Shum-Gorrath

"Let me get a good LOOK at you" - Shum-Gorrath inspects Koshmar during their first meeting.

At a Glance
A mature Beholder, Shum-Gorrath commanded a brood of his kin in the Realm of Dreams. A one-time rival of the Kalashtar, he put his brood's ancestral hatreds aside and joined the Council of Dreaming. A fierce combatant, each of Shum-Gorrath's stalks were laden with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth, making him an imposing figure to approach. A devout attendee of Rem, Shum-Gorrath also shared a tragic friendship with the spirit Koshmar during his youth.

History
By sheer chance, Shum-Gorrath happened upon the shadowy Kalashtar spirit Koshmar in one of the dark halls of the Council of Dreaming. Terrified at first, Koshmar stumbled back and shut her eyes with  scream. After a eeriely empty few seconds, Koshmar fearfully opened her eyes to see the floating eye of Shum-Gorrath, his many teeth-stalks drawn not out of carnage, but ten wide smiles. When Shum-Gorrath began to snicker and laugh, drawing Koshmar into an awkward giggle as well, the two timidly introduced themselves. Asking the reason for her tears, Koshmar reluctantly began to explain her persecution to the non-judgmental Beholder .

As Koshmar explained her persecution, she took note of the Shum-Gorrath's attentive behaviour. Finding a friendship in this odd meeting, the two began to discuss their respective turmoil -- Koshmar's romance and Shum-Gorrath's own expectations to become the leader of his clan and wage war on the Kalashtar.

Growing closer, Koshmar and Shum-Gorrath found a haven to talk about their problems on a weekly basis. Through these discussions, Koshmar found approval for her romantic orientation while Shum-Gorrath was consoled for his unavoidable promotion. Explaining that his people's hate of the Kalashtar was the result of a hidden group of Kalashtar who the Beholders greatly distrusted, Koshmar was perplexed by the news. Having never heard of the Guardians of Locke, she became intreguied and devoured every story Shum-Gorrath had to tell about the hidden brotherhood. After hearing his account, Koshmar suggested a daring idea -- when Shum-Gorrath became the leader of his brood, rather than wage war he should join the Council of Dreaming. Baffled by the easy solution (few Beholders would doubt the guidance of their leader, and even less one who sides with a deity for fear of divine retribution) it was soon after that Shum-Gorrath was promoted and forcefully aligned his people with Rem. Furious at first, the Beholders threatened to skin Shum-Gorrath, but as Koshmar predicted their bloodlust was sated by the watchful guidance of the Deity of Dreams.

Troubles Emerge
As Koshmar and Shum-Gorrath's friendship matured, so too did Koshmar's romance with Caligosh sour. With the added pressure of her duties and the public scrutiny against her, Caligosh began to distance herself from Koshmar which disheartened the maturing lover. Offended that she would submit to the hatred of others, Koshmar left Caligosh after a torrential argument.

Despite his duties as brood-leader, Shum-Gorrath made time to speak with Koshmar and the two continued their mutual council of each other's troubles. It was during this time that Shum-Gorrath took note of Koshmar's growing darkness. Disappearing was the soft-shadow spirit he once knew, gradually being replaced with the hard-edged creature she was becoming. Perceptive of the transformation, Koshmar began to overwhelm Koshmar with compassion in the hopes of softening her demenor. Effective at first, Koshmar returned to the laughing, jovial spirit he once knew, but the darkest core of her shadows remained...

Continuous Persecution
Attending the Council of Dreaming, Shum-Gorrath and Koshmar listened to Caligosh usher in tribute for Rem. As the two watched on Koshmar took note of a Kalashtar spirit who was more intent on watching her than the preceedings. Entrusting her friend with observing the spying spirit, Koshmar began to traverse the palace where as expected the spirit followed. With Shum-Gorrath on the trail, the two enacted a daring counter, trapping the spy. Demanding to know his motivations, the two were quickly dispatched by his martial prowess before he moved to escape. Reaching out to stop him, Koshmar was able to tear a sliver of his cloak before the spirit fled. Rattled by their encounter, the two friends looked at the evidence they had of the strange fellow.

Taking the evidence to the reliquary of records, they were unable to find any connection to the material or embroidery laiden across it. Remarking off-the-cuff about the spy's indentity ("I guess it's a secret") Shum-Gorrath's comment launched Koshmar's memory back to their first meeting where he commented on the mysterious Guardians of Locke. Driven to rage that the secret brotherhood would keep tabs on her (no doubt due to her proximity to Caligosh, as well as her sexual orientation) Koshmar's hard-edged shadows began to resurface, bristling out to the edges of her form. Attempting to calm her down, Shum-Gorrath's comments did little to quell her fury and when he laid one of his stalks on her shoulder, Koshmar reached away from her old friend. Regarding each other with sadness, Koshmar apologized to her lifelong friend and began to slink away leaving Shum-Gorrath alone in the hall watching her leave with his unblinking eye.

Genocide of Dreams
Returning to his brood, Shum-Gorrath soon learned of the netherstorm approaching the Council of Dreaming. Fearing that it was conjured by Koshmar, Shum-Gorrath hurried to the Councilchambers but realized all too late that the doors were shut. Hearing the carnage inside, Shum-Gorrath attempted to barge his way in but was soon turned away as shadow-sprites born of Koshmar's rage seeped under the door and barred his way. Fighting his way out, Shum-Gorrath fled to reunite with his brood and took up arms against the spreading shadow.

Times of Great Peril
By the era of the Time of Great Peril Koshmar had driven her fellow Kalashtar to near-extinction, forcing them to take refuge in the mortal world. Empowered by her success, Koshmar's power grew and her shadows had washed over the majority of the Realm of Dreams, tainting the plane into a hellish and twisted nightmare. Amidst all the destruction, Shum-Gorrath survived in the ruins of the Dreamscape's cities and tried to survive his former friend's onslaught, too disheartened (or equipped) to attempt a counter-attack to kill her.