Jhu's History
"Trolls of Zarakkar, quiver in awe, for you are standing in the presence of the true son of our tribe, Jhu the Destroyer! It takes but a glance for this warrior to make his enemies flee in fear! By the will of our Maker and following Chief Skar's orders, we hereby proclaim Jhu warlord to the peoples of Zarakkar!"
These words, spoken by a herald long ago, have etched themselves into Jhu's memory. For just a year later, sitting in a damp prison cell, he could only look back on the times of his former glory. There was no Warlord Jhu anymore, only Jhu the Outcast.
It all began back when the Habkhar celebrations were in full swing. The feast was to be held late in the afternoon, and during the day: the annual culling. That meant all infants less than a year old had to be carefully examined. Those deemed unfit were to be thrown off the high cliffs of Troll-peak. The Zarakkar tribe did not permit the weak in its ranks, and was not in the habit of leaving extra mouths to feed.
That was when Jhu found out sorting the children was one of his responsibilities. The newly-fledged warlord looked on as some women brought their infants forth proudly, while others tried to blend into the crowd, cradling their babes tightly. Several children were examined and given back to their mothers. There was a violent dispute regarding the fifth and the eighth babes. One was cross-eyed, and the other a bit too thin. They quickly ruled out the skinny babe, and threw him off the cliff. Jhu could barely keep from vomiting. He had witnessed his fair share of elders, children, and women dying, but that kind of calm, routine assassination disturbed him deeply. The next mother brought in an altogether ugly child. She kept wailing, "Spare my Mojo, I beg you!" and tried to bundle her son up to hide him from their prying eyes. But the judges would not budge from their sentence: death. Suddenly, the woman looked to Jhu, her eyes imploring. "Warlord, please, have mercy on Mojo!" she screamed hysterically. "He'll pull through and become a great warrior!" As Jhu hesitated, caught off guard, one of the trolls ripped the child out of his poor mother's arms and threw him into the abyss. With a frantic shriek, the mother jumped in after her progeny...
Jhu didn't sleep a wink that night. Yes, he did fulfill his duty and had finished the sorting. He even made a formal appearance at the celebration, smiling wanly at guests. But the whole time, Jhu had a nasty sinking feeling inside. A couple of months went by, but at last the warlord could take it no more and decided to find Mojo in that abyss, no matter the cost. The trek was a long one. But once he found the path to the foot of Troll-peak, Jhu realized he had walked right into an ambush. Scouts from an enemy tribe surrounded him, and he had no chance of escape. The Zarakkar warrior fought fiercely, striking down countless opponents with his bone boomerangs. But there were still too many enemies. Then suddenly, dripping with blood, a baby troll crawled out of the forest. Something strange happened next: green flame engulfed the baby, and a storm of magic skulls struck into the rank of the ambushers. A minute later, all of the attackers were dead.
It happened! Jhu had found Mojo, so fate was clearly on his side. He took Mojo to the city to spread word of the child's mighty feat, but ended up in prison instead. And then the very same herald that had sung his praise a year ago spoke very different words: "The third law of the Zarakkar says that a warrior of the tribe has no right to pity! He who is found guilty of it will be stripped of all decorations and banished! Warlord Jhu has broken the law, and is hereby proclaimed an outcast!"
As he listened to this spiel, the outcast calmly whittled a plank he had found in a corner of his cell, making a funny mask. Once Jhu had been escorted outside the city walls, a woman handed him Mojo, who had been bandaged up carefully and was ready for a long journey. Attached to the warrior's belt was the intricate finished mask, meant for his little friend...
Among the Guardians, Mojo was a model "military brat", and once he had grown old enough, he made a name for himself with many great feats. Along with Jhu, he became an example of valor and a warrior's honor for the entire Dominion. Also, the Zarakkar tribe abolished their tradition of culling the weak.
