Kranok Ulkemnirov

Kranok is a character in WWN Grand Battle II.

Description
Kranok is a pretty tall, 53 year old man of about 6'3" (~190 cm). He is a grizzled veteran witch-hunter, almost always clad in an extremely worn-looking long, tattered black coat, heavy leather boots and a top hat that's frayed at the edges. Underneath his coat, he usually wears something in deep red. He has a heavy, broad, black mustache and small, shrewd black eyes, almost hidden behind bushy eyebrows. He has ruffled, greasy hair, shot with grey at his temples. Furthermore, he has a large scar running down his right cheek (he also has numerous scars on his torso and limbs, all relics of his violent life). In sharp contrast to his worn appearance, he wears a couple of highly expensive, ornate rings on his fingers (of which he somehow hasn't lost any yet). He also never goes anywhere without his cane, which has a handle in the shape of an ornate and exquisitely shaped silver snake's head set upon a jet black staff of unknown material. The detail on the snake's head is so astonishing, it almost looks as if it were alive. Lastly, his voice is low and coarse and has a kind of a menacing quality to it.

Biography
Kranok the Alchemist has become practically a living legend as an independent witch-hunter in the aristocratic city-state of Tornak, far up in the north, where the practicing of magic is forbidden under penalty of death. For almost thirty years, he's been one of the most (if not THE most) successful witch-hunters in history, reputed to have successfully captured and executed over a hundred witches and sorcerers. This has gained him not only fame and the love of the commoners, but also gained him a very high position in the city council, even though his nobility rank is no higher than baron. This is quite unprecedented in the history of Tornak, where only the highest nobles have ever attained this rank through heritage. Kranok, however, was able to secure his position, because of the continuing threat of witchcraft, especially among the commoners. The fact that he commands virtually all of the witch-hunters in Tornak (he even founded a school for witch-hunting) gave the council no other choice when Kranok made an ultimatum concerning the matter. The aristocracy, you see, has always feared that if every single person capable of using magic isn't immediately captured and executed, one day someone may arise to overthrow them. Out of this fear, the nobles decided long ago that such a thing must never come to pass and put a ban on any and all forms of magic.

But there is more to him than just that. When he is not busy hunting witches, he indulges in his other favourite activity: alchemy. In the basement of his witch-hunting school lies his laboratory, where Kranok can often be found concocting potions and elixirs. He has so far made numerous contributions in this field of science and made a fortune when he stumbled upon a highly effective new kind of artificial fertilizer.

However, the science part is but a sham. For deep within his laboratory, Kranok hides a very dark secret. Because at one point early in his career, Kranok, who has no magic of his own, discovered how to bottle up the magic powers of others. He could actually distillate the magic and turn it into a potion that would give the one who drank it the very same magical powers as its original owner possessed. There are two ways how one can manage this: one is by simply absorbing a magic attack, then distillate the magic into a small amount of liquid. This method, however, needs a highly sophisticated magical device, as without magic such a feat would be impossible. While this method works fine for offensive use of magic and other outwardly directed spells, it does not work for enchantments and magical buffs. It also cannot capture inherent magical powers. Moreover, since the captured amount is small, it gives only enough liquid to last for a very short period of time.

The other method is much more effective and works for much longer periods of time. This however, requires the sacrifice of a person who holds inherent magical powers. The victim needs to be burned following a special ritual. Preferably alive, as once the victim is dead, the magical residue diminishes rapidly. The released fumes will, due to the performed ritual, now contain the essence of the magical abilities of the victim. Once again, this can be absorbed and distilled into a potion. This potion is much more potent, as it will capture all of the magical powers and abilities of the victim and will, when properly brewed, usually last for several hours to several days or maybe even weeks, depending on how much of the potion is consumed.

Kranok soon became obsessed with the idea of capturing magical essences. With this, he realised that he could achieve powers greater than any other human had ever thought to be possible. There was no limit to his own magical powers, as he could simply acquire all the powers of all other humans who had the gift. This is what ultimately drove him to become a witch hunter. Under this cover, he would be able to capture the witches and magicians needed to build his collection with. As a member of the high council, he was also allowed to perform the executions himself. The process was like a machine. Kranok and the witch-hunters working for him were capturing each and every person who showed even the smallest signs of magic. And without exception, they were to be burned alive in Kranok's furnace. All of their magic was secretly transferred into potions, kept hidden deep within the basements of Kranok's lab. There, he would experiment with the potions. Mix them together, combine them with other chemicals to enhance their strengths, modify their properties. He even managed to turn some of it into ointments and powders.

Power-hungry as he was, Kranok desperately worked towards one single goal: to gain ultimate power and reach immortality. He had to make the potions effects permanent, and brew the potion that would grant him immortality. Then, he could become infinitely powerful. This drove him more than anything else, and drives him still. He will never stop this desperate hunt, made even more desperate now he feels that age is slowly starting to catch up with him.

Weapon
During his experiments Kranok finally managed to fabricate his ultimate tool for his power struggle. This tool is actually his cane. It is widely known that he uses it as a weapon, and that it has a mechanic to extend a bit so that its end turns into a very sharp point. But none know that the cane is entirely magical, the result of years of research and trial and error experiments. It is able to absorb magical attacks through the snake's head's mouth and distill it immediately into a liquid when can be tapped from the cane through its sharp bottom end (in extended state). It can also be used for full absorbance of magic through the method of ritual burning, though Kranok prefers to use his own furnace for this as the liquid is less diluted that way. When Kranok is under the influence of one or more of his magical concoctions, he may be able to use the his cane as a staff to channel spells through.

Abilities
Besides his cane, Kranok carries a (magically) reinforced case with him at all times. This case holds a selection of potions, powders and ointments he has with him should the need arise. All of them are of course highly potent and more than likely modified. The exact contents of the case are, of course, only known to Kranok, who incidentally is also the only person able to open the case without having one's limbs melted off.

Development
Kranok views this grand battle as revolving solely around him. He believes that this battle is a final test for him, and will elevate him to godhood should he succeed. In particular, his elevation revolves around him capturing the essence of the magical battery Elayne. Since this girl seems to have a limitless supply of magical power, Kranok is continuously hunting for her, thinking that she is his ticket to immortality.