Karofish was a squid, and the most powerful legendary warrior of their tribe!
He came from a great kingdom that stretched for thousands of miles beneath and along the shores of the Trackless Sea.
He was a prince qualified to mate with the Squid Queen.
The term "prince," incidentally, had originated with those intelligent creatures on the surface.
Originally, they had lived in the Trackless Sea in ignorance, rarely taking the initiative to contact surface creatures, for that represented unknown danger.
That changed when a deep-sea squid named Slater from their kind accidentally visited Ascarle, an ancient ruin buried beneath ice.
It had been an elven city destroyed by the Drow. Within those ruins, Sarakra unexpectedly found records concerning their deep-sea squid, learned of their race's former glory, and hoped to restore that glory.
At the same time, through the knowledge left behind by those elves, he became a Spellcaster and earned the trust and favor of Umberlee, the goddess of the sea, becoming her Chosen.
Over several centuries, Slater established a network of underwater agents to consolidate his organization. He had also rescued many human sailors who had fallen overboard, demanding that they serve as his loyal coastal agents in exchange for their lives.
From such peculiar beginnings, this powerful intelligence-broker organization was born. It swiftly recruited members from many races, including Sahuagin, sharkfolk, aquatic gargoyles, dire sharks, and narwhals.
Later, it gradually expanded to include highly intelligent beings such as humans, Abyssal Fish, and Mind Flayers. It rapidly grew stronger, slowly developing a model of trading intelligence for wealth, influence, and privileges, while using assassinations and other evil acts to further expand its goals.
That deep-sea squid Mage was so exceptional. He had brought knowledge and glory to their squid tribe, brought them a glorious past, and brought