Cord der’Handler

Cord is a product of heavy lifting in the warehouses of Port Orlynns and the merchant lifestyle he chooses to pursue. Even though he’s large and well built, he moves with an underlying sleekness that belies his outer, bulky appearances.

His square, set jaw and short-cropped brown hair, gives Cord the appearance of being a military man. His once blue eyes and undergone a transformation after becoming the living Avatar for the Goddess of Storms. His now, electric, spark fill grey eyes, look like a storm is raging on the distant horizon.

After he was discovered, nearly dead, by Tiger and his traveling companions, Cord took up the mantel of the Living Avatar of the Goddess of Storms. The armor he was bestowed encircles and protects Cord from most dangers, living or dead. Only the oldest creatures of bygone eras can scratch the metal the armor is made of. The armor, dubbed the Storm Champion Armor, is blue with sparks of electricity running down its exterior. Cord later had a chain spear and scythe fashioned, giving him the ability to use the electricity of his newfound powers against foes further away.

Cord der’Handler was born to a well-established merchant and his wife. The only son in the der’Handler family, Cord to the lifestyle of being a merchantman and traveled the world alongside his father from an early age. Born in Port Orlynns, the largest port city in Xonthian, Cord is learned to traverse the complex social structure of the city.   As he grew older, Cord began to take on more responsibilities and started to accompany the caravans across Xonthian with only the caravan guards. He acted as a young emissary to some of the smaller merchants in the far-flung towns and villages. This is where he met Hon’shu, who took a shining to the young Cord. Hon’shu and Cord traveled to Xonthian City where he was introduced to the King and Queen, which would later help Cord and his father establish better trade relations. This would later result in Cord’s family becoming the Kingdoms preferred merchant, which the other older merchants became jealous of.   On one of Cords many travels from Port Orlynns to Xonthian City, he heard a crying baby coming from the brush next to the road. With rain pouring down, Cord dismounted his wagon and found a bundle wrapped hidden in the bushes, next to the baby was a sword, glowing with an eerie silver light. Cord picked the baby up and tucked it safely in the wagon next to the driver’s seat then returned to the sword. As he grasped the handle of the sword, Cord was flung back against the wagon, the air temporarily forced from his lungs. He left the blade and took the baby to Hon’shu who adopted the child and cared for him as if he were his own son.

Cord’s greatest strength outside of the physical one is his ability to navigate the Merchants Guild and the geopolitical rooms across the world. Well-spoken, slow to anger, and empathy, helps him navigate the turbulent landscape politics often has. He’s got deep family ties to some of the most powerful agents in the world of Xonthian and Xecu’tran, that he can use and manipulate if needed. Although Cord does not like to think of himself as a political figure, later in life he does become the most powerful admiral in the royal merchant navy.

Cord is easy going. He is Tiger’s strength and is seen as his older brother. Cord’s capacity for love and compassion helps balance out Tiger’s vengeful spirit and is seen as the voice of reason. That, however, does not make him a pushover. Cord’s propensity for swift anger will spark given the right circumstances.   Cord sticks close to his friends and will protect them without question. Even when Cord finds that he’s traveling with a vampire, Cord gives little more thought to it then a shrug.