Kartal Marle, the Adjutant of Salica

Art by Volt

Kartal Marle was born in Karatal, the easternmost city in Resta and the largest port in all of Mortanis, to an elven immigrant named Ilia. For the longest time, he and his mother lived alone, relatively isolated from the dangerous mobs of the city. This was until Ilia fell to sickness and left Kartal in the care of her one-time benefactor, Victor Brom. However, his new guardian would turn out to be the leader of one of the city's many gangs, The Blades. He treated his new charge with casual neglect at best, and torturous abuse at worst. It was through this upbringing that Kartal learned quickly how to survive among criminals, but he still desperately hated everyone around him. 

Kartal's escape from this life would come with a spellwarrior raid on The Blades' hideout, spearheaded by two cousins by the names of Karian Maloran and Ruby Midas. For reasons best known to himself, the latter would take Kartal to live with his brother Kaleth instead of arresting him. From that moment, Kartal began a reluctant life on Crescent Island with a new family. He was particularly taken with Kaleth's daughter, Adamora, who introduced him to the rigors of the Restan clergy. When he reached adulthood, he set out to Blackstone Monastery to train as a templar, promising to return with the strength to protect her from her curse.

As a fully realized templar, Kartal would finally confront Victor Brom when his cronies kidnapped Ada, forcing him into a rage. But before Kartal could deal the final blow to his longtime guardian and enemy, Victor revealed that he was the one who fathered him. The shock of this revelation sent Kartal spiraling into an emotional crisis that led to him isolating himself from everyone he cared about. This self-imposed exile came to an abrupt end when he ran into Adamora by chance near Lakewatch Tower, one of Resta's Towers of Tranquility. But something was different. Adaling, the witch spirit who possessed her body had freed herself from her host's control. Distraught with this failure, Kartal re-devoted himself to Adamora's protection.

Kartal is known as the Key Keeper for his role in leading the Holy Key Knights during the Archknight Rebellion, towards the end of the Second Age. While the Archknight and his friends searched for the relics they would need to defeat Geos, Kartal led his templars around the world in search of six keys that bound the Gods to their long imprisonment. Upon his turning these keys over to the Archknight so he could turn them, the deities returned to Comalan and provided his relics with the power he would need to win the war. Once the Archknight claimed victory, Resta's new king rewarded the Holy Key Knights with a new order. As the Goodwill Company, Kartal and his followers continue to travel the world, helping people on behalf of the Kingdom of Resta.

During his time at the Blackstone Monastery, Kartal has trained in a mixture of martial and magical skills, all of which lean toward his dual faith. As a templar anointed in the traditions of both Chaos and Salica, he specializes in powerful destructive spells and those that make use of his empathy. He is also a master storm mage, showing expertise in every spell in the discipline, which is a rare quality.

Kartal's emotionally tumultuous life has created a powerful warrior, but has left him emotionally unstable as a result. Although he rarely shows it, even his best day is a struggle. Despite this, his legacy will always be one of selfless devotion to his family, the Gods, and to the innocent.