Kathog of Cum Taran

Khathog, the Priest of Darkness, was thoroughly evil. A cruel and implacable enemy, he was trained under the Witch-king and had returned to the Ered Tarthonion in order to revive the Dark Worship among his kinfolk. He travelled in isolated areas with his lesser priests and guards, sometimes leading rituals at the old sites of Sauronic worship. Of course, he never referred to his master by his true name, instead calling him the "Dark Prophet" or the "King of the World."

Since locals generally assumed that Sauron was dead, any Dúnedain or Elves hearing this term thought it referred to some more powerful evil cleric, or at worst one of the Nazgûl. Kathog, however, served no "lesser beings." Still, the Black Priest was loyal to his own needs. While abjectly submissive to the Lord of the Rings, he coveted his own realm and basked in his own "glorious rise." The Priest was also ruthlessly uncaring about his retainers, and he was willing to sacrifice any subordinate to protect himself. He acted cautiously, for if the Warden of Amrûnaur knew of his activities, he would have been hunted down and executed.

Khathog was middle-aged and his short dark hair was streaked with grey. His eyes were deep-set, like black wells, enabling him to fix his servants with penetrating stares that made them cringe. He was stocky, with thick limbs, and could wrestle a bear to the ground (a feat which won him much respect among Eredrim warriors). Unmarried, Khathog indiscriminately used women from among his followers to satisfy his desires, being incapable of any real love. His origins were unclear, although he had Daen blood and spoke with the tone common to the Dunnish warrior class.