Kente is an orc chieftain who is Ivan's close friend and ally, similar to the friendship between Duke Slava and Kraal.
Kente as a hero appears in Might & Magic: Heroes VII.
Background[]
To understand Kente’s presence among Ivan’s council, one has to go back in time, to the 544th Year of the Seventh Dragon. When the young Duke of Griffin of that era, Slava, accepted to welcome the vagrant Orcs of the Whitespear tribe on his lands, a custom was established. The Whitespear Orcs would send one of their best warriors to Eastalon, to become the Duke’s Master of Arms. Of course, no Orc would ever serve a Human if not of his own free will. The new Master of Arms would always be a volunteer – the first of which was none other than Kraal, the Whitespears’ own chieftain.
Throughout the centuries, the relationship between Orcs and Humans within the Griffin Duchy has been… uneven, to say the least. Nowadays, most Orcs are content to stay in their mountainous steppes and not interact with the “babyteeth”, as they call Humans, unless the need is dire. When Ivan became Duke, there had been no volunteer in decades, and the old custom was little more than a legend of days past.
Such was the state of things when Kente rode to Eastalon and, unexpectedly, offered his sword to the Duke of Griffin.
A direct descendant of the great chieftain Kraal, to Jorgen's understanding, Kente often communes with his Ancestors through dreams and meditations. It seems that these guardian spirits have warned him of a dark time to come, when “a Demon in the shape of a woman would paint the Empire in red, and the Orcs would be made slaves again”. When Empress Maeve was assassinated, Kente started to suspect this was the event he had foreseen. He immediately saddled his robust steppe horse, said goodbye to his mate and children, and went to Eastalon to fulfill his destiny.
Kente is certain that Ivan has to become Emperor to prevent his vision from ever coming completely true. He also has hopes of rekindling the friendship that once united his people to the Griffin dynasty. That way, he believes, the spectre of slavery would never return to threaten his people. Sadly, not many Orcs share his views on these matters.
In many ways, Kente is the opposite of the Orc stereotype of the bloodthirsty, mindless brute. His intelligence and military acumen are not to be underestimated, yet he is a strong advocate of peaceful solutions… which won’t prevent him from cutting his enemies in two if they’re asking for it. While not sparring or hunting with the Duke, Kente spends most of his time in Eastalon’s menagerie, tending to the dogs, horses and Griffins. Despite his intimidating appearance, he is also surprisingly popular with children. The little ones love to hear him recount tales of great heroes of the past, in the lively manner of his people. In fact, almost all the children in Eastalon now know the stories of characters such as Malathua, Kunyak, Batu or even Goink the handsomest Goblin.
Kente is content to play the dumb Orc in the Humans’ presence, if that can help put them at ease. Only a few people – among them Ivan, Anastasya and of course Jorgen – realize this is all an act. It’s something Kraal also used to do, which greatly amuses Anastasya.
Ten Years War[]
While the Orcs had little to no reason to get involve in the affairs of the Holy Falcon Empire that was in a state of civil war, Kente and his people played a key role during its mid years. When the Duke of Wolf Stefan defeated Amiclar, The Duke of Bull and began conquering the Griffin lands for himself, Kente gathered many Orc and Beastmen tribes during a brutal winter and attacked the Wolf armies. Since the Orcs were apparently unaffected by the cold, they forced Stefan to flee to Voron Peak until spring, at which he surrendered and retreated back to his duchy. By that time, Kente had his forces reinforced numerous villages and outposts across the duchy. The message was loud and clear, the Griffin's nest was defended.
Unfortunately, with Stefan defeated, Ivan and Kente had new tense situation to deal with. Meeting with Ivan near the abbey of Skarena, one of the Empire’s oldest temples of Elrath, Kente told Ivan that most Orc chieftains had come to help the Griffin Duchy to honour the friendship their ancestor Kraal shared with Ivan’s own ancestor, Slava. They now considered the debt settled, and apart from Kente and a small cadre of warriors, the Orcs would soon return to their mountains and stay out of the “babyteeth war”, as they put it.
Kente and his tribe remained loyal to Ivan however and continued to aid him in his struggle against the recently declared "emperor" Seamus. When Ivan and his new ally, Stefan refused to accept this, they attacked the Stag Duchy but the war took a horrible turn at Meadowfair where Ivan was defeated in combat against Engurrand of Greyhound. Ivan would have perished if not for the surprise attack made by the wizards of the Silver Cities, allowing Kente to take his wounded lord to safety.
Once they reached Talonguard, Kente and Ivan met who had saved them: the wizard Tanis and the Necromancer Anastasya. While grateful for their aid, Kente, as an Orc, was weary of all spellcasters, regardless of the color of their robes; he nonetheless regarded them as allies in Ivan's struggle against Seamus. Kente would later witness Ivan being granted his new sword, The Griffin's Resolve, and regain his sense of purpose to restore the Empire.
Gameplay[]
Kente is a Barbarian.
Abilities[]
| Hero Trait | |
|---|---|
|
Master of Warcries |
| The hero starts with Warcries on novice level and with Overhelm skill.OffBck | |
Appearances[]
Kente appears only in Might & Magic: Heroes VII.
Gallery[]
