Bull Roarer
The Bull Roarer is an Alperkin pirate who is regarded as a figurehead of the Noctic Fleet, a community of pirates based around Lake Morovia and the central Strait of Haifa which claims affiliation with the Alliance of the Bassarid Oceans.
Early Life
The Bull Roarer and his crew of vampiric maenads first appeared in the waters and swamps of Lake Morovia in the mid-39th Era PSSC. Prior to this, no details are known about the life of the Bull Roarer. The identity of the Bull Roarer is not known, although local authorities in Haifa and Vaeringheim have posited several likely suspects, foremost among them the eldest son of the half-brother of Heavenlet Sulféu III. Very few details known regarding the Bull-Roarer's life prior to his emergence in central Keltia, save for those which can be ascertained from his apparent devotion to the Dark Alp Goddess, Palina Palina. This mystery surrounding the Bull-Roarer's identity has fueled his rise in popular culture in Bassarid society. In 40.85, a wildly popular, brief documentary about the Bull-Roarer was released by the Eurani-based Truva Film Studio.
Melusinian Campaign
Battle of Lamian Groves
The Bull Roarer first rises to sudden prominence during the Battle of the Lamian Groves, the largest and most violent formal engagement between Alperkin and Morovian nationalist military forces in the Haifan Civil War. During this battle, in which Alperkin forces as a whole are ultimately roundly overcome, losing half a dozen vessels and over 300 soldiers, the Bull Roarer is said to have deterred Morovian forces for two full days as allies sought initially to capture, and later to burn the groves to the ground. Over the course of these two days, it is said that the Bull Roarer and his crew destroy as many as three Morovian warships, leading to the death or capture of at least 70 Morovian nationalist soldiers, and capture three more which, with their crews still aboard, are subsequently used as fire ships in an effort to destroy the docks leading to the Lamian Groves. Only after the Bull Roarer's retreat from the battle field which occurrs after his vessel collides with an unseen mine, are Alperkin forces overcome by Morovian re-enforcements. The Lamian Groves remain under Morovian control following the battle, though they endure such extensive damage that they are rendered mostly inoperable throughout the remainder of the conflict.
Bloodfruit Campign
After retreating from the Battle of Lamian Groves, it is believed that the Bull Roarer and his crew embedd\ themselves in the Southern Odiferae Wetlands, where they engage in small scale raids against a number of Morovian outposts. During this period, it is believed that the Bull Roarer connects with a number of "bloodfruit traders," selling a considerable number of captured Morovians and Bassaridians into blood slavery. A portion of the proceeds captured during by the Bull Roarer and his allies and supporters are funneled to the Alperkin government in order to support its campaign aimed at re-establishing Alperkin control over the Noctic-Rabrev trade. The remainder is used to repair damage to the Bull Roarer's vessel sustained during the Battle of Lamian Groves and subsequent raids, and to outfit additional ships which are soon dispatched to the southern shores Lake Morovia, where they expand their raids in the Morovian territories of Melusinia.
Mandate of Tarnation
For the remainder of the Haifan Civil War, the Bull Roarer remains in the Southern Odiferae Wetlands, continuing to engage in raids against the region's quickly dwindling Morovian nationalist outposts, and funneling money to the Alperkin government so as to support its efforts to re-gain control of the Noctic trade. In the aftermath of the war, the Bull Roarer departs from the wetlands and sails south, seeking to join his allies and partners in their campaign against Morovian settlements along the southern shores of Lake Morovia. During this period the Bull Roarer initially adopts tactics similar to those employed by Captain Ismael Hatch during his campaign in the region surrounding Vaeringheim. When these tactics fail to produce satisfactory results, the Bull Roarer changes tact, instead employing tactics far more savage and merciless. For the first time, the Bull Roarer begins a campaign of total war against remaining Morovian nationalist settlements, heavily depleted by the war and disconnected from avenues of foreign support by the New Zimian War League's ongoing blockade against Jezeraah, which continue long after the Haifan Civil War. Dozens of Norovian communities are utterly destroyed during this period by the Bull Roarer and his supporters, and their residents are forced inland, where they struggle in vain to re-establish themselves in preparation for a counter-offensive which never materializes. Those Morovians who are unable to escape the wrath of the Bull Roarer are captured and sold into Blood Slavery. With the Haifan Civil War now drawn to a close, the Bull Roarer opts to suspend shipments of funds accrued from the sale of blood slaves to the Alperkin government, preferring instead to keep his fortune to himself. No longer enjoying the flow of revenue which had sustained it through the war, the Alpazkigz turns its back on the Bull Roarer. When in 40.54 the Alpazkigz and the Odiferae agree to peace under the terms of the Mandate of Tarnation, Alpazkigz leaders insist on a provision to the treaty banning residents of the Alperkin region from harboring or providing aid to the Bull Roarer. Upon receiving this news, the Bull Roarer extends his operations to include raids against Bassarid settlements around Lake Morovia. Although he had until now refrained from assailing the Bassarids themselves, citing a desire to avoid drawing the War League into conflict against the Alperkin, the Bull Roarer now changes tact once again, launching assaults against communities surrounding the city of Lewisburg.
Vaeringheim Campaign
Legacy
The Bullhanu
The Bull Roarer - regarded by some practitioners of the Reformed Stripping Path as a manifestation of the Host Spirit - is worshiped by a cult of assassins based in the city of Erythros, known as the Bulhanu, or the Bull-Headed. Members of this secretive cult of highly trained assassins, disguise their identities by wearing masks resembling the head of a bull. Rumor holds that during specific times of the year, when certain Host Stars are visible, select members of this cult are able to transform themselves into fierce Adlets.
It is said that during the Alperkin Cricket-Rise Festival, the Bulhanu engage in a ritual at their temple, in which they ritualistically burn the heads of the strongest male livestock in Erythros. The burning of these heads is believed to represent a profound offering to the Host Spirit, and to Glinos, the Planetary Divine with which the cult is the most closely associated. Although not confirmed, it is believed that this ritual is frequently attended by Fái Tahop, the immortal high priestess of the Mystery of Red Mirth.
