Tlakeln Orthrod

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pronounced "Tahl-keen"

~30-35 years old, 6'7" (half) orc with green and tan skin and reddish-pink eyes

Outwardly gregarious which makes him approachable to anyone who doesn’t know any better. He’s learned that a friendly demeanor and a quick wit can diffuse a situation but one should always be prepared for the inevitable fight. He prefers to “do things the easy way,” but won’t hesitate to “do things the hard way,” especially when it comes to those who are dumb enough to challenge his authority - he revels in the opportunity to make an example of someone.

Can be an arrogant, self righteous, stubborn, holier-than-thou bastard. This is reinforced by his misdirected sense of self worth being associated with how he can best prove his usefulness and loyalty to Renzo (as he was raised to believe). Deep down he desires meaningful connections and is often sympathetic towards people’s struggles, but fears caring for others might be seen as a weakness to be taken advantage of.

His temper/emotions can get the better of him when someone (mostly Ulhrah) is able to get under his skin, he lashes out or acts on emotions which usually leads to careless decisions. He’s lived a violent life surrounded by violent people, so violence comes naturally to him. He’s aware of this shortcoming, but feels like there are situations where he has no choice.

Background

Born into this life of crime and was never offered a chance to live a different life. Proved his usefulness early on as a fighter/muscle, quickly picked up on the politics of “the business” which helped him climb rank to caporegime. As a trusted and loyal confidante, Renzo put Tlakeln in charge of one of their local rackets, allowed him to hire his own underlings and generally maintain the peace, so long as the decisions Tlakeln makes benefits Renzo/the organization.

Relationship, Factions & Connections
  • Mafia Au/Ulhrah Maulvi - enemy to lover situation. Initially doesn’t trust Ulhrah (she’s obviously a fae spy) but has to trust Renzo and Mada at their word - she is there to provide protection/support and he has to go along with it to maintain good relations. Tlakeln is more than a little afraid of her and what she’s capable of, she is constantly trying his patience and her presence complicates interactions in his day-to-day business.
  • Renzo Respoli- Tlakeln works for Renzo closely, usually overseeing important/sensitive matters along with “usual business.” They have a mutual respect for each other, however Tlakeln begins to feel that Renzo does not have his best interests in mind and is merely a pawn in his game.
Themes

toxic masculinity, emotional vulnerability, the "hanged man" and the truths he must learn to face his reality

  • Protagonist/Anti-Villain - a character with heroic goals, personality traits, and/or virtues who is ultimately the villain, both by choice and circumstance in Tlakeln’s case. Wants a better life for himself/his community, but is the right hand man of a mob boss and is living well himself (complacent), understands on some level that he’s not the “good guy” so leans a little harder into being the “bad guy” (might want to be the good guy, but can’t/doesn’t believe he can achieve that)
  • Henry Hill/Goodfellas - in that he’s more of a “working-class” criminal who will never be a “made man,” can’t move up in rank, can’t go out on his own without it being perceived as a threat or a risk to his own life.**
  • Justified Criminal? - too ingrained in this life to think there’s another option
Artfight/Commission Permissions

Originally a TTRPG character so feel free to draw him like that too!

This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Meredith Nolan © 2024