Oku – Ironfist

Oku’s wife had died of pestilence many years previously, leaving his daughter as his sole concern. He used his strong frame and burly arms to help the villagers construct buildings and transport heavy loads, in exchange for some basic necessities. His broad shoulders more than met the challenges of fatherhood, and he provided a secure and loving home for his daughter.
As his little girl grows into a young lady, Oku begins to feel a little flummoxed in the face of her increasing curiosity. Every day she bombards him with all kinds of questions which, in the past, he would have no trouble fully answering. These days, however, her questions bemuse him, as she asks what the world outside the Forest is like. Now, Oku knows the Dark Forest like the back of his hand: where to always find the sweetest fruit, or the best wood for building treehouses, or the finest fibers for weaving clothes… But of the world outside the Forest, Oku knows nothing, having never set foot outside its borders. His beloved daughter thought that Oku knew everything there was to know but, in the face of these questions, he has let her down.
Oku’s troubles were alleviated by the arrival of a human, an itinerant peddler who traveled from place to place hawking his wares. He had not just exquisitely crafted toys from the human settlements and delicious novel candy, but also stories of the outside world with which he would entrance the Wilder children. The loquacious merchant quickly became friends with all the villagers, and would even help look after their children in his free time. This allowed Oku to concentrate more on making ends meet and, seeing his daughter’s smile as she listened to the merchant’s tales, he felt an unprecedented easing of his woes. He decided to repay the good merchant if he ever had the chance.
One day, the merchant burst into Oku’s home in a wild panic. He claimed that language issues had resulted in an unfortunate misunderstanding. He was now being hunted by the Thorned Vengeance, and he hoped to hide at Oku’s house for a while. The Thorned Vengeance… Oku had heard of this group. They were outliers in the Forest, extremists who hated humans with a passion. If they judged a human’s words to be disrespectful to the Wilders in any way, that human would be marked as a target, and included on their death lists.
Recalling the recent kindness of the merchant, Oku made a decision he would come to regret for the rest of his life.
The Thorned Vengeance eventually departed, and the village returned to its former tranquility.
Several days later, as Oku was bustling about the groves as usual, he suddenly received terrible news from the village. Several children were missing, including Oku’s daughter, along with the merchant. Oku frantically scoured every inch of the forest, even stepping beyond its boundaries for the first time in his life, but had nothing to show for his troubles but scratches and bruises.
It was a month until the merchant resurfaced, this time as a prisoner of the Thorned Vengeance. The man was, indeed, a merchant, but his ghastly wares were none other than foreign slaves. He was an agent of the Lightbearer Whispers, tasked with infiltrating the Dark Forest and luring solitary Wilders. These he would traffic to Rustport for sale on the black market, from which he could make a tidy profit.
Oku couldn’t spare a thought for the merchant, as he inquired anxiously about his daughter’s whereabouts. His questions unearthed yet more unfortunate information: recently, a Lizard Ya had fomented rebellion in Rustport, triggering a riot during which many captives managed to escape. While many had died in the chaos, of others there was no trace. In order to make up the deficit, the merchant had dared to once again venture into the Dark Forest, only to be caught.
With the merchant grovelling and begging for mercy before him, the desperate Oku slammed his fist down like a sledgehammer, and ended the merchant’s wicked existence.
It was then that Oku, unable to forgive himself and ashamed to face the parents in the village who had lost children, received an invitation from the Thorned Vengeance. They viewed him, and others like him, as potential targets for recruitment. There were many like Oku within the ranks of the Thorned Vengeance, who had been hurt by outsiders. They joined forces to unite their strength and seek bloody vengeance upon those who had wronged them. Thus it was that Oku joined the Thorned Vengeance, vowing to atone for his sins for the rest of his life.
Many years pass, and Oku has emerged from the Forest plenty of times to snuff out countless lives of those who dared violate the sanctity of his home. On one occasion he even infiltrated Rustport alone, able to free stolen children and return them to their parents’ arms. But even this could not alleviate his constant anguish and torment, dreaming as he did so often of his daughter, trapped in a blood-stained iron cage and crying for help.
Every time he awakens from his nightmare, he once again embarks on his mission, tireless and resolute. Until the day comes when he finds his daughter, he will be vengeance incarnate, a ruthless, merciless vessel of pure revenge.
“Ordinary weeds will invariably be trampled, crushed beneath the intruding masses. Only by developing thorns, sharp and keen, can they extract a price of blood from the intruders.”