Lothar Kass`l

Lothar Kass`l, "the Terror of Firefist", was a male warlord in the  galaxy, the leader of the Dread Fleet and the lord of the  of Belzior. He was also the father of the twins Broll and Veli Kass`l and their half-siblings Jehra and Ravi. Lothar was infamous throughout Firefist for his ruthless battle tactics and his genocidal campaign against the.

Early life
Born on itself, Lothar was orphaned relatively young during a Tof attack. He lived with an aunt and uncle during his childhood, constantly training for the day he could join the Nagai guerillas fighting against the Tof. He got into a lot of trouble as a young man, frequently getting into fights with others, but they honed his fighting skills early on. He mixed with criminal elements as well as civilized society, and learned the uses of underhanded tactics. He made a point to read about strategy, tactics, and military life, learning everything he could and seeking out Nagai veterans to converse with.

At fifteen, Lothar joined a Nagai militia and quickly emerged as one of the toughest and most skilled fighters of the bunch. He continued to train with his new comrades, and by eighteen he was widely regarded as the deadliest fighter in the entire brigade. His battle skills brought him to the attention of his commanding officers, and he became a protégé of the captain of his ship. By twenty, Lothar had a ship of his own.

The rebellion
Lothar advocated aggressive tactics to anyone who would listen, and his success in battle against Tof fleets led many young Nagai to his cause. His fame and track record of success led him to quickly eclipse even the most senior commanders in his militia, and many of the other Nagai officers kept him in the loop of intelligence which should have gone only to the command staff. Lothar turned this covert support into a spy network which allowed him to commandeer parts of the fleet for impromptu raids against the Tof, returning with captured treasures, ships, and weapons, and piles of Tof carcasses.

Lothar's superiors eventually attempted to restrict his activities, much to his frustration and that of his closest supporters among the other captains. He repeatedly criticized his commanders for their failure to act as he would have liked and the occasional gains by the Tofs he saw as a direct result. Encouraged by his supporters, Lothar finally broke from his commanders altogether, mutinying and taking a sizable portion of the fleet with him. A few holdouts attempted to stop him, but Lothar's men defeated them, and Lothar killed several himself with his own tehk'la blades.

The Dread Fleet
Now admiral of his own fleet, Lothar immediately set upon the Tofs and their allies, waging a brutal campaign of genocide against Tof settlements, both military and civilian. Looting these settlements provided ample funds to not only pay his crews, but to afford new warships with new recruits.

Kass`l quickly became a polarizing figure in Nagai society. Many young Nagai, thirsty for Tof blood after a century of depradations throughout Firefist, were only too eager to flock to his banner. Many others found his tactics dishonorable and felt he was becoming as bad as the Tofs themselves. Some even raised arms against Kass`l.

The latter proved disastrous. Armed with his fleet and a crew passionate about following him, Kass`l beat back his attackers with as much savagery as he showed the Tofs. Though he provided for civilian Nagai who sought his protection, he was merciless to anyone who threatened either his fleet or his areas of control. Over time, Kass`l acquired the nickname "the Terror of Firefist", and civilians began to call his armada "the Dread Fleet". Rather than be put off, Kass`l took a liking to both terms and openly called his fleet the Dread Fleet.

Belzior and Arethyne
By the time he was thirty, Lothar had spread Nagai control over entire planets, but become embroiled in a series of conflicts defending his conquests. He fortified the moon Belzior as a command base and capital, turning it into a. He spread his intelligence network far and wide, recruiting spies and agents not only among the Nagai, but also the and s.  The former supplied him with powerful ships in exchange for his protection. One of the most powerful of this new line of ships was the Scythe of Rohfellor, Lothar's flagship.

Having dedicated his life to purging Firefist of the Tofs, Lothar had spent little time on his personal life, but at age thirty, he became enamored of a Nagai woman named Arethyne Rassar, who was one of his captains. A clever woman with strong tactical skill, she had become one of his foremost front line commanders against the Tofs. She had also ignored the advice of her father, a Nagai politician who opposed Lothar's tactics, deserting the mainstream Nagai military to fight for the rebel.

Lothar and Arethyne became lovers, and married in 116 ABY. Her father, Iso Rassar, forced to decide between supporting or disowning his daughter, opted to support her, and the opposition to Lothar lost a crucial advocate. Two years later, Arethyne gave birth to twin boys, Broll and Veli. In them Lothar saw not only the best of Arethyne, but also a way to continue his legacy and assure that the empire he was forging did not die with him. Neither Lothar nor Arethyne stepped back from the battles, and the twins spent their time in their father's citadel and aboard their mother's flagship.

Terror and tyranny
In 123 ABY, Arethyne's fleet was ambushed by a Tof fleet. The fight was savage, and many Tofs died in the process of boarding the Nagai ships. Their aim had been to take Arethyne alive as a hostage against Lothar, but she denied them the opportunity, fighting with her tehk'la blades alongside the last of her guards. Worked up to a battle fury, the Tofs attempting to capture her ripped her in half instead.

The result was everything the Tof s had not wanted. Iso Rassar convinced a number of his colleagues to authorize strikes against the, but they paled in comparison to Lothar's wrath. The Nagai warlord, having endured betrayals, duplicity, and warfare for the better part of his life, had enough control that his anguish and rage did not poison his actions. Instead, he began a systematic, brutal desolation of Tof space, burning fleets and entire worlds. He used his wealth as well as his military prowess to turn some of the Supremes on one another, and captured several alive, having each one torturously executed.

Broll and Veli were raised by this icy, focused father, kept secure on Belzior. They received combat training from the deadliest fighters in their father's army, including his right hand man, Zhezur Tarhy, and learned the arts of espionage, sabotage, and politics. Their father did everything possible to ensure they would grow to become skilled fighters and intelligent men, but he was emotionally closed and often chastised them ferociously when they slacked in their studies.

Over time, both the twins and the common people of Lothar's domain began to fear rather than respect him. Alert now for the treachery that had gotten Arethyne ambushed, Lothar had no tolerance for dissent in his realm, and though he was too smart to openly suppress complaints, opposition figures often disappeared at night and were never seen again. Lothar took the children of other opponents to Belzior, ostensibly to serve as his attendants and proteges but really as hostages. When the initial crusade to avenge Arethyne wore off, many moderate Nagai resumed incursions into the Dread Fleet's territory.

Second try
In 136 ABY, Broll and Veli fled Firefist. They did not stop to confront their father; they simply stole a ship and vanished for the known galaxy. Lothar was both incensed and concerned; he had been raising his sons as his successors, and to openly favor any of his vassals and subordinates would create hostility and resentment among them.

Rather than take that option, Lothar instead took a second wife, for whom he had no love, but who was the widow of a soldier who had died fighting the Tofs. While the people thought well of him for it, Lothar kept her secure in Belzior to have and raise new children for him. In 138 ABY, she gave birth to a daughter, Jehra; their son Ravi followed four years later. Lothar took a personal hand in raising both of his children, molding them as he had not succeeded in molding Veli and Broll.

Aware that he was growing older—Lothar was fifty six when Ravi was born—the warlord stayed in Belzior more often, directing the campaigns of his admirals and pulling the threads of his spy web. Jehra proved an adept pupil in the study of tactics, and by seventeen she had a ship of her own. Ravi preferred intrigue to fighting, and remained close at his father's side. Their split foci concerned Lothar, who would have preferred to have one child be a clear successor; he had learned the danger of having two children coordinate when the twins coordinated to defy him. Lothar worked to engender distrust between his children, trusting that the process of competing for his favor and influence over the Dread Fleet would hone one of them into someone worthy enough to succeed him.

Skills and abilities
Lothar Kass`l was widely considered a brilliant tactician, even by those who hated him. He commanded naval and ground engagements with equal ease. He was also respected as a deadly fighter himself, and many Nagai viewed him as among the greatest living tehk'la blade users—both throwing the knives and using them in melee combat—during his prime.

Lothar had a gift for using beings productively, and his spy network was extensive. He spied on his own people, other Nagai, Faruun, Maccabrees, and Tofs, and recruited members of each of those species with things they valued. He also demonstrated the ability to play his vassals, captains, and agents off one another, leading them to compete with each other rather than with him.

Appearance and personality
Lothar stood 1.8 meters (5'11") tall, and had the rangy build common to Nagai. He was fit and muscular, and usually wore armor with a bandoleer of tehk'la blades over it, as well as at least two blasters.  He had iron gray eyes and black hair, which turned white as he aged.  He had numerous scars due to a variety of injuries he had sustained on campaign.

Lothar's life was designed by a hatred of the Tofs, whom he blamed (with some justification) for most of the tragedies in his life. Everyone from his fiercest enemies to his staunchest allies considered him cold, calculating, remorseless, and unloving, although he did love Arethyne, and had some measure of love for his four children as well. He departed from the normal Nagai standard of honor, having no problem with duplicity or deceit if they were necessary to secure the greater good of protecting his enclave and persecuting the Tofs.