset', or whatever it was you were fighting over down there. And you waste them, because if you don't, they'll waste you. That's the sort of deal you're in. And you know, just know, that the bloke on the opposite side of the field is the exact same sod as you are. Family back home, two kids and a wife, waiting on papa to bring home the cash and tell them about all the glorious battles he's fought. But there ain't no glory in war. Just two sorta organized hordes of people who thought they had nothing to lose, charging each other, praying they're going to be the one to come out on top. And while all of this is going through your head, you fall asleep, trying to push the dying screams and the sound of shelling out of your nightmares. And then you wake up to the sound of the alarm, head outside, and do it all over again. Why? So the other folks back home don't have to. So they can live in some sort of peace."

— Kalzel Gryjiss ~ Year 17

Kalzel Gryjiss, current Lord Protector of the Krath Empire, is a Nautolan Nautolan allegedly born to a pair of farmers on Glee Anselm, circa Y -10. His early life is shrouded in a cloud of mystery he himself actively fuels by refusing to give clear answers regarding his childhood and adolescent years, claiming that "... his life had really begun once he joined Krath." His military career has been plentiful with interesting events, most of them revolving about his former commanding officer and one of the most impactful people in Kalzel's life, Varro Belle. Naively following the would-be traitor and accepting to take part in his schemes to destroy the Dynasty, Kalzel quickly found himself disillusioned and pledged to bring the man to justice; a promise he carried out over a year later, by enabling Belle's capture and subsequent execution. Now in the same position of power as his late predecessor, Kalzel vows to never repeat the mistakes of the past, both personal and career-wise, working tirelessly to secure a better future for those he's sworn to protect. His escapades had led him to make unusual friends along the way, such as the leader of the Shadow Hunters, a member of the Jedi Order and even an esteemed Gree xenoarcheologist.

Biography

His upbringing was cut short at the age of 8, when his family was viciously murdered by a hired gang as part of an ongoing land grab by one of the local businessmen. After seeing all his relatives die, Kalzel managed to surprise one of the gang members and killed him by stabbing him repeatedly with a knife in a fit of blind hysteria. After realizing what had happened, he'd run away from the farm with the intent of leaving everything behind and made his way over to a nearby city, where he joined the lowest ranks of society as one of many forgotten orphans hiding in plain sight.

Being plunged into a world with little to no support from his peers, Kalzel had learned that if he wanted to survive, he'd need to learn fast. Immediately taking to petty crime, he quickly gained renown amidst the underworld of Glee Anselm, demonstrating his skill when it came to pickpocketing, larceny, and, occasionally, armed robbery. After scrounging enough money to leave Glee Anselm for good, he smuggled himself off-planet and began his 16-year journey through the Galaxy. During those times, he went through numerous professions in order to get by, ranging from freighter piloting and ship repairs to more illicit business job prospects such as a bodyguard, bouncer and smuggler. Still coming to terms with his darker side, Kalzel sought refuge in alcohol and ryll, leading him to form an addiction to both. Desperately trying to secure enough money for both standard supplies and drugs, he found himself quickly becoming torn between his inner desire to become a regular denizen of the Galaxy and his urge to quell the ghosts of the past through substance abuse.

He was eventually discovered by Chi Koto, a recruiter for the Krath military and introduced to Varro Belle, concurrent commanding officer of the South Fleet. Belle saw Kalzel's unique set of talents, penchant for violence, and lack of self-worth as potential assets and enrolled Kalzel into a highly discretive Project Hellhound, a training program designed to mold its subjects into walking weapons, fully loyal to Belle personally. There, Kalzel was subjected to extreme living conditions, often going for days without food or water, physical and psychological experiments and subliminal suggestions, all with the purpose of brainwashing him into becoming Belle's puppet. Pit fights between inmates were a common occurence, often supported by the staff to determine the subject with most martial prowess. Kalzel's reckless all-in approach carried him out into the top five of the brackets, befriending the remaining four 'champions', forming an unwritten truce with each other. Unbeknownst to all, the staff had decided to put all five into a battle royale-styled match, wanting to see how the fight between the five most renowned fighters would play out. Once in the arena, Kalzel spearheaded the crew of five and broke through the containment, slaughtering the staff members and freeing the remaining inmates. As his last act of vengeance, he caused a meltdown in the facility, permanently terminating Project Hellhound.

The group split off after leaving the facility, promising to support each other in times of crisis. Of the five, only Kalzel had returned to Belle's service, admitting that despite all its shortcomings, Hellhound had given him an opportunity to get clean. Thus began Kalzel's meteoric rise through the army ranks. Always willing to accept even the most dangerous assignments, Kalzel claimed that he owed his life to Krath and Belle specifically, driving him to fulfill every task at hand. His approach had earned him the rank of Executive Officer; at the time, the second most powerful man in the Fleet, directly at Belle's right hand.

It was then that Belle had started planning his treachery and started establishing contact with the Imperial Union. Easily fooling Kalzel into believing that Talak Kasra, the commander of Krath military at the time, was actually an Imperial spy in disguise, Belle was able to strike a devastating blow to Krath Dynasty in an event known as the Black Sunday. Kalzel, who was at the time present on Nar Shaddaa as part of a classified undercover operation, was quickly brought forward for questioning after his return. Eventually realizing Belle's true intentions and the scope of his involvement, Kalzel caved in and agreed to work with Kasra on securing Belle and forcing him to pay for his crimes. Maintaining his cover as Belle's inside man in Krath, Kalzel began working as a double agent, feeding Belle false information and working on pinpointing his location. After several months of arduous work, Belle was finally captured and brought to Shesharile, where he would later be publically executed as part of the Dynasty's reformation into an Empire.

Now the Lord Protector of Krath, Kalzel was tasked with bringing the military back from the brink and into fighting shape again. Partnering with his Ori'ramikade counterpart, Cuyan Hulo, they had reformed the military curriculum from the ground up, offering bigger flexibility and ensuring that Black Sunday would not repeat itself. Still trying to dispel Belle's shadow looming over him, Kalzel had travelled to Askaj, where a rebellion was taking place due to a supply shortage caused by the Dynasty's failing statecraft. During a planetside skirmish, he'd sustained a critical wound that cost him his right arm. After pacifying the revolution, Kalzel was forced to take a more indirect approach to battle thanks to his newfound impairment, resulting in the degradation of his physical condition and combat aptitude. In late Y18, he'd struck a deal with one of his acquaintances, Spree Razzix, and had a custom cybernetic arm installed to replace his lost one.

Personality

In spite of all that had happened to him, Kalzel still manages to maintain a roughly positive outlook on the Galaxy, hidden underneath a shell of heavy cynism and gallows humor. He despises all ideologies that value martial conflict as something worthy of pursuit, which has been the cause of several arguments between him and the Mandalorian parts of the Legion, be they his subordinates or superiors. By extension, he dislikes all attempts at the glorification of warfare, claiming that while the wars themselves are an inherent part of inter-sentient communication, there's no reason to celebrate death, no matter the circumstances. He finds himself much more at home between ordinary citizens, somehow managing to maintain an anti-authority stance despite being an authority himself. This led to him clashing with numerous high-ranking officials, both religious and secular. He is generally distrustful of strangers, but is able to quickly overcome this issue if there is mutual respect between himself and the individual.

Kalzel's internal strife between doing what is right and doing what is necessary led to him developing a strong sense of self-resentment and loss of self-worth. He often views his own life as disposable, something that doesn't belong to himself, but rather to Krath. This feeling intensified after Black Sunday, since Kalzel views himself at least partially responsible for the atrocities commited by Belle and his allies. Over time, Kalzel realized that in order to come to terms with his past, he would need professional help, causing him to seek out a psychiatrist.

In what little free time he has, Kalzel enjoys visiting local cantinas for a brief moment's respite. He's taken a liking to numerous musical genres, willing to listen to almost anything, provided "the band knows what it's doing."

Religion

Kalzel describes his religious affiliation as "Informal Krath". He is technically an Initiate of the Order of Krath, albeit when asked about his reasons for joining, he claims he only joined, because the robes were comfortable. He's been known to attend most of the Krath annual holiday celebrations, but his duties and own lack of zeal prevent him from pursuing religious matters further. He retains an agnostic viewpoint on the matter of Krath's role and status, unwilling to make an uninformed opinion. However, he claims that if Krath is real, she would probably be female. He treats all organized religions (Krath included) with an amount of ridicule directly proportional to the particular church's perceived religious authority. On a number of occassions he's spoken up against the Zhell, arguing that their "pompous arrogance ain't helping nobody, who's not looking for a good joke."

Kalzel harbors active resentment towards both the Sith and the Jedi Order, the former because their ideology promotes self-indulgence at the expense of others and the latter because he finds them too apathetic to the issues of the Galaxy, saying that their Code promotes apathy and indifference towards those in need of help.

Abilities and Powers

(WIP)

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Equipment and Possessions

(WIP)

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