Kal Marr

Background story for Kal Marr. A character from the Witcher Role playing game I am running.

March 2024

This post is available in: english, français.

portrait of Kal Marr.

AI generated portrait of Kal Marr

Do I know a Kal? Of course I know him! He’s a Witcher and fearsome he is. Let me paint you a picture, a rainy evening, in a dreadful tavern in Ghelibol, the place where the local populace goes to drown their sorrows after a day of hard work. Well, that’s where I met Kal Marr for the first time when he entered covered in mud and dried blood, his eyes filled with a cold rage that still makes my blood run cold.

For three long days, he fought a Bruxae. And from what I gathered, he was more prey than hunter, the terrifying vampire seemingly toying with him. Exhausted and hurt, he had to flee to tend to his wounds. And that’s how he ended up drinking a sour beer with the simple bard that I am! He then spent almost two years looking for this monster who had stalked and abused him, without success.

Bring me one glass of hydromel and take a seat, I’ll tell you what I know of him.

Kal was trained inside the school of the wolf. Yes, yes, the same as Geralt of Rivia, this explains his strength! Nobody knows what happens there, but his transformation didn’t go without trouble, and he always had trouble with signs, unlike some of his pairs.

The rest of his formation wasn’t noteworthy, with integrity and a sense of duty, he tacked his first contract with determination. He had to free a small village in North Kaedwen from an Arachas. Never seen one? It’s a kind of huge spider, bigger than a horse, very poisonous with a shell on its back. Of course, it’s madness to battle this monster! But after all, Kal is a Witcher. He ended up with a punctured lung and although his potions saved him from the worst, he is painfully reminded of that first battle every time he starts running.

He then traveled across all of Redania and made some unlikely friends… A group of Scoia’tael rebels called the Scouts of the Dawn led by a certain Ryllae. These crooks and Kal worked together during a hunt where our Witcher saved their asses. As a thank you, they provided him hospitality and that’s how Kal spent a few weeks among them.

That’s pretty much where he and I met. He then left Redania, going further West, and ended up in Skellige. He spent many years hunting the formidable beasts of these islands.

Don’t worry, I know what happened to him next, it’s my job to stay in touch with interesting folks after all! There, a strong friendship grew between Kal and a professor, Bjorn Trek. They met again in many places on theses isles, sharing good times, stories, and alcohol.

During these years outside the continent, Kal saved the life of a noble from Lyria on a diplomatic trip. A troll had just attacked the caravan of Duke Roland of Saville, who if I may say so is very recommendable, on a steep mountainside. While the troll destroyed the wagons by throwing large boulders at them, an avalanche broke out. Kal, without second thoughts, crossed the pass, dodging the rocks falling all around him to reach the Duke and drag him to safety.

This granted him a knighthood from Earl Var Sigersson - who is much less recommendable - for his bravery. He also pocketed a small fortune alongside his title, allowing him to spend some time in peace.

Unfortunately, fate is cruel. Bjorn, his friend professor, lost his life when the boat he was on was attacked by pirates. This was a hard blow for Kal, who left Skellige, now too painful for him.

Back on the continent, he roamed in Temeria where he met Delphine Metill, a young travelling priestess preaching the words of Melitele. Both being nomads, they traveled together for some time, freeing the villages from monsters, and the villagers from their spiritual misguidances.

Finally, a few years back, he met a Temerian warrior named Clara Naro. They worked together to handle a contract she couldn’t achieve alone. It was an elemental in a forest a few weeks away. They became fast friends, Clara managing to bring Kal out of his shell. The track in itself turned out simple, the fighting on the other hand… The elemental was powerful, nourished by a magical source in his lair. Clara was wielding the spear, distracting the elemental with her long reach with blows to the face, while Kal slipped into close combat to land destabilizing blows. This combination worked quite well, the elemental was beaten at the price of a few wounds for the Witcher. As he was regaining his composure, Clara pierced through his thigh with her spear before running out with the elemental’s head. A few days later, once he could walk again, Kal went back to their employer, but Clara had already collected the entire reward.

This event had a profound effect on him, and Kal went off to live as a hermit in the northern mountains for a very long time. I haven’t heard from him since, but there are rumors that he has left his hideout and was spotted on his way to Novigrad. Hard to know why, but with the resurgence of monsters in the North, there should be no shortage of opportunities for him. For my part, I’m keeping an ear out for any mentions of his name, and hope to cross paths with my old friend again.

There, I’ve told you everything there is to know about Kal Marr! Be a good lad and bring me another mead will you.

fiction

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