Kahless The Unforgettable

Legend of Kahless

 The story of Kahless is a cornerstone of Klingon mythology and religion.  (“Birthright, Part II” [TNG]).  Legend has it that the messianic Kahless fought the tyrant Molor, whom he killed with the first bat’telh or sword of honor.  Another of the epic tales of Kahless relates how he fought his brother, Morath, for twelve days and twelve nights because Morath had lied and brought shame to his family (“New Ground” [TNG]).  Klingons believe that warriors who die honorably join Kahless, who awaits them in Sto-Vo-Kor, the afterlife.  Just before his death, Kahless pointed to a star and promised that he would one day return there.  Klingon clerics established a monastery on Boreth, a planet orbiting that star, where they waited for centuries for Kahless to return.  In the 24th century, the clerics of Boreth devised an elaborate scheme whereby preserved cellular material from Kahless was cloned to produce a replica of the original Kahless.  The replica was programmed with all the ancient teachings and parables, and actually believed he was the real Kahless.  The deception was quickly discovered, but Worf, son of Mogh, pointed out that the new Kahless could be considered the rightful heir to the throne.  With the support of High Council leader Gowron, the new Kahless was installed in 2369 as ceremonial Emperor of the Klingon people.  (“Rightful Heir” [TNG]).  Another (presumably less accurate) copy of Kahless was created by the Excalbians in 2269, when they were attempting to study the human concepts of “good” and “evil” (“The Savage Curtain” [TOS]).

 Kahless, the First Emperor

Kahless was a warlord of the tyrant Molor, he fought and served loyally and stood high in Molor's circle.  Fate intervened one faithful morning in the village of M'riiah.  It was here that Kahless confronted starving villagers unable to pay Molor's tax.  Molor's orders were explicit collect the tax or burn the village down.

The village had been suffering under drought and plague for two years.  Kahless in a moment of leniency told the villagers that there tax would be forgotten this time.  However, Starad, Molor's son, refused to leave the village without exacting tribute.

A fight erupted between Starad and Kahless.  Kahless slew the son of Molor and from that point on became a renegade.  He was joined by some of the loyal warriors including Morath a mysterious Klingon with a strange set of priorities.

Kahless and his followers fled north to escape the grasp of Molor.  Yet the tyrant pursued him at every point.  It was during this period that he first met his love, Kellein, daughter of Lord Vathraq.  Their time together was short as the presence of Molor's men forced the outlaw band to flee once again.

Morath, Kahless second was a warrior of principles, it was his code that Kahless was fighting to establish.  The things that Klingons find most important, Honor, Truth and Glory.  Morath constantly prodded Kahless to greater acts.  Morath was an introspective warrior able to appraise his self worth and that of others.  Morath knew that none would follow him the way they would rally around Kahless.

Morath, used Kahless as a source for bringing change to the Empire, Morath working through Kahless established the legend that was to become the source for an intergalactic Empire.

Kahless and his band having escaped the pursuing troops by entering the northern mountains.  It was here he encountered another band of outlaws under the command of a Klingon named Edronh.  Edronh would later attempt to betray Kahless on the eve of battle with Molor's troops.  However, his duplicity was discovered and he and his men were killed.

Having escaped the grasp of Molor temporarily, Kahless and his band returned to Kellein's village to find all had been killed including his one and only love.  Kahless found Kellein dead in the upper part of her fathers keep.  He removed her Jinaq amulet and spoke to her the words he would have had she been alive."  I pledge my heart and my hand to you, Kellein, daughter of Vathraq, and no other, I am your mate for the rest of my days."  It was right after this that Kahless seeking death, fled the band and was pursued by Morath.  Who badgered Kahless about his duty to those he had inadvertently killed by coming close to them.

Morath forced Kahless to deal with the choice he had made so long ago, to finish what he had started.  It was not Morath who had lied but Kahless. Kahless seeking only death and seeking to flee his destiny once again fled, with Morath again in pursuit.  Two days Kahless rode and Morath followed doggedly always in sight of Molor's former war chief.  Again Morath asked Kahless to pay for what he had done, what the war chief had started long ago
at the village M'riiah.  Once again Kahless attempted to escape Morath. For six days and six nights Kahless lead Morath deeper into the Klingon Hills.  They would wrestle and argue during this period.  Finally on the twelfth day Kahless awoke, unable to tolerate Morath's presence or his code.  It was on this day that Morath convinced Kahless to pay for what he had started.  To finish the fight against Molor started so long ago.  In Morath's own words: "
Pay with your Life then."  To that Kahless replied "I have already offered to take my own life."  Morath responded. "What I ask for is not a death, Kahless, but a life."

Kahless finally discovered the core of Morath's being, he was devoted to overthrowing the Tyrant Molor.  Morath was a rebel.  Morath's father Ondagh, had been slain by reavers, while Morath only a child of five had fled to the woods.  Morath remembered his father fighting bravely against the brigands before he fled into the woods.  His father however was overwhelmed and slain by the brigands.

Morath then wandered the world seeking to make amends with his cowardice.  Finally he happened upon a still lake and saw the image of his father within the water.  It was here he would become the man his father could never become.  To use the code his father had instilled in him as a young man.  Morath would take no deceit from Man or God, and never run from anything.

The first full sized clash between Kahless army and Molors army under the command of another of Molors son's Yatron.  Once again Kahless slew another of Molors sons.  Leaving the tyrant's progeny clutching his own entrails on a bloody, dirty plain.  With their commander dead, Molor's forces were swept from the field.

Following the battle Kahless wounded and with fever dreamed of his mate Kellein.  In the dream she visited him inside a great fortress which dwarfed even Molor's fortress at Qa'yarin.  She told Kahless that he would not be victorious until he forged the Sword of Honor.  During the dream specters of Starad and other including Rannuf son of Erdonh who had been killed in a earlier battle, also visited him.

The Rannuf specter told Kahless his father was going to betray him to Molor.  Awakening from his fever, Kahless and several trusted warriors, Morath, Porus, and Shurin set off to find Erdonh.  Erdonh's troops were to have been guarding Kahless front lines.  Kahless finding Erdonh and his men gone replaced the troops with another group and awaited Molor's forces.

Kahless trap was sprung as soon as the Tyrant's troops closed within sight of his camp.  His troops ready and waiting attacked Molor's flank and routed his troops.  With the battle over Kahless asked for twenty swords from the fallen enemy.  He also required a metal smith of uncommon talent.  Toragh, one of Kahless followers was appointed to the position by virtue of his skill with metal.  Kahless described the blade he wished forged and even put his
services on the bellows.

Finally following several more battles, the war had come full circle and Kahless now laid siege to Molor's fortress at Qa'Yarin.  His men were equipped with Bat'telh and they were nearly invincible with it.  Blood and bodies of the fallen enemy mounted as Kahless and his men fought their way into the inner sanctum of Molor's citadel of power.

They found Molor in an anteroom still plotting strategy for a lost battle.  The tyrant was dying, his skin blighted with the tell tale marks of the plague.  Kahless seeing the former lord a shell of the Klingon he once was gave him his dagger to finish himself.  Morath seeing this was instantly on guard for treachery.

Molor picked up the dagger in a weakened hand and reversing it threw it at Kahless, son of Kanjis.  Morath took the blade as Kahless stood their in shock at his own stupidity.  Kahless hacked down the miserable being known as Molor and knelt beside his dying friend.  He removed the dagger, the dagger which would later be used by the Clerics of Boreth to beget a new Kahless.

With the overthrow of Molor, Kahless became Emperor and gave the Klingon peoples a set of laws based upon Morath's conception of honor and truth.  which simply put are: Keep your promises to one another.  Deal openly and fairly with your enemy.  Fight a battle to it's end, giving no quarter.  And when it's necessary to die, die bravely.  Kahless had fully insisted that these were the tenants that his brother Morath, for indeed Morath was more akin to a brother than a friend, had followed.

But his people refused to listen so caught up in the worship of Kahless.  Kahless ended the power of Molor over the outlying provinces and ruled for several years.  He had learned to play the part of the Emperor for one person, Morath and the promise he had given him.

Kahless turned the throne over to his trusted friend Anag and left the capitol to journey, and to leave the truth in the form of a scroll as to what really happened buried among a stand of Micayah trees.  The scroll contained the entire story and placed Morath and his part in proper perspective.  Truth is an important thing, as Morath had said.

Since the time of his passing, and his hinted at return, the Cleric's of Boreth had waited for his return.  Finally late in 2370, Koroth the high Cleric had succeeded in cloning the blood from Kahless dagger.

Worf, son of Mogh was the first to encounter the Kahless clone while searching for his faith among the fire pits and vigils of Boreth.  The clone appeared to him and nearly convinced him he was the true Kahless returned from Sto-Vo-Kor.

However Gowron upon learning of Kahless return was not convinced.  He like Worf questioned whether this was the true Kahless.  Or merely a fake, made by Koroth to overthrow him.  Gowron successfully unmasked the clone during a knife fight.

Soon after Koroth revealed to Worf and the clone, that he was indeed manufactured.  However it was too late as word of Kahless return had spread rapidly across the Empire.  This could eventually split the Empire in half.  Worf realized this and convinced Kahless, Koroth and Gowron to except the clone as a ceremonial Emperor who would guide the Empire back to a more spiritual path.

The Emperor has since seen his true past revealed when the scroll which the original Kahless had buried was discovered by a minor cleric Olahg.  The scroll which contained the truth of Morath's roll in Kahless rise to power.  Olahg used this scroll in an attempt to discredit the clone and was joined by several KDF officers in an attempt to overthrow both the Emperor and Gowron.

The attempt was defeated by combined efforts of Kahless, Gowron, Worf, Kurn and Jean Luc Picard.  The Emperor today is stronger than he was when he first took command.  Currently Kahless enjoys powerful alliances with some of the strongest families.  However the enemies of Kahless wait like a flock of kraw'zamey for a moment of weakness.

The Sword of Kahless (betleH or bat'leth in English)

The History of the Bat'leth

"The bat'leth - Sword of Honor - is what defines the Klingon Empire. It was the use of the bat'leth by Kahless that enabled him to overpower a vastly superior force led by the Tyrant Molar and to unite the tribes of Qo'noS into an Empire.  There are two histories of the creation of the Sword that lie along the lines of fact and fiction. In many ways Kahless has taken on proportions of *God-hood* even though he would be the first to laugh at such a suggestion. The Clerics of Boreth await his return and keep sacred the first of the bat'leth stories.

The first accounting is well known but it is a tale that deserves telling. In it Kahless walked from the camps of his army prior to the final battle with Molar. He was troubled - the weight of thousands of warrior's lives was getting too much to bear and he had to have quiet to contemplate the situation. After sitting down under a small tree he fell into a troubled sleep and was met with a vision. The Gods told him to climb the slopes of Kri'stak , take a lock of his long black hair and dip it into the lava of the volcano . This was to be plunged into the waters of Lursor and a weapon of great power was to be forged from this. The God's gave him the vision of the sword and Kahless forged it as he was instructed, giving it the name bat'leth - *Sword of Honor*.  Molar was defeated and the bat'leth became not only the symbol, but the primary weapon of the warriors of the Empire.

The second accounting involves the recovery of some ancient documents written in Kahless's own hand. Although many tried to suppress them, the contents did become known and the story they tell not only honors Kahless as a leader, but as a man we can all admire and respect.  God-hood is a terrible onus. Gods are to be feared but warriors of great strength and courage are to be admired and respected - that's what Kahless is and means to the Klingon Empire.  In this accounting Kahless still walks from camp and has his dream, but his first reaction is to gaze up at Kri'stak and laugh at the ridiculous idea of climbing the slopes of an active volcano. He does believe that the design of the bat'leth is divine in nature and he hurries back to camp to locate a metal smith. When the call is sent out for the best weapons maker in camp it is answered by Toragh, who makes Kahless his weapon and Molar is defeated.  This is the heritage of the weapons smith as well as the story of the bat'leth. We who make weapons are warriors first, for who can make a weapon if he does not first understand how to use it ? Great weapons are made by great weapons makers but great warriors are born to the task "