Skip to Primary Menu Skip to About OSR+ Menu Skip to OSR+ Support Menu Skip to Main Content

When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures.

Return Home

Highgaard Kazalin

Jump to Subpage in A Quest of Queens Table of Contents

A Tarth’s life is not their own—it belongs to Tarth, to Taelos, and the oaths we swear.
—Highgaard Kazalin

Highgaard Kazalin, the steadfast leader of Tarth, is a paragon of strength, wisdom, and devotion to the laws of Taelos. As its ruling Highgaard, he directs Tarth's military and oversees the council of Highgaards throughout Farlas, who each hold sway over their own domains, from Redmain to Talvi to the barbarian tribes of the North. Under the leadership of his house, Kazalin continued Tarth's flourishing even as the Long Night fell. It wasn't until The Fall that Kazalin shored up the defenses of Tarth in anticipation of the rise of the Empire; despite these dark days, Kazalin strove to keep an open communication between his allies to the South in Altea, much to the chagrin of the more conservative politics of the Tarth houses.

Kazalin is a creature of routine, dedicated to Tarth traditions. Tradition, for him, means stability, and because the Highgaard are the bedrock of Tarth society, he believes dependable soldiers who uphold the status quo are essential to Tarth's survival, no matter the challenges of the age. His general opposition to change created a generational divide between his house and its adherents, and much of the youth of Tarth, who sought to leave the city and pursue their own aims after The Fall. He also often struggles to reconcile the foresight of the Runeseers, ever enigmagtic, with the practical needs of the city in the face of pressures from the outside world.

As threats from the Shadowvale appeared on the borders of Farlas, Kazalin sought the advice of the god Pharkun by venturing into the Great Labyrinth. His disappearance from the city created a power vacuum, and as Tarth struggles to find a new identity in the postlapsarian age, its heroes need a new leader who is prepared to face the rising tide of change.

Adventure Hook

Highgaard Kazalin represents old ideals that need revising in a radically transformed world of ruin.

All Tarth know of the Bringer of Balance and the Helm of Taelos, powerful artifacts that bestow upon their wielder the wisdom of past Highgaards. The party learns that Kazalin took the Bringer of Balance with him to confront the god Pharkun, in his journey into the Great Labyrinth. Yet Kazalin has not returned, and the Runeseers fear he may be lost. The party must now venture into the Labyrinth to find answers.

What dangers wait for them in the Great Labyrinth?
Who guard the Labyrinth’s center, where the god Pharkun is said to reside?
How does Kazalin’s vision of leadership shape the party’s perception of their own roles?
What are the consequences if the leadership of Tarth falls into the wrong hands in Kazalin’s absence?

Tags: NPCs

Entering: Unleash Your Inner Hero. Skip section?

Get Started

Unleash Your Inner Hero

Access the Core Rules and every World of OSR+ in one place: the Character Creator lets you generate a hero in minutes. With over 4000 possible combinations of origins, classes, and kits, you can create almost any character concept you can imagine. Register now to create a free account!

Create a Hero Core Rules

Highgaard Kazalin

Kazalin

The Highgaard of Farlas

Kazarius

Kranmanouk

Unleash Your Inner Hero