Hekarro

Hekarro is a character in Horizon Forbidden West. He is the Chief of the Tenakth tribe.

History[]

Background[]

Hekarro was born in the Lowland Clan's capital of Thornmarsh^[2] and eventually became the Commander of his clan. He trained with the legendary Tenakth soldier, the Enduring,^[3] and became known as the most fearsome warrior the tribe had ever known. He went above and beyond with his challenges, as when he took the challenge of surviving in the Valley of the Fallen for ten days, he stayed for much longer, returning from the challenge after three whole weeks.^[4]

Hekarro was once like many Tenakth warlords, orchestrating battle against the other clans during the Clan Wars. He fought alongside his clan against the Sky Clan for control of the Stand of the Sentinels, which was one of the few battles Hekarro ever lost.^[5] However, this all changed one fateful day; after taking the Memorial Grove, Hekarro stood all alone in the Grove after killing all of his enemies, he heard what he thought was thunder from the east and witnessed AETHER fly into the processing core beneath the Grove as it escaped GAIA's self-destruction. Its appearance triggered the activation of a Vision never before seen by the Tenakth that contained a call for peace and unity in lieu of war against machines. To Hekarro, the Vision was a message from the Ten.^[6]

From that day onward, Hekarro swore to unite the clans. To that end, he became the tribe's first Chief, and created the Marshal position to build a group of peacekeepers free from any clan affiliation.^[6] His call for unity was met with mixed reception by the more cantankerous members of the tribe, but was ultimately successful.

The Red Raids[]

While many Tenakth were killed when the Carja had the element of surprise,^[7] under Hekarro's leadership the Tenakth were able to push in invaders out of the Forbidden West. At the Battle of Cinnabar Sands, a Carja soldier named Fashav was captured and brought to the Memorial Grove for judgement. As a last resort, Fashav demanded a chance in the Kulrut, which he had heard in passing and didn't entirely understand. Impressed (and according to Fashav, intrigued), Hekarro granted Fashav the opportunity. Fashav became one of his Marshals, and through it earned Hekarro's respect yet disdain from Regalla.^[8]

The Tenakth later retaliated against the Carja by infiltrating Barren Light and opening the gates from within, allowing the entire Tenakth and some Utaru fighters to flow into the settlement and completely overwhelm the Carja and raze the settlement,^[9] forcing them to completely abandon the Daunt to the Tenakth. However, Hekarro refused to push further into the Sundom, recognizing the cost of such a war. This was the beginning of the fracture between Hekarro and his greatest Marshal, Regalla,^[6] who wanted to completely destroy the Carja and everything related to them for the brutal deaths of her brothers.^[7] The Carja continued to see Hekarro in a monstrous light, even after the Red Raids.^[10]

The straining relationship between Hekarro and Regalla came to a head when a Sun-Priest came as a delegate from Sun-King Avad declaring an end to the raids. The Sun-Priest and Hekarro agreed to form an embassy at the border between the Sundom and the Forbidden West.^[7] Unwilling to form peace with Carja, Regalla challenged Hekarro for the position of Chief. After a brutal fight (which left Hekarro with seven scars), he bested Regalla in single-combat. Finding himself unable to kill her, Hekarro chose instead to exile her, a decision he would come to regret.^[6]

Regalla's Rebellion[]

Horizon Forbidden West[]

Two years after the Liberation, Hekarro decided to return Fashav to the Sundom: his hope was for Fashav to serve as a bridge between the two tribes, facilitating a cultural exchange of mutual benefit.^[6] However, the Embassy was attacked in a coordinated assault by Regalla. Most of Hekarro's Marshals, including Fashav, were killed in the attack, which would serve as the start of Regalla's rebellion.^[11]

The attack at the Embassy was a powerful first blow to Hekarro, robbing him many of his Marshals and much of his ability to hold the tribe together with them. He would need to hold another Kulrut to rebuild the Marshals, but this was problematic; the Sky Clan's commander Tekotteh refused to send champions to compete, intending to holdout in the Bulwark and wait out the rebellion. Even if he could gain Tekotteh's compliance, Hekarro knew that Regalla would attack the Kulrut in order to kill him in front of all three clans.^[6]

A solution would come with Aloy, the outlander who defeated Regalla's champion Grudda at Barren Light. Her search for GAIA's missing subordinate functions led her to the Grove, where AETHER lay in the chamber beneath the throne. While unaware of its nature, Hekarro recognized the item she spoke of when she requested it: he agreed to give her access to the chamber, on the condition that she first force Tekotteh's compliance and defend the Kulrut.^[12]

As Hekarro predicted, Regalla attacked the Kulrut, but he was unprepared for the attack from underground. When Regalla reached Hekarro, the two dueled once more. Hekarro gained the upper hand but faltered when the jet above the throne began to fall. His life was saved by the quick thinking of Aloy, who redirected the jet to fall in between Regalla and Hekarro, forcing Regalla to retreat. With Aloy having fulfilled her end of the bargain, Hekarro fulfilled his, granting Aloy access to AETHER. Upon Aloy's retrieval of the subordinate function, the Visions of the Grove regained life, and the Vision of Unity that changed Hekarro's life reactivated. For the Tenakth who witnessed it, the Vision was the ultimate vindication of Hekarro's aspirations, and they gave their salute to the Chief.^[13]

Regalla returned with her army in another assault on the Grove. She and a rebel entourage had Hekarro, Kotallo and Ivvira cornered next to the Arena. Before she could kill the Chief, Aloy arrived atop a Sunwing after single-handedly destroying her army and challenged her to a duel. Hekarro officiated the duel and Regalla was soon defeated. He encouraged Aloy to kill Regalla but left the decision to her. Hekarro volunteered to send the tribe to help her in her fight but she declined, citing that the tribe needed him now more than ever to keep the peace.^[14] Hekarro later paid his respects to the fallen Regalla at her funeral.^[15]

Hekarro was later approached by Kotallo, who told him about Nemesis.^[16]

Personality[]

Imposing in both stature and mind, Hekarro is considered the greatest warrior the Tenakth have ever produced. He commands respect even in the presence of his enemies, leading by example and a firm but merciful hand. Far wiser than he may seem at first glance, Hekarro is a shrewd negotiator and strategist, having correctly predicted Regalla's strategy and understanding how to forge alliances.

While a fearsome man, Hekarro is driven not by conquest, but a desire for lasting peace. He understands which battles should not be fought and which battles must be. He is capable of looking past tribal affiliation, hoping to build bridges and exchanges between the other tribes for the benefit of his own. He also wields a strong sense of honor, always upholding the deals he makes and remaining true to his word.^[8]

Skills and Abilities[]

Hekarro is considered the greatest warrior ever to come from the Tenakth. He began his legacy by surviving in the Valley of the Fallen for three weeks, twice as long as necessary to complete the rite. He was the man ultimately responsible for ending centuries of war within a single generation, having united the Tenakth Clans by the Red Raids.

Gallery[]

Concept Art[]

Concept art of Hekarro by Luc de Haan.

Trivia[]

• Hekarro's name was released in a leak on Horizon Forbidden West's IMDb page in March 2021, which was quickly removed, although screenshots of the leak were taken by fans.^[17] As his name was spelled in all capitals in the leak, this caused many fans to believe that Hekarro was going to be an AI character.

References[]

Wiki Navigation[]