13 replies to this topic

[-JR-]

Does anyone have any information on Kresselack's ethnicity outside what is listed on the wiki? He is referenced as a barbarian, but does anyone know his tribe? Is the name "Black Wolf" possibly a reference to the Tribe of the Wolf? Information on his campaign against the north would be useful as well.

Personal impressions and interperatations are welcome and encouraged as long as they are identified as such.

Edit: The following item description for the Icewind Dale I two-handed sword, "Kresselack's Sword" mentions him being a barbarian.

Kresselack, the barbarian king, once wielded this sword to aid him in his conquest of the northern lands. It is not known, however, how he originally acquired the weapon. Most scholars believe Kresselack simply found the weapon in one of his many conquests. However, rumors do persist that the sword was the creation of some powerful wizard and was commissioned by Kresselack himself. The truth of the matter will never be known.

Also, the Icewind Dale II two-handed sword, "Saga of Wandring Sky," gives a little insight into Kresselack, and sets the time period of his campaign as relatively soon after the battle in the introduction video of Icewind Dale I. Does anyone think Kresselack might have been present in that battle?

The saga of Wandering Sky is a tale of hearth and home told by many skalds of the North. The tale exemplifies the persistence and strength of the barbarian spirit.

When the legions of Arakon the Arch-Mage swept across Icewind Dale, the Tribe of the Bear was among the first of the tribes to meet his assault. Overwhelmed by the superior forces, the barbarians fought bravely, but they were no match for Arakon's forces. One of the tribe's eldest hunters and warriors, Hreidgar, was knocked unconscious during the battle, and he awoke to the sky tearing at his face and the remains of his fellows around him. Of his wife and children, there was no trace, and without a word, Hreidgar took up his great sword and followed the path of Arakon's army, determined to reclaim them and avenge the fallen.

Hreidgar was among the first to pledge his blade to the barbarian shaman Jerrod when he united the tribes against Arakon, and he served tirelessly in the great battles ahead, even on the darkest day when Arakon unleashed armies of the hells against Jerrod and the tribes. In every battle, Hreidgar and his greatsword were as one, howling like the wind as he drove his enemies back... and to their deaths. But when Arakon was at last defeated, no trace of Hreidgar's wife and child were to be found.

Hreidgar continued his search, and his journey of many years is said to have taken him across the great cliffs of the Reghed Glacier during the Season of Raining Spears, upon the Sea of Moving Ice where he sailed with the Tribe of the Great Whale and fought slavers from the south, and then to his final destination, the small town of Enholm's Point, where he stood with the handful of the town's defenders against the army of Kresselack the Black Wolf. It is said Hreidgar fought so fiercely that Kresselack conceded the field in honor of the warrior - but not before striking the fatal blow that would end the warrior's life.

Bleeding from numerous wounds, Hreidgar is said to have wandered north from Enholm's Point, traveling for many miles before collapsing to his knees. With the last of his strength, the old warrior plunged his blade into the ice and said he had finally found what he had been seeking. "Let the sky wander," he proclaimed, "for my travels are done."

When the townsfolk of Enholm's Point returned the next day to carry his body away, they found Hreidgar, but his blade had vanished. It is said that the blade now wanders as the sky wanders, finding its way to others with long journeys before them... and guiding them to their final destination, whatever it may be.

Edited by -JR-, 01 August 2010 - 07:43 PM.

[Cal Jones]

Well, given that he was a barbarian in the northern climes, I wouldn't imagine that he would be a "man of colour", if that's what you're asking. The barbarians who appear in Heart of Winter appear to be muscular caucasians, more or less.
In our world, the theory is that, having started out in Africa, the humans who travelled to northern climes evolved pale skin due to the limited sunlight, since pale skin is better at absorbing vitamin D (in very basic terms, anyway). Thus it would be reasonable to suggest that those indiginous to the Icewind Dale region would be light skinned.
The name might refer to his hair colour or dark reputation, perhaps.
As for the rest, I've no idea, to be honest. Are you planning a Kresselack-related mod?

[-JR-]

Fanfiction, actually.

Since both major barbarian groups seem to be a mix between Native Americans and Scandinavians (like me!), I was going to split the difference in skin tones and facial structures.

Like you suggested, I was considering giving him darker hair than is common in a Reghedmen barbarian, earning his name and implying partial Uthgardt or southern lineage.

So would it be safe to assume there are no canon or close-to-canon resources about him, giving me a bit of creative liscence?

[Ipsissimus]

I always thought that "Black Wolf" was either a personal title, or the name of a lesser-known Uthgardt tribe. Probably the latter, given the existence of the Black Wolf Talisman.

Hmm, funny. Wizards.com turns up nothing for Kressalack, unsurprisingly, but also nothing for Uthgardt.

[-JR-]

Mhm, I figured it was a personal title derived from his actions or appearance like Cal said, and also possibly a reference to the Reghedmen Tribe of the Wolf. Might be both, black and wolf being earned seperately.

Or, like you said, it could be a reference to the Uthgardt's Tribe of the Gray Wolf, but their naturally dark hair would make the "black" descriptor a little less logical if I ended up linking it to his appearance.

I looked up the item you mentioned.

This crude talisman appears to be nothing more that a flat piece of stone with a wolf's paw painted on it. Despite its simple appearance, the Black Wolf Talisman contains powerful beneficial magic.

If you look at it alongside the Icewind Dale II item, Rol-Sayid's Left Hand of Darkness:

To the northeast of the great tree-town of Kuldahar lies the Vale of Shadows, a valley of crypts and tombs where Kresselack the Black Wolf is said to be buried. Almost thirty years past, a band of adventurers entered the Vale of Shadows and returned with many relics and treasures taken from the tombs there. Rol-Sayid's Left Hand of Darkness is one such item, though its true purpose was not realized when it was discovered. Considered nothing more than the cast-off bandage of a mummy, it had been used to wrap a gold necklace lying in one of the sarcophagi in the tombs.

The necklace's wrapping was discarded as soon as the band of adventurers returned to Kuldahar, and as they cast it away, the adventurers joked that it could serve some little boy as a sling if need be. One of the children of Kuldahar was quick to pick up on this comment, and he kept the sling both for hunting and as a good luck charm for several years. It is not known if he knew if the wrapping was magical or not, and he attributed the accuracy of the stones cast from it as his own natural ability rather than that of the sling.

In truth, Rol-Sayid's Left Hand of Darkness is one of the wrappings from the left hand of one of Kresselack's lieutenants, who had been resurrected as a mummy within the tomb of his lord and served as a guardian against trespassers. When a stone is placed within the wrapping and spun with great force, the stone will fly straight and true at an enemy. Furthermore, as long as the wrapping is held in the hand, the wielder is immune to diseases, both magical and mundane.

The undead buried with Kresselack were his lieutenants and soldiers in life. It's becoming increasingly clear that this was a highly organized army, probably using southern tactics in addition to rank structures. Along with this new mentality and his attitude towards... the world, really, it's probable that he abandoned all traces of his people's ways. And considering the place you get the item, I would assume it was something affiliated with his army rather than his tribe.

Anyone else have an opinion, even if it's just reinforcing something already suggested here?

[Corporal Dwayne C. Hicks]

yeah I never pictured him as a barbarian, but the build of his ghost looked like the build of the barbarians to me (even though it's technically a cambion) I would say make him like mostly barbarian, maybe part southern but at least say he spent some time down south to learn the more civilized style of things like military ranks and conquest. BOO-YAH

the black wolf is probably a tiny barbarian clan or something. dont you get the black wolf talisman in Icewind Dale two by the docks from that drunk barbarian in the bar in Targos? If so, whats a stinkin barbarian doin with it unless its barbarian-made. Maybe an extinct tribe, you could say thats why hes so cold and evil cause something happened to his tribe and he could have been taken down south as a slave or something. Kresslack qualifies as an Ultimate Bad-ass if'n youre askin for my opinion. To be that evil and have some honor, I'd say somethin nasty would have to happen to ya. Hes like Napoleon but tough and with honor, so I would guess hes not some rich boy makin up for a tiny willy like Napoleon probably was. Hes likely to have had some adversity.
Dont get me wrong, Napoleon's ok, but Kresslack is cooler.

[-JR-]

Oh yes, regardless of these details I'm going to write a tormented and believable villain.

The Black Wolf Talisman comes off of one of Kresselack's guards. You're thinking of the Guthewulfe Henghelm's Howling Wolf Talisman. Since Guthewulfe was a trader with the Ten Towns, him having non-barbarian goods would be a given, but this particular thing did indeed look barbarian-made.

It could possibly be an old-school barbarian totem like you suggest, but if Kresselack was a barbarian with some barbarian culture and soldiers, it would actually make sense to an equal degree if his new style reflected his primary heritage in addition to the "smarter" southern practicalities and tactics he'd clearly adopted to some extent.

There are both Reghedmen and Uthgardt tribes named after wolves, but I can't find anything in the Forgotten Realms setting about a "black wolf" other than an unrelated book about werewolves and Kresselack himself.

He mentions sacrificing his tomb's architects, his officers, and eventually himself to his god in an effort to secure his place in the afterlife. This doesn't line up with Tempus' ideology. What god are the statues of in that area? Myrkul? Is it possible he was worshipping The Reaper? If so, why was his new state of undeath a surprise to him? Let's brainstorm.

Edited by -JR-, 10 August 2010 - 06:19 PM.

[Ipsissimus]

My party just got its tail kicked in Kresselack's Tomb, so I'm pretty sure that it's Myrkul - there is, after all, that Myrkulite at the first level of the tomb itself.

I'm still inclined to think of "black wolf" as a personal title of sorts. Perhaps Kresselack himself was an outcast from a tribe, hence his adoption of a similar-sounding name. Black is also Myrkul's color, so maybe he adopted it to indicate his choice of deity?

[Corporal Dwayne C. Hicks]

Oh yes, regardless of these details I'm going to write a tormented and believable villain.

The Black Wolf Talisman comes off of one of Kresselack's guards. You're thinking of the Guthewulfe Henghelm's Howling Wolf Talisman. Since Guthewulfe was a trader with the Ten Towns, him having non-barbarian goods would be a given, but this particular thing did indeed look barbarian-made.

It could possibly be an old-school barbarian totem like you suggest, but if Kresselack was a barbarian with some barbarian culture and soldiers, it would actually make sense to an equal degree if his new style reflected his primary heritage in addition to the "smarter" southern practicalities and tactics he'd clearly adopted to some extent.

There are both Reghedmen and Uthgardt tribes named after wolves, but I can't find anything in the Forgotten Realms setting about a "black wolf" other than an unrelated book about werewolves and Kresselack himself.

He mentions sacrificing his tomb's architects, his officers, and eventually himself to his god in an effort to secure his place in the afterlife. This doesn't line up with Tempus' ideology. What god are the statues of in that area? Myrkul? Is it possible he was worshipping The Reaper? If so, why was his new state of undeath a surprise to him? Let's brainstorm.

Last time I played the Vale of Shadows I was like 10. I remember thats when either you or the game taught me about Myrkul so I always associated Kresslack with Old Lord skull. My vague childhood memories arent enough to have a good discussion with you about the whole thing. Maybe I should get on my game, considering the next thing I have to do is go to the Vale. But I dont waannna. screw it

[-JR-]

Thanks for the confirmation on that, Ipsy.

I'm strongly leaning towards it as a personal title, yes, and possibly a bastardization of his previous tribe name.

I love this forum, it's one of the few things still in existence that's actually helpful.

[Vherdel]

Well, his avatar was that of a demon knight.
And he used to be a barbarian, but he also had an empire curiously enough.
That and he followed Myrkul, or at least made a pact with him, since his tomb is infested with his undead servants, who, became undead voluntarily ( or were forced to volunteer ).
Now it might be just me, but I find it odd for a barbarian to raise an empire.

[-JR-]

I very much doubt he is an Uthgardt Barbarian actually. He had an empire with an organised military structured to the style of the south with ranks and all that.

Kresselack, the barbarian king, once wielded this sword to aid him in his conquest of the northern lands.

This source and others confirm that he was a barbarian on some level, but you're correct that it is quite an oddity. In my fanfiction, at least, I will probably be using the following idea.

I would say make him like mostly barbarian, maybe part southern but at least say he spent some time down south to learn the more civilized style of things like military ranks and conquest. BOO-YAH

Furthermore he followed Myrkul. When he tells his tale to the party in game he said something on the lines of "Knowing I would leave this life behind I prayed to my God for a place in the afterlife". This leads me to believe Myrkul was his God in both life and death.

Black Wolf is likely just a personal title gained from his reputation.

Very true, and again, an oddity. I still have to decide whether I'm going to have him practice in secret so as not to upset the balance, or attempt to instate Myrkul-worship as the religion of all of his followers, relying on his strength and reputation to protect himself from their initial ire. I could split the difference, I suppose, since it seems a lot of his close followers might have held similar ideas.

Any thoughts on the possibility of Kresslack's presence at the final battle with Jerrod? Bloodblade, do you have a source you can cite for the time period you discovered, or is it a personal estimate?