A Warcaster of Khador, Sorscha Kratikoff is one of the premier users of ice magic in Khador, and is known for being a very cold and uncompromising woman.
History[]
Sorscha was born on 574 AR in the Klevberg village, north of Boarsgate, near the Gallowswood. When Sorscha was thirteen her father went to join his winter guard unit only to receive word of the massacre at Boarsgate in the same month. Sorscha’s father lay among the dead, killed by Orsus Zoktavir, the Butcher of Khardov.[1][2]
Two years later a fifteen year old Sorscha lied about her age and joined the winter guard. Sorscha served in three consecutive tours of duty with the prestigious border garrisons at Ravensgard and participated in frequent bloody conflicts with Llaelese mercenaries and Cygnarans and was promoted to Sergeant in 591 AR. She demonstrated considerable natural tactical prowess and was chosen for officer training at the Druzhina in Korsk before returning to her men as a lieutenant in 593 AR. She advanced quickly through the ranks becoming a kapitan in 594 AR and a kovnik in 596 AR. A warcaster named Torisevich noticed her abilities picked her to serve as an aide. Sorscha had already shown hints of inborn sorcery but had kept them to herself, for she had been raised in a rural border area where such powers prompted superstition and dread.[1][2]
Her warcaster ability surfaced during a conflict in early 597 AR near the Ordic border when Torisevich was slain in an ambush and his ’jacks suddenly fell dormant. In desperation, Sorscha charged unescorted into the combat but her troops were demolished and she found herself far outnumbered. Her thigh was wounded and she fell. When she Leaned against one of the nearby Juggernauts, she found herself able to reach within its mind. She reactivated its cortex by mimicking the arcane sequence her untrained vision had perceived from her kommander. Sent forth at her bidding, this warjack charged into the nearby enemies.[1][2]
Kommander[]
Kommander Sorscha armed with Forstfang uses her arcane powers
Days later Sorscha Kratikoff stood before her queen in Korsk. Her new talents were quickly put to the test, and was placed under the Umbrean prince, Vladimir Tzepesci. In her year of study with the prince, she fell in love. She saw in him ancient nobility, a sense of profound duty, and devotion to the memory of his ancestors. They had a brief romance before duty called her away to service at the height of their passion. She was promoted to kommander in 598 AR which forced them to part. She was given the weapon Frostfang, fabricated by a team at the Rigevna Complex in Korsk utilizing the design of Master Mechanik Dahlrif Salvoro II. Similar to the Ice Axe used by the Juggernaut, the frostfang is smaller in size and uses a arcane condenser customized by Salvoro and attuned to draw energy directly from Kratikoff’s sorcery.[2][1]
Since her parting with Tzepesci she became more embittered and poured her strength into the tasks at hand and many doubted if any lingering affections still remained under her iron discipline and unfaltering dedication to Khador but there were those who believed her fate is tied to Tzepesci by a cord that will not be easily broken. She participated in the Khadoran invasion of Llael in 604 AR where she achieved crushing victories against Llaelese, Cygnaran, and mercenary forces at Elsinberg. [2]