Merkos Kerav, or simply THE Kerav, was a Ruddy Orion man who lived in the late 23rd century. He was both head of the Kerav Family, one of the ruling Five Families, and a Council Lord of the governing Council of Trade of the Orion Colony of Daros IV.
History[]
He was born on Daros IV to the Kerav Family. Following his elder brother's sudden and mysterious death, Merkos ascended to lead the Kerav clan. Suspicions circulated that the elder brother, the natural heir, had been murdered, and questions were raised about the legitimacy of Merkos's rule. The continuing string of fatal accidents that struck the Family quieted these rumors, and Merkos remained firmly in charge for over 30 years.
However, Merkos was unhappy with the Colony’s reliance on peaceful trade, believing it was draining its vigor, and desired to resurrect the ancient traditions of Orion piracy. His dreams received a great boost when Commander Kothaar of the Klingon Empire came to him with a great plan. Kothaar promised Merkos the Empire's assistance in unifying Daros IV under Kerav rule, beginning with developing a base of piracy to attack Federation shipping.
To this end, they imported high technology goods from the Empire, some of which were resold, while more went into the construction of an advanced pirate ship, the Morakos, and a fortified mansion at Skaroskar. Merkos supervised activities from the Family estate at Keravkar while Ivra Kerav, Merkos's broker in the Shadow Market, received the smuggled Klingon goods from Kothaar's agents. Meanwhile, the Keravs bought up metals such as steel and aluminium, and construction equipment for the Skaroskar fort.
The operation continued for at least three years, until reference stardate 2/1410 (circa 2273), when Starfleet Intelligence agent Commander Michael Thorn came to Daros IV investigating rumors of Klingon activity there. Though Thorn discovered the alliance, he was captured by the Kerav Orions before he could fully report his findings. Around the same time, Solomon Kane and Jack Corrigan, representing InstellCo, arrived on Daros IV and spent five weeks attempting to negotiate a trade arrangement with Merkos, who refused any fair contract. More Starfleet Intelligence investigators arrived in stardate 2/1412 on the Eridani Star, and proved a threat to Merkos's plans.
- As this is an RPG adventure module, the official outcome is unknown, though a successful conclusion would see the Starfleet personnel uncover the Klingon interference, discover the Skaroskar compound, rescue Michael Thorn and escape.
Description & Personality[]
At the time, Merkos was aged 61, was 5'9" high and weighed approximately 130 pounds. He was a Ruddy Orion in appearance, with a ruddy golden-range skin color. He had brown hair, but had lost most of it with balding. Unusually for an Orion, Merkos had dark red eyes; his superstitious servants believed these were a sign of supernatural powers, a myth he did nothing to disprove.
Merkos Kerav was known to be rash and impulsive, even for an Orion, with a fierce temper and a strong vindictive streak. However, he was constantly restless, often pacing or fidgeting and remaining still. All this lead to the local saying that "A worried Kerav is a dangerous Kerav."
He also fixated on his power and status as head of the Kerav Family, and made certain that everyone else was aware of his importance and rank. Merkos was highly ambitious for more power, and was more than willing to join Kothaar in his plan. He treated Imri Keros, head of the Keros Family, with outright hostility, seeing him as his most dangerous rival. Merkos considered himself one of the last so-called "True Orions" on Daros IV.
At Skaroskar, Merkos had a luxury apartment, though he usually worked from the traditional Kerav Family estate at Keravkar while Skaroskar was still in construction. (FASA RPG module: Orion Ruse)