Razzak

Razzak
	Mudborn Prophet
Gender:	Male
Family:	Kathal (father)
Species:	Skinshifter
Status:	Alive
Appearances:	3 (see #Appearances)
Portrayed by:	Grégory Fitoussi

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"We need to save this land, save it from the humans who butchered your fathers and mothers... and they will butcher your children. That's why we'll defeat them! I am your prophet and together, we the Mudborn, will drive them from our lands... and take back what is ours! We are not ashamed of this dark earth that gave us life. For the honour of those who came before us. For the future of those who will follow!"

―Razzak rallying the Warig to take back the Shieldlands.^[src]

Razzak, son of Kathal, (Grégory Fitoussi) claimed to be a spice trader from the Gulf of Aseeia in the Farlands. However, when he revealed himself as a skinshifter, he was realised by Beowulf to be the Mudborn prophet leader known by the Warig as Red Tongue.

Profile[]

Razzak (Gregory Fitoussi)

A spice trader from the Farlands, Razzak is a fiercely intelligent and inescapably magnetic figure.^[1]

Biography[]

Rallying the Warig[]

Gorrik, Thane of the Mere, learned of the existence of the prophet leader known by the Warig known as Red Tongue from one that the Mere had captured. As he would recount to Beowulf, this prophet was stirring the Warig up, telling them that the time had come to wash the Shieldlands clean with red blood, while moving through the Edgelands, also noting that Red Tongue himself was said to drink human blood as per his name. This news made Gorrik realise the war was coming as sure as the tide and that the days of peace were over. (Episode 5)

Making himself known[]

Razzak eventually made his appearance when the Huskarla started scouting for Warig which had started to appear in the woods to the east closer to Herot, posing as a human being attacked by the Warig. Approaching a Huskarla for help, Razzak took the opportunity to kill him by slitting his throat once his back turned to him after he slew a pursuing Warig. With the trap set, Razzak lured the Huskarla Gil and Brinni by calling for help and they proceeded to rescue him by fighting off a pair of Warig, slaying one while deciding to capture one left alive in order to question it. Claiming that the Warig had held him captive for weeks, Razzak was brought to Herot by the Huskarla alongside the captive Warig for his protection.

Arriving at Herot, Razzak was escorted to the Huskarla to the Golden Hall while the Warig captive was abused by the citizens along with way, with Razzak explaining to Brinni as the Warig addressed their troll that all Mudborn were bounded by the black blood flowing through their veins. Once at the Golden Hall, Razzak introduced himself to Rheda, Herot's Thane and Jarl of the Shieldlands, purporting himself as the most well-known of all spice traders in the Gulf of Aseeia, though admitting that Aseeia was not particularly known for its spices. Revealing that he could speak the Warig tongue, claiming to have learnt quickly in their captivity, Razzak was asked by Rheda if they spoke of the prophet called Red Tongue. Despite his ego briefly slipping in response to her reference his Red Tongue alias, Razzak did disclose word of him and his reputation, describing Red Tongue as a monster among monsters who was said to drink red blood from humans as well as word of a Skinshifter in Herot. Razzak gladly offered to help question the Warig and later tell Rheda more of his time as their captive.

Indeed, Razzak stood by Gil and Brinni as they interrogated the restrained Warig captive, claiming that the Warig was stubborn and would tell them nothing all the while it was boasting about the coming war where they would spill the Huskarla's red blood under their prophet. Soon after, Razzak was found to have mysteriously disappeared during the interrogation, leaving the Warig, subsequently identified by the Banning Thane Lagrathorn to be of the Haji warband, to be executed by the Huskarla.

Razzak later appeared at the old giant keep where a group of Warig were holding Beowulf and Elvina prisoner along with the Mudborn beast Grendl, ordering them to halt their abuse of the beast. Asking his Warig where the humans came from, Razzak observed that Elvina, identified as the Red Blood who fed the beast, knew the Warig tongue. Ordering Elvina's cage lowered, Razzak asked her why she fed the beast, threatening that she put herself in more danger by her silence. Razzak then offered her a blade, giving her a choice of who she cared for most, the Red Blood or the beast, telling her that she could put the beast out of its misery and he would let both her and Beowulf go, explaining that he was doing this to know who she was. Taking the blade, Elvina approached the beast only to gut a nearby Warig before cutting the rope restraining the beast, allowing it to escape. Razzak ordered the Warig to let Elvina go as they apprehended her and when one refused him, he proceeded to kill it by breaking its neck while revealing his true form as a Skinshifter, with Beowulf realising that he was the prophet leading the Warig uprising. Razzak noted that Beowulf's burning of the Warig burial grounds and that he would soon meet his death in return for it.

Razzak proceeded to approach the Warig leader, Kragen, requesting his assistance in driving the Red Bloods from the Shieldlands as he presented to him the Defiler, Beowulf. Kragen initially hesitated, believing that his Warig were too few in number to wage war, but after Razzak voiced his observation having found Herot to be weak, Kragen decided that his warband would join with the Prophet and take their revenge starting with the Defiler, intending to make a spectacle of burning the Red Blood warrior alive just as he burnt their dead priest and their burial ground which robbed it of all meaning as a holy place, they would then kill Elvina before proceeding to join with Razzak and make war on all humankind. However, the Warig's attempt to bring peace to their ancestors was interrupted when Elvina revealed herself to be a Skinshifter and set Beowulf free. Sending his Warig out to pursue Beowulf and Elvina and bring him their head and heart respectively, Kragen angrily confronted Razzak for what he saw as a betrayal after what he originally believed to be a Red Blood woman was revealed as a flesh changer, branding him a false prophet. Ultimately, Kragen was murdered by Razzak who stabbed him in the back, telling him while still holding the knife in that he was his savior. Razzak would make sure to immediately exploit Kragen's death, rallying the Warig and telling them that Beowulf was the one who killed Kragen before proceeding to push them to avenge their leader and take back the Shieldlands. (Episode 9)

Approaching Elvina[]

Razzak would learn of the coming Bregan/Wulfing invasion of Herot, this infighting between humans ironically a result of Bregan's Thane Abrecan's ambition to become Jarl of the Shieldlands himself and ensure that they would be strong enough to face the coming of the Mudborn, and so used the Mudborn beast to lure out Elvina. Meeting Elvina again when she followed the beast to the giant keep, he assured her that he meant neither of them harm. Razzak reached out to Elvina, pointing out that as Skinshifters they were both the same and that as such they shouldn't be strangers to each other. While agreeing with Elvina adding that they shouldn't be enemies, Razzak questioned her when she requested that he not attack Herot, claiming them as her people, rhetorically asking her what her people did when they found a Skinshifter in their midst and how long it would be before they turned on her. Razzak stated that he had no intention of attacking Herot as Elvina maintained her position, revealing that he had no need now as the Red Bloods were about to rip each other to pieces while he had a future to build, telling Elvina that she could be a part of that future and she would never need to lie, hide or fear again, or she could go back to Herot and wait for death. Razzak then departed, leaving Elvina to think over his words. (Episode 11)

Calling the Great Master[]

Following the invasion of Herot, which ended in Abrecan's death after being usurped as leader of Bregan and the Wulfing retreating, Razzak came to a giant keep where he approached the Great Master of the giants, requesting his help in driving mankind from the old realms that they call the Shieldlands. (Episode 12)