Kray

The Man, The Ogre, The Monster

Mask

A giant of a man, broad as a barn his muscles are not things curated for gym selfies but thick from use and abuse. The jug jaw can be said to be his most flattering feature, after the badly broken nose, limp locks of black hair starting to go grey and sharp shattered teeth, what must surely be the result of countless blows to the face. He wears a long poorly made overcoat, suspenders keep trousers up over a ill fitting white work shirt. A battered fedora is his only accessory. His shoes however are always shined and polished black leather, somethings are only proper after all.

Even when only perceiving the mask the looming and thuggish looking giant oozes menace and he threat of pain and violence with no real effort, something he leans into to often great effect.

Mein

Standing an inch or so taller and broader than its already giant mask the blubbery ashen skin, splotched with chitinous scabs and bulbous fleshy worts look almost diseased. Wild and matted lichens and moss form a tangled mane of hair and beard. Thick trunk like, twisted, arms of exaggerated length, end in vast hands with dark chipped nails. The pillar like legs bow slightly. A barrel chest and obese gut only add to the immensity of the creature. A broad jaw houses a chaotic array of sharp and curving teeth resembling shards of stone that prevent complete mouth closure ensuring they are always on display. The flat squashed nose leads to the sickly yellow sclera of the vast bulbous eyes and pupils more akin to fragments of flint, in turn overshadowed by nubbin horns protruding from a wide forehead.

History

Life before

With the arrest of Reggie and Ronald Kray the firm seemed to collapse, that was not strictly true, the Krays had other family and associates that salvaged what they could just on a much smaller scale. Never to be the prince's of London as the two notorious gangsters had been. Always big and always strong for his age the young man bit of more then he could chew inflicting and receiving violence on a regular basis he eschewed his schooling in favour of more criminal activities.

Attracting the attention of the now much lessened firm he took jobs as a wet worker and knee breaker, the work was not satisfying but it paid alright and made him feel important, powerful. In time the firm falling further and further caved to pressure from other gangs tearing at what little territory they still had, without what little protection that had offered him, two choices seemed prominent prison or death. During this time he was approached not by another gang but someone claiming to be a boxing coach, the hope of many a young east end man and being praised for his size and strength was all to easy to hood wink into a meeting alone in a place he did not know, and prison or death become his reality in ways he could never have imagined.

Keeper, Durance, and Escape

His Keeper was a towering mound of flesh dwarfing even the young burly man. Poured into a white pinstripe suit and bowler hat it had no conventional limbs, masses of fleshy tentacles snaked and slithered from the mass and when it would speak it might for ma mouth or might not, but always in lines of poetry and riddles.

This thing had shaped its realm in its image, or the realm had spat it forth as a manifestation of itself, Kray was never sure it might not be either. But it ruled over an ever hungry coliseum like structure, dark arched tunnels, under a reverse ziggurat of seating with balcony's overhanging for when it had special guests.

Its hobs and those it took, it made to fight in the pit of its arena, to what end a dangerous task not only because you had to win but because the fleshy arena itself would chew and gnaw at you if you stopped moving. If you wanted to eat well you had moments before your defeated foe was torn asunder by the place itself to rip off a few mouthfuls. Fighting and eating to survive in this way, made him the Ogre he is today. That being said even in this violent hell arcadia is more then terror, it is also wonder and the impossibilities he witnessed,

The escape came when Kray having noticed the way Keeper spoke choose one day to start imitating its speech patterns. This went on for sometime until the keeper overheard and was .. .well Kray was not sure what ... but it reacted .. badly ... after a vicious beating he was left to perish in his cell. A seemingly forgotten waste, this he turned to his advantage, the cell was after all made of flesh, the Ogre ate his way out and fled through the hedge to eventually burst free, still very far from what he called home having missed more then a few decades.

It is the power of speech that lead him pursue pledge craft and save his most eloquent speaking for when he performs that task. Otherwise he adopts something of a stuttered speech pattern, breaking the start of his sentences with sounds or single syllables. The observant might notice this becomes inconsistent when he gets angry or agitated.

Fetch

In an unusual twist he has no idea where it is and never bothers to find out. It could be this side of the Atlantic, it could be back in the UK, it could be dead. His life was headed for Wandsworth prison or dead in the gutter and the thing is welcome to that, he is far more interested in the possibilities this new start offers him.

The first two years across the Atlantic

Well what else would be the case for hulking Ogre with cannibalistic urges. The lost he encountered wanted more of the same violence and wrath, it came as a surprise to some then when he joined the Autumn court over summer. He is a very capable fighter and perfectly willing to engage in violence but its not wrath that motivates his actions. His might did not win him free, it does provide a convenient screen for mortals and lost alike to judge him however.

No he remembered words and their power, he remembered violence but also wonder, and more then anything he understood the place and power of fear. The way people avoided him, the power and wonder of magic, and the importance of misdirection. He also severely regrets squandering his childhood education but with time and money he plans to remedy that situation.

The River city of Sacramento

And so it was to leave behind those who could see not past the teeth and kith (he honestly hasn't eaten anyone since gets back no matter how tempted)he made his way around until he found Sacramento a good a place as any he reckoned.

Under the Bridge

His first encounter with the harvest king Anatole proved to me be most enlightening experience under the rail bridge they shared snacks and a drink as questions went both ways. Speaking to someone who understood Autumn and valued what the Ogre brought was a refreshing experience, although he was made to wait a few months till the winter solstice before offering glamour to the wyrdstone.

Prior to this he also met the spring queen Sera by chance in park in what at the time seemed a very pleasant encounter. Somehow in this first meeting they agreed agreed to exchange skills he would show her how to fight, she would teach him dream combat, something he knew little of and had less experience.

Running into both Anatole and the Summer queen Circe at an instrument only rendition of carols meant he was known to all monarchs present in the freehold at the time prior to the Winter solstice.

Under the Earth

His first significant contribution came when he helped a team of the lost lead by Circe to push a cart for some miles in the tunnels under funderland. He did little more then provide muscle on this trip but it was needed. The debrief was more fruitful as he got more filled in on some issues and had ideas on how he could help.

When deals go south

He showed Sera how he fought as promised even sparring and beating Vincent a couple of times as the beast joined in.

However what started as an interesting experience navigating and learning dream combat went south when he realised he stood no chance of challenging the spring queen with his environmental attacks he tried to get at her another way, using chains in his next attack, inspired by something he saw in her dream. Her retaliation knocked him from the dream with disastrous consequences.

Disoriented and mentally broken the derangement he suffered as a result shattered his sense of clarity. The words of the spring queen that night only serving to direct this feeling at herself as she claimed awareness and intention (perhaps not fully aware of the extent of the damage) to his suffering.

He soon learned she had also kicked Vincent out of his home, that the had been staying in by agreement with her, and knowing the effect that sudden changes can have on the lost become rather concerned.

Choosing to confide his damaged state of being and concerns in the harvest king Anatole the two agreed that someone should check up on Vincent, the Ogre felt some reassurance he was not going to have to handle this alone, when the Autumn sovereign condemned the actions of the spring and handed the Ogre a rock. What Kray did not know was this was one of the last times he would see the dwarf.

Kray invited Vincent to his home after trying and failing to bring the topic up properly at a more social hang out. The meeting went about as well as can be expected when a crazy cannibal tries to give therapy to another lost, very badly. But he learnt a lot and was left under no illusion that Vincent was not as well as he claimed to be after digging past some of the bravado.

With the Autumn king's departure Kray had to grit his mighty teeth and confronted the spring sovereign herself. This meeting also went poorly much like Vincent the spring sovereign departed unwilling to see it through to the end. Not before Kray made her aware of the damage and risk she was putting others in with her actions and got a promise from her never to teach dream fighting without the proper oath in place to stop further clarity loss. The Ogre made sure she knew he would not let her keep getting away with damaging the clarity of the lost in the freehold.

King by requirement

At the Autumn Equinox the great Ogre hosted the freehold at Ednas boarding house with food drink and books, here he as the only Ashen courtier took on the duty of the crown and title of dread lord of Sacramento

Edna's Boarding House

During their second meeting under the bridge Kray an Anatole had both independently come to the conclusion the court of fear was not best served by having its base of operations in a theme park. Sharing ideas for how to remedy this situation it was agreed Kray's grand plans to move reopen and resurrect Edna's reputation was deemed both grand and worth the effort, this was not impacted by the departure of the Harvest kingnot long after they came to this agreement.

As of August 2024 Kray came into the paperwork of ownership for the property. What one Ogre started all those years ago, another Ogre will now bring out of its long slumber. Or that's how he likes to think about it.

Not made for this world, no not like that

Mundane items of interest

Despite being a very proficient brawler Kray like to carry around a sledgehammer, old metal and wooden haft worn smooth from use.

The leather long coat is thick and poorly made but can deaden a punch just fine and works well to add some flowing shadows to his figure.

His car is a long suffering Beaten up Ford Vedette, that has a habit of breaking down but he refuses to get rid of it instead he keeps replacing the parts and forcing it to live on.

Hedgespun

A autumnal gift: The Fedora

Mask: A black battered fedora that has seen better days, moth eaten holes in the front and a ratty hat band around the body, big enough to fit him it is something he is almost never seen without.

Mein: Made of red Autumn leaves and banded by a ring of tiny straw scarecrows, the custom nature of the item is further shown by the holes placed with intention to prevent catching on his horn nubbins.

To his slight annoyance during the months of Autumn when his crown is manifest he can't wear the hat he is otherwise never seen without. A stark and visual reminder that he can't be both who he was and embrace the duties of the crown.

Goals and Hooks

Gaming

The Ogre has interest in games of chance and skill, not being very good at them he rarely plays for money or stakes rather taking some strange satisfaction from the game itself. This might seem to be at odds with habit of never indebting himself to anyone preferring to be as self reliant as he can.

Learning

he squandered his childhood education and seeks to remedy this, more of a learn by doing kind of Ogre then books reading he does however place great value on the written word despite being very bad with it himself.

Labour

Autumn is the working mans season or so his dad always used to say and he is never above getting his hands dirty or breaking a sweat when there is need.

The Man in the black and beaten hat

Kray is not the man the infamous place is named after, but he wants to be. A criminal through hand through he works to extended his reach to many spheres and slowly brick by brick build himself an empire from which he can influence the cities movements from the shadows. He knows people in the know and has friends in many places he is willing to use for his ends, or yours if your ready to make a deal.