Bahoom Grrgrrk

History has not recorded when the first kalidahs came into being. They appear to be the result of the same sort of mix magic that brought gryphons and harpies into being. In general they are unpleasant beasts. They rarely get along with anyone, even (perhaps especially) other kalidahs.

Unusually for a kalidah, Bahoom is a patriot. He loves Oz and everything within its borders. He tears up at the sound of the national anthem and blubbers at the sight of the flag. He is a kalidah, however, and is as fundamentally bad tempered as the rest of his species. Fortunately he has a mission that takes him far from civil (and civilized) folk. He patrols the Quadling country at its border of the Deadly Desert. He was inspired to do this duty ninety-five years ago when he surprised and ate a Skiffian invasion force just as they staggered out of the Desert. (Being almost dead from the Desert’s poisons the Skiffians were unable to explain that they were ambassadors come to honor Ozma. They had gotten lost in a dust storm and their skyship had crashed on the rocks at the edge of the desert.) Bahoom takes credit for the lack of invasions from that border in the years since. (It would not be beneficial to one’s health to point out to Bahoom that the Desert is almost uncrossable and that the Quadling country is watched over by the powerful sorceress Glinda. Any invaders attempting to cross at that border would have far more to worry about than a cranky kalidah.)