I will speak only briefly on this matter. It is heroes like Rokk Krinn that this world needs to fight the Horrors that corrupt Her existence. Not only was he important in his efforts but he inspired others, like the Bearers, to keep challenging evil in all its forms and seek comfort in the members of the group.

- Akasha

From the notes of Lavrup Green-tongued, submitted to Borrum Binbalik for his work "On the Bearers of Akasha"

I suppose it takes someone as large as a troll to tackle the task of chronicling Rokk Krinn, the self-styled Ork of Legend. Having descended from sky raider stock, tall tales and claims to deeds impossible are commonplace. In my travels, there is very little I haven’t heard taken credit for, including: creating Death’s Sea, fathering Neden, and my personal favorite was a fellow in Haven who wandered around begging for coin, claiming he had paupered himself building the Gates of Throal. So it was that for most claims to feats fantastic, there was nothing but wind behind the words.

Enter then the contradiction of Rokk Krinn. On one hand, Rokk was a peerless self-promoter, including taking credit for the deeds of others. On the other hand, he is documented on many counts as committing acts of amazing bravery. His most notable act concerning the Bearers was his selfless leap after the Corinthian in the skies over Barsaive on 24 Raquas, 1508. However, many, including scholars involved with this work, speculate that Rokk’s thoughts at that moment were less concerned with foiling the Corinthian and more focused on how good a tale it would make when witnesses spread it about. Certainly, such cynical speculation is in keeping with Rokk’s actions to that date.

Perhaps more significant to the course of history, were his feats as a lieutenant of Krathas Gron. It is not known for certain what happened after Rokk leapt from the airship. What has generally been accepted is that he struggled with the Corinthian briefly until rendered unconscious, and was then deposited somewhere on the ground. Although accounts vary, more likely than not from Rokk’s own questionable allegience to the “truth”, somewhere in there Rokk met up with Krathas Gron and saw in her quest his own avenue to greatness. He joined with her as a spokesman, a champion, and a propagandist for the Cara Fahd cause.

It was the recruiting efforts of Krinn, citing himself as a monument to the cause, that won the fellowship of many unaffiliated orks to Gron’s crusade. This gave her leverage in dealing with the Ork tribes. Krinn did this, knowing he would be singled out by Garlthik One-Eye, for weakening Garlthik’s position. This allowed Krathas to consolidate her power elsewhere. During the exodus to Cara Fahd, it was Rokk’s swordarm that answered where Gron’s diplomacy could not.

Somewhere during that exodus, by many accounts, Rokk underwent a transformation. Perhaps he was finally overwhelmed by Krathas’ legendary oratory or perhaps, just maybe, after years of self-serving manipulation, Rokk found in the cause something to truly aspire to. During this time, those around him noted that he became less boisterous and more serious, indeed – he was deadly earnest in resolving all conflicts between the tribes and Gron. To each ork, he became an icon in fact, not just in promoted Name. Many feats of heroism are attributed to Rokk, all of them concerning coming to the defense of those unable to defend themselves, such as the infirm or children.

By the time they reached Cara Fahd, Krinn was possessed of a fiery pride for the new ork nation. His pride combined with his drive was part of the glue that kept the exodus together, and was in exhibit when he next met the Bearers on 6 Riag, 1508. He stood tall against both Thera and Throal, and again against those orks interested in undermining Krathas Gron. It was in the last that a cruel twist of fate that struck him down right at the threshold of the Promised Land. What his legend was to that point and how his legacy has developed after his death is the crux of this study. To find the answers, I interviewed three people who understood Rokk best - Garnel, Sanjuro and Krathas Gron.

Garnel: "I must say that I find it somewhat amusing that Namegivers seem to confuse me with Rokk. To be precise, they seem to be confused about our MOTIVATIONS behind becoming adventurers; it would be absurd to confuse our physical selves, for while we did adventure together for a while, we hardly look alike."

"While I tried to live well, Rokk was mostly concerned with DYING well. This may account in some measure for his companionship with Midnight Blue, who was also preoccupied with death, albeit from a different perspective. I suspect that he must have witnessed someone he idolized die a slow, wasting death by old age or illness, and resolved to never allow that to happen to himself. This is pure speculation on my part of course, for if you pry into the personal life of an ork, they tend to pry into your innards with a sharp object."

"While I undertook heroic acts in the hopes of living to hear someone tell the tale, Rokk's heroism stemmed from the fact that he didn't fear death, in fact he actually sought it out, as long as there was someone around to later tell the tale. Whether it was diving off an airship in pursuit of a villain, or embracing a Spectral Dancer for a turn on the dance floor, Rokk wanted his end to be something that namegivers would remember for all time. This gave him a courage that allowed him to go into situations no one else would, and added to his Legend as one of the great heroes of Barsaive."

Sanjuro: "I’ve thought a great deal about Rokk during my time with the Bearers. When first we met, we were much alike, concerned as we were with the promotion of our Names. From the beginning, I viewed Rokk as a reflection of myself, but also as a measuring stick for my own efforts. When Rokk leapt off the airship after the Corinthian, I was instantly transformed. In that moment, I saw the actualization of heroism. No tales, no pamphlets, only deeds. The oath I swore to find Rokk was my own redemption, for I would equal his bravery to do whatever it took to find him and defeat the Corinthian. In that way, our paths paralleled again, for the cause of the Ork Nation was his own transformation. Regardless of what idle speculation may say about his intent, the importance of that one act could be considered the birth of the Bearers for we were finally unified in our determination to save him and to kill the Corinthian."

"As for the matter of Rokk’s exuberant self-promotion, there is more at work than you may think. Rokk lived by an interesting code – no deed was too small to be great and he believed himself capable of achieving any heroic act he heard attributed to other people. The changes to Gort’s journals were, in his mind, a self-acknowledgment that were he there, that is how things would have gone and in the passages he was present for, necessary to make plain his importance to those moments. He may have embellished the value of certain acts, but he was up to feats as amazing as the lesser deeds he made out to be great. To him, the burning of the bodies in Forriam was no more difficult a feat than his jump off the airship. He was driven by self-confidence for most of his life, and at the end, by a cause greater than even himself. As his successor in Viln, it is his boundless dedication that I force myself to equal. To do less would be to dishonor his sacrifice."

Krathas Gron: "The Ork Nation knows the importance of Rokk Krinn. The flowery oratory you are looking for from me will do no justice. Words do not equal deeds in our culture. You should know that, Troll. I will say this: in death, Rokk continues to forge this nation. He has become an icon and a martyr. Those who might otherwise have given up this Great Dream strive onward, out of reverence for Rokk. His Name is used to champion any struggles we have faced. Orks who have never seen him, much less met him, have dedicated great deeds to the Name of Rokk Krinn. What he was in the past is nothing. Who he was when he died for our Nation is everything. His spirit is a part of the pattern of Cara Fahd. That is all you need to know of Rokk Krinn."

The Renegade Rokk Krinn Journal

A Pamphlet written by Rokk Krinn

A copy of Rokk Krinn's Wanted Poster

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