Carack

Carack is In-gong's first and most constant retainer, serving as his frontline shield, field leader, confidant, and blunt practical counterweight from the Jishuka campaign through the final battle.

Biography

The Ninth Prince's First Retainer

Carack meets In-gong at the Jishuka garrison after being placed in charge of the supposedly weak ninth prince. Although their assignment is only a day old, he neither abandons nor flatters Shutra: he explains the Red Lightning conflict, tests the prince through training, and treats his alarming confusion as a medical concern. When combat begins, Carack's strength gives In-gong a dependable center. He duels Kaichin under severe pressure, accepts the reinforcement of Below the King's Flag, and converts that shared power into the victory he publicly credits to his prince. (Chapters 2–3 and 9)

Their partnership develops through complementary choices rather than ceremonial loyalty alone. Carack obeys warnings and tactical directions, but when ordered to follow In-gong toward the rock-spider boss, he runs ahead to cut a protected route. In later fighting he takes the lead with axe and shield while In-gong supports from behind, making Carack's survival and equipment a direct investment in the prince's own success. Away from battle, he also tells an exhausted In-gong to rest before the next deployment, showing that his rough manner contains an increasingly personal responsibility for his charge. (Chapters 15, 22, 29, and 35)

That relationship becomes deliberate when In-gong asks whether Carack wants to remain his direct subordinate. In-gong explicitly leaves the choice to him, and Carack agrees because he likes the prince; after the appointment ritual, he becomes the first leader of the King's Knights. The white power also intensifies his loyalty, an effect later identified as part of Conquest's control over its knights, so his service combines a freely accepted bond with a supernatural one. He then assumes the ordinary labor of attendance—waking In-gong, bringing water, relaying messages, and reacting to missions that signal the prince's growing political importance. (Chapters 36, 42, and 118)

On the Enger Plains, Carack's responsibility expands from personal attendance to protecting a mixed expedition. He questions whether the party should continue into an ominous region, takes the lead once the decision is made, carries the weakened Daphne during retreat, and repeatedly draws the undead Balkarova away from In-gong despite being bloodied by the counterattacks. His use of an earth spirit helps break the enemy's balance, while his willingness to keep watch even after coughing blood shows the cost of his protective role. By the time he equips himself at the palace armoury, he defines greater strength as a duty to help the royal family rather than a private reward. (Chapters 55–58 and 62)

Captain of the King's Knights

Carack's leadership becomes more explicit during and after Thunderdoom Fortress. With a magic shield held before the party, he accepts In-gong's directions and charges through arrows, fire, acid, and traps while Felicia's wind and Daphne's stamina magic keep the formation moving. He later serves as the physical platform from which In-gong attacks a zombie dragon. The merits of those campaigns allow In-gong to upgrade him from soldier to leader of the soldiers, strengthening him and increasing his resistance to several attributes and light poison. The change formalizes what the group already relies upon: Carack is its moving front line. (Chapters 66, 69, and 74)

His value is equally clear when plans fail. Because Carack habitually surveys terrain, passages, and escape routes, he is outside the lycanthrope camp when Gerard attacks; after being summoned by Call, he immediately supplies a concise description and location instead of wasting time on his disorientation. In the ensuing fight he enters when In-gong calls, strikes the already-wounded Gerard, catches the prince, and turns his own body between In-gong and Famine's last eruption. He then manages In-gong's breathing and wipes away his blood because the damaged aura circulation is beyond Carack's ability to heal. His protectiveness therefore includes recognizing the limit of what force can solve. (Chapters 78, 80, and 84)

As the faction grows, Carack remains the standard against which its formations and judgments are measured. Felicia places him beside In-gong at the front of an underwater expedition; later he uses his shield to clear barbarians, extracts Nayatra rather than attempting an impossible unarmed counterattack, and stands among the small group entrusted with In-gong's secret about his new dragon heart. He also manages the prince's waking, meals, and schedule, then recommends Green Wind for an apostolic enhancement because strengthening the companion who always fights beside In-gong most directly serves the prince's safety. These choices show his development from assigned guard into confidant and practical captain. (Chapters 90, 98, 115–116, 131, 133, and 167)

In the final crises, Carack's bond with Conquest turns his established protective instincts into coalition-scale action. Apostle Appointment enlarges and empowers him so he can drive the party through the dark-elven catacombs; soon afterward he carries the flag that shields his allies from the demonic god's domination and destroys the final magic stronghold. When In-gong later appears dead, Carack uses the King's Knights' connection to establish that he is still alive, steadying Felicia and Caitlin long enough for a rescue to be sought. After In-gong's restoration, Carack leads the rush to the Sanctuary and answers a final Call by blocking the Death Knight with an axe filled with Conquest, creating the opening In-gong needs. He survives the war, takes a month's vacation with his wives, and returns before the coronation, his presence still reassuring to the future king. (Chapters 188–190, 216, 224, 227, and 231)

Appearance and personality

Carack is a green-skinned male orc about two meters tall, with broad, developed shoulders, extremely muscular arms, and exposed canine teeth. His hands, voice, and general bearing are repeatedly described as rough or rugged, and his heavy armour can make strangers mistake him for an orc of noble standing. Under Apostle Appointment, Conquest temporarily expands his height to roughly three meters and further enlarges his musculature. (Chapters 2, 42, 86, and 189)

His bluntness is paired with composure, perception, and an understated sense of humor. He speaks informally even around royalty, punctures awkward moments with literal observations, and can appear insensitive to romantic tension, yet he notices fatigue, injury, danger, and changes in In-gong's mood quickly. His calm decisions under pressure, meticulous patrol habits, and preference for practical safety make his loyalty active rather than merely deferential. (Chapters 29, 54, 75, 78, 133, 167, and 209)

Powers and abilities

Carack is fundamentally a close-range orc warrior whose exceptional durability, shield work, and battlefield judgment are amplified by the King's Knights and by enchanted equipment. Some of his greatest feats depend on power supplied by In-gong or Conquest rather than abilities Carack can independently activate.

Orc physique and frontline combat

Carack's natural foundation is an orc's powerful body. He fights primarily with a large battle axe and a shield, using direct charges, heavy blows, body positioning, and deliberate provocation to hold stronger enemies in place. He can break an orc shaman's staff with an axe strike, batter through dense formations, endure being thrown clear of a collapsing ruin without injury, and keep moving while carrying or covering allies. Conquest's later status display confirms that persistence and durability are his outstanding attributes. (Chapters 9, 22, 57, 118, and 157)

Orcs also possess an affinity for spirits, and Carack demonstrates this by pouring the power of an earth spirit into his axe against Balkarova. The strike helps damage the undead warrior's leg after In-gong first breaks its structure, showing that the power is useful when combined with an ally's opening. The text explicitly places his spiritual aptitude below that of elves and does not explain how he invokes, stores, or replenishes the earth spirit's power. His body remains vulnerable to sufficiently strong blows, poison, exhaustion, and aura-based attacks despite its toughness. (Chapters 56–58 and 65)

King's Knights and Conquest

In-gong appoints Carack as his first knight and knight leader, placing him within a supernatural system that rewards merits with power and rank. Carack begins at soldier rank and is later upgraded to leader of the soldiers; this promotion increases his strength and grants broader attribute resistance, including resistance sufficient to endure light poison. Below the King's Flag can further increase his speed and power, while Conquest's Coat of Arms raises all of a knight's statistics by twenty percent and strengthens the flag's effect. These enhancements are bestowed through In-gong's Conquest rather than learned or generated by Carack himself. (Chapters 9, 36, 74, and 118)

The bond also makes Carack directly locatable and callable by In-gong. Call displaces him to the prince across space, initially with a three-day reuse restriction and initially limited to the knight captain; Carack does not control when it activates, but he repeatedly recovers from the surprise quickly enough to attack, report intelligence, or escape mortal danger. The same connection lets the King's Knights sense that In-gong remains alive and later allows Carack to recognize Conquest intuitively. By the final battle, he can receive pure Conquest through the bond and channel it through his axe strongly enough to hold the Death Knight for In-gong's decisive advance. (Chapters 49, 56, 78, 95, 216, 224, and 227)

Apostle Appointment

During the emergency in the dark-elven catacombs, In-gong directs Apostle Appointment at Carack. Conquest's power expands Carack from roughly two meters to three, enlarges his muscles, and causes Amita's armour to grow around his transformed body; Carack then adds sections to his shield, enlarges it, and becomes the head of a charging formation. Green Wind relays In-gong's directions while Carack smashes through doors and undead without stopping. The corpus demonstrates this transformation as a powerful, externally activated battle state, but does not establish its duration, its independent cost to Carack, or whether he retains access to it after that crisis. (Chapters 188–189)

Enchanted equipment and fieldcraft

Carack's equipment reinforces rather than replaces his role. A magic battle axe recovered from a warrior's grave carries strength magic, while a later axe received from Amita releases a thunderbolt whenever he swings it; the source demonstrates the discharge but does not explain its energy supply or limits. His heavy magic shields let him push enemies aside, cross trapped passages, and enlarge his defensive front during Apostle Appointment. His armour likewise survives severe field use and adapts to that temporary transformation. (Chapters 58, 66, 90, 116, and 189)

Beyond raw force, Carack is a capable scout and field leader. He habitually checks terrain for approaches and escape routes, remembers an unexpected attacker's distinguishing features, reads In-gong's intentions rapidly, and chooses concealment or extraction when fighting would jeopardize a dependent. His tactical outlook consistently favors the prince's survival and the integrity of the group, culminating in his role carrying the flag and leading the final rush toward the Sanctuary. (Chapters 55, 78, 115, 166–167, and 224)

Power progression

Relationships

• In-gong: Carack freely accepts service as In-gong's first knight and becomes his most dependable shield, attendant, confidant, and field leader. Their supernatural connection reinforces a partnership already built through mutual battlefield trust. (Chapters 9, 36, 131, 216, and 227)
• Felicia: Felicia grows accustomed to Carack's blunt informality and trusts him at the front of her expeditions. Carack protects her in battle and, when grief destabilizes her magic, uses their shared bond with In-gong to restore her hope. (Chapters 55, 75, 98, 166, and 216)
• Caitlin: Carack fights beside Caitlin across the early alliance and later campaigns. In the final conflict, their common membership in the King's Knights lets both support In-gong directly, while Carack steadies Caitlin when the prince appears dead. (Chapters 15, 90, 216, 224, and 227)
• Chris: Chris is part of the royal force that Carack initially supports in Jishuka and later becomes a regular coalition comrade. Their cooperation is clearest when Carack leads the catacomb charge and the two protect the same group through the dark-elven crisis and final war. (Chapters 3, 188–190, and 224–227)
• Green Wind: Carack and Green Wind develop an easy pattern of blunt banter while jointly protecting In-gong. Carack supports her appointment as an apostle because her constant presence beside the prince makes her growth the most practical way to improve his safety. (Chapters 58, 84, and 167)
• Seira: Seira comes to value Carack's reliability in battle, and the two repeatedly serve as martial retainers within the same coalition. They help form the catacomb assault group and later move together as one of the teams sent to destroy the demonic god's magic strongholds. (Chapters 75, 90, and 189–190)

Items

• Battle axes: Carack progresses from dwarf-made axes to a strength-enchanted weapon recovered from a warrior's grave and then an axe supplied by Amita that releases lightning with each swing. He still wields an axe in the final battle, where Conquest fills the weapon during his clash with the Death Knight. (Chapters 9, 58, 90, and 227)
• Armour and magic shields: In-gong gives Carack heavy dwarf armour, and Carack later equips a black helmet and a large magic shield suited to his defensive role. Amita's later armour can expand around his Apostle Appointment transformation, while his shields repeatedly serve as the mobile wall at the head of the party. (Chapters 35, 62, 66, 74, and 189)