Kolr is a Vidarian, part of the race that worships Vidar, the God of Silence and Night. Their society has been ruled by their religious priests, the Silo, who have slowly become more and more corrupt and extreme. The Silo swallow sound around them by using the blades granted to them by their god to create permanent tattoo-like specific markings on their bodies. When these markings are placed in the right places, one cannot even hear their heartbeats or any sound, even breathing. They communicate with a type of mental connection, and only the Silo Mort can hide his mental voice from them.
Kolr was raised in one of the outlying villages branching off from the Vidarian society, and therefore was actually exposed to music when he was out exploring as a young child. The unfortunate wanderer was quickly taken care of by officials, but Kolr remained curious about the sounds and secretly questioned the propaganda he was exposed to all growing up. He was teased a lot as a child as he is generally tall for a Vidarian (his adult height is 55, which he later finds is quite short compared to the other races).
Around his early teen years his family moved to one of the central cities, where society is stricter and the Silo have a tighter grip. For reasons not entirely known, Kolr was forcefully inducted into the Silo ranks, and then selected to be the Silo Mort- the Silo in charge of assassinating those within the Silo who have strayed. Because Kolr was essentially outside the command chain, he was able to eventually discover information about Sol and is to date the only successful deserter.
Because of his race and the marks that show him to be a Silo, Kolr is often misjudged. He is very sensitive to the needs of others around him. Since hes so used to having to give others visual clues to communicate, he can pick up on the silent cues from others about what they are really feeling. Kolr is a very loving person, and once you gain his loyalty its there forever, and strong. Kolr eventually becomes the one to inherit the Minstrel portion of the Mark of Helios, apprenticing under Sol.
