Lost Isles- The Khahl of Qaroo


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	The Khahl of Qaroo . . There are many stories in Qurshani lore about the khahl before the Azheer Wars. A tribe of merciless warriors, the khahl were covetous of territory, wives, material wealth, and magic. They had aligned themselves with the god Ghaaz, and aggressively pursued their goals of acquiring all the most beautiful women, the best land, and the strongest camels. Over the centuries, as tribal alliances were made and betrayed, and blood debts piled on top of more blood debts, the groundwork for the Azheer Wars was laid. In the final conflict, when mages from both sides delved deep into the earth, wrenching up magic never intended for the uses to which it was put – a final chaotic Armageddon – entire tribes were wiped out in the north. The khahl tribe survived, but they paid a terrible price. They were changed in the most irrevocable ways. Twisted into a new form, half elf and half scorpion -- the scorpion having been their tribal totem -- they lost touch with their humanity, but gained their goal. They became masters of the northern part of Qaroo after the Sundering.
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	Their once-great city, Kharahl, built in homage to their master Ghaaz, was adapted to become a breeding center for the khahl, where females were kept and the young larvae nurtured into adults killing beasts. The rest of the scorpion men patrolled, ever on the lookout for food, and most importantly, their most hated enemies, their sworn blood enemies, the surviving tribes of Qaroo. Ghaaz promised the khahl that they would rule the world, and to that end, the khahl devote all their energy. Before the war, the khahl tribe was the richest of all, and legend has it that the ancient treasures of the khahl still exist in the hidden caches under Kharahl, ever augmented by the plunder and pillage from caravans, elven scouting parties, and raids of the southern tribes across the sundering to. The khahl are masterful fighters. They have lethally venomous stingers on the tips of their tails, which can dart forward at lightning speeds. They have powerful arms and chests, and wield an array of cruel weaponry. Weapons for the khahl are not a problem: forges are said to still burn in Kharahl, plus the khahl take freely of the weapons and goods of their victims. The khahl shun heavy armors, as their scorpion bodies are impervious to most blades. They wear, at most, arm greaves, or belts across their torsos, but no helmets, and no shields. They do not use ranged weapons, favoring spears and polearms, or when in melee range, their powerful fists and tail stingers. Khahl speak in a guttural form of qurshani, and run with great speed on their six legs.