| “ | No. I'm not going anywhere! [...] And neither are you! | „ |
| ~ Korl's last words before attempting to kill Erend. |
Korl is a major antagonist in the Horizon series. He serves as the main antagonist of Horizon Zero Dawn Vol. 2: Liberation, the second volume of the 2020 comic series of the same name.
He is a former Oseram freebooter who was once a part of Dervahl's Oseram army during the Red Raids, who later betrays Erend and Ersa, before siding with the Oseram terrorist. After Dervahl's imprisonment, he later enacts his revenge against Aloy and Erend, before putting him in conflict between both of them. However, at the end of the comic, he later killed himself with a blast bomb before he was even arrested for his crimes in Mainspring.
Apperance[]
Korl is a dark-skinned male who is seen with a brown mohawk hair, as well as a beard. He wears a typical Oseram outfit.
Background[]
Red Raids[]
Along with the siblings Ersa and Erend, with whom he regularly disagreed, Korl was a part of Dervahl's band of freebooters that resisted the Carja invaders during the Red Raids. Ersa was caught and brought to Meridian during one attack on a Carja convoy.
She eventually managed to escape with the help of Prince Avad and return to the Claim. When she did, Korl accused her of making a bargain with the Carja to free herself and get rid of the freebooters, which prompted Erend to threaten him. Prince Avad visited their camp two years later in an effort to ally with the Oseram and put a stop to the incursions. Ersa jumped to his defence as Korl tried to hold him captive. Erend and Korl were on the verge of getting into a fight when Dervahl stepped in and decided to form the alliance. Erend joyfully accepted Korl's challenge after his pride was wounded and he made the pledge to "take down Erend and Ersa in a matter of time."
Liberation and Dervahl's Escape[]
The allies made the decision to get rid of Dervahl when his actual, genocidal plans for the Carja were made public, perhaps endangering the alliance and the sole opportunity to stop the Red Raids. Following his incarceration, Korl was offered the option of leaving Pitchcliff and never returning or joining the alliance and engaging in combat. Erend was surprised that he went with the latter. In truth, Korl simply acted in this manner out of greed, planning to plunder the Carja as soon as Meridian was captured.
Events of the Comic Series[]
Korl escaped to Pitchcliff after Ersa died and Dervahl was apprehended and imprisoned, where he killed a local trader and took his goods. Aloy, a Nora huntress, joined Erend as he headed out to look into the crime. The embers from his campfire were still glowing, showing that he hadn't travelled very far, when the two traced him to a camp not far from the village. After crossing a ravine, Korl became aware of his pursuit and broke a rope bridge to delay them.
Aloy and Erend climbed the head of a Tallneck to bridge the ravine since they couldn't descend it, as the bottom was populated with Stalkers. When they reached the other side, they saw Korl entering a ruin. He had set up a mechanical lure to draw a Stormbird that attacked his pursuers, which gave him just enough time to swim over a nearby river and flee. After resolving the issue with the machine, the two carried on their hunt until they came across a tiny Banuk trade post. There, they were finally able to see Korl trying to sell his contraband.
When Korl realised he had been seen, he threw a different machine lure. As two Longlegs surrounded the people at the post, Aloy yelled for them to get away. Erend caught up to Korl as he tried to flee as she fought the robots, tackled him, and the two got into a heated fistfight. Korl finally defeated Erend, who had pretended to beg for his life in an attempt to divert Korl long enough for the Longleg that was charging at him to make contact, rendering Korl unconscious and allowing Erend to beat him into submission as Aloy finished off the machine.
Korl mocked Erend as he lay vanquished, telling him that, for once, he had battled like his sister and that she was made of colder steel than he was. Erend, who was furious, maintained his composure and told Korl to reserve his remarks for the Ealdormen in the Oseram capital Mainspring. Korl took out a blast bomb, meaning to destroy himself and his assailants but having no desire to face justice for his crimes. He was killed in the explosion, and fortunately, they jumped to safety just in time. His severed arm fell next to Erend.
[]
 Villains
| ||
Artificial Intelligences Organisations Carja Shadow Carja Banuk Oseram Tenakth Londra's Devotees Far Zenith | ||