Harath Clawblade
Harath Clawblade
CE Human Male
Rogue 4/Cleric of the Blood of Vol 3/Thief of Life 5
To the Blood Claws, Harath is their leader and the force behind their success. The fact that he constantly wears bandages about his face suggests to them that he was horribly disfigured at some point, but the truth is actually that he's quite famous and does not want to be discovered by either his own men or his enemies.
Harath plays much the same role in the Swords of Liberty, only as a leader bent on turning Breland into a "true Republic" by any means necessary. He hides his face among them as well, and many of the same rumors abound, but he has so far led them to numerous successful and highly public "statements" (Read: terrorist activities). Though most members think themselves true patriots and a force against the decadent Monarchy, the organization is, in truth, little more than the Emerald Claw in Breland without the religious trappings.
Through the two organizations, he plots moves that help the friends and hinder the enemies of his true persona, loyal servant of Breland and Parlimentary representative of the people in the House of Lords. On the surface, he is educated, erudite, cultured, and quite charming. Looking deeper, he is a power hungry womanizer who regularly has people put to death when he is displeased. While he has a... *AHEM* "strong love for the ladies", he has a low attention span for any one of them. Women are brought to his chambers regularly, willing or not, to satisfy his lusts.
Born of a Brelish Earl by a mistress, he became heir by poisoning his half-brother and the ligitimate heir. After being "adopted" by his father and being recognized as an Earl in his own right, Harath's parents met an "accident" at the hands of the Emerald Claw. At first, he'd only intended to use the EC while convenient, but he found their religion fascinating, studying their holy texts and applying the lessons therein to his new position in the House of Lords.
Due to Parliment's "Good Old Boys" social structure, his "adopted" status, and his parent's strange deaths, he found himself stilted by the older members of Parliment. Not being a veteran, lacking real wealth, and not coming from any truly influential part of the country only enhanced his exclusion.
The last ten years have been spent rectifying this.
Specifically, he's been using his connections to the EC to build a stockpile of blackmailable material on the other members while also accepting numerous "unofficial contributions" from the Aurum, Dragonmarked Houses, the Dreaming Dark, and even other members of Parliment. The world of politics being what it is, he has more respect as a man with a vote for sale than he did as a perceived power mongerer. All the while, he's been corrupting the younger members of Parliment as they join, to the point that the House of Lords has become a disgrace to it's ideals. The House of Commons uses this in it's efforts to gain power, but they have also been corrupted, though in different ways (see Minor Villains).
The Blood Claws are part of the final stage of his plans. Once they have fully overtaken all of Northern Breland, he will launch a series of devistating terrorist attacks throughout Breland through the Swords of Liberty, framing the House of Commons in the process and having them arrested. The Blood Claws will become his private army, murdering all but a few of the Royal Family's children, whom Harath will become Regent for.
Vice Admiral Ramirez came incredibly close to pinning down Harath for the traitor he was, only to have the entire thing fall through as agents were killed or compromized (many of whom have been brainwashed into serving the Emerald Claw or Swords of Liberty) and evidence was lost, destroyed, or stolen. The reason for the turn around is Harath's new Superior, Lord Shadowspawn, who is essentially proof-reading his plans. Now what should have become Harath's arrest and execution has turned into a plan that might actually work.
For his part, Harath loathes Shadowspawn for usurping his place as Leader of the Emerald Claw in Breland, which he had held until Cassius killed Gihren and necessitated the Wizard's arrival.
As things stand, he was severaly injured in a surprise attack by Thelia during her and Gerald's imprisonment by him, with both his arms badly broken. He has since returned to Wroat with Red Owl to continue his plans from there, leaving Bastisu to command the Blood Claws in his stead.
