Sir Ranozir Karkadin ap Varich
Rytozir Akula of the Spiral Zamok

Sidhe Wilder
Guardian of Cat Glacia
Master-Knight of Lindahl Manor
Advisor of the Eclipsing Fingers

Description


Mortal Seeming: ~Road-worn leather riding boots mark the young man's constant travels. Ranozir approaches in his rustic and well-traveled demeanor. Most commonly, he wears loose cargo pants that cloud over the tall Russian's legs, pooling around his ankles. A short-sleeved shirt of knit lamb's wool clasps his upper body, baring the strength of his arms and hinting at the athletic capabilities of the man altogether. In colder months, a black leather jacket is often worn over his top. Ranozir's short, dark-blonde hair is worn simply styled, splayed at myriad angles and smooth around the sides. The strong jaw sets his lips into a determined line, winter-ruddy features good-looking if cold. Above all glitter arctic-blue eyes. Ranozir's gaze gleams intently, keenly, and ever-aware like a professional security expert or bodyguard.~

OOC: Appearance 3

Fae Mien: ~Planes of ice cut through linear reality when Ranozir arrives. All sense of warmth and compassion are vanquished from the ambience when this young noble walks among the fae. The reborn bogatyr stands tall, seeming unassailable in his knightly might. His human clothing transforms into voile of high quality silks and cottons encased in the finest riding leathers. The man's black trousers are lightweight and tucked into matching leather chaps. No matter how long Ranozir is on the road or trod, his knee-high boots reflect their polished shine. A white silk shirt encloses his sturdy upper body, his family's coat-of-arms embroidered on the right. Over that he typically wears a lightweight riding coat of fine mahogany suede. If on the hunt, the Varich will always be loaded to bear with all of his martial raiments (chimerae). Ranozir's blonde hair lengthens to his shoulders, fluttering briefly in icy winds. Gorgeous noble features glow in the light, marked by the heroic and folktale-like jaw and nose. Most fantastic of all are the sidhe's eyes. They seem to penetrate the illusions men wear like frigid icicles, gleaming with sky-blue clarity. Fluttering around the wintry knight come the incessant kaws of crows; they circle above him at avian heights constantly. Indeed, all sorts of chimerae seem drawn to the Varich dragonslayer, threatening to drag him off the precipice of balance into Bedlam. His cold essence alone seems to detract from this danger, but the denizens of the Dreaming refuse to leave him alone anyway.~

OOC: Appearance 5; Chimerical Magnet

"Honor has no price. But freedom beyond obligation, not to mention the feed and keep of my horse, are costly indeed. In the vernacular: pay up."

History


Youth

The heights of the Urals and the depths of the green valleys hide many secrets in the vast forests. Among those obscurities rested the Karkadin household, an old family dating back centuries in heraldic history. Although they were once knights of the czars, the Karkadin were always reclusive. But the Bolsheviks drove the horse-breeding, wealthy land-owners into complete hiding. Family legend spoke of the great-grandmother calling down a spell to obfuscate their records and existence from the revolutionaries’ hatred. And so they remained undiscovered for decades more, small and quiet in the Ural wilderness.

So for generations, this family survived. Through fortune or a mythical spell, the Karkadin avoided the clutches of the Communists and the degeneration of the new Republic. The noble family retained its wealth through secret bargains with a few corrupt government officials who needed their premium-bred horses. Ranozir and his two siblings were the latest generation of the Karkadin. His older brother and sister, Zhenka and Liolya respectively, were more of the family’s pride. They were able-bodied and dove right into the education of equine management. They would take over the Karkadin business in latter years and be as wealthy as their forebears. But Ranozir was more careless. He was not interested in the studies of finance and the specifics of breeding. All he cared for was the wind in his face as he galloped full speed across the valley. Or when he ducked and bobbed and weaved during fencing practice with his siblings, an archaic tradition the Karkadin continued for “noble gentility”. Combining both skills, Ranozir loved to hunt deer, hare, and quail with bow and arrow. Indeed, Ranozir was an all-around athlete, the youth proving his physical talents in all manner of activities.

As a boy, Ranozir was always less serious than his older siblings. Not only was the matter in the contrast between academics and athletics, but in general mien. He would often goof off while they tried to behave as maturely as their stern parents expected. He would run around with a wooden sword, pretending that he was a great folk hero like the bogatyr of folktales. He would save damsels in distress, slay terrible dragons, defeat rotten ogres, and save the day, every afternoon after a waste-of-tutorship lessons. The day dreaming youth continued this frivolous behavior up into late prepubescence.

But then, he began to buckle down. He figured he should at least take his athletics more seriously. The heroic fantasies faded off to the side as he worked on excelling at riding horses and other activities. Although the hope that he could actually do heroic things like that became distant and he tried in vain to think of a way to mundanely rationalize them (like joining the military), the dreaming tendencies began to come back in haunting ways. He would sleep fitfully the older he became and some nights not at all. Ranozir swore he began to see things in the corner of his vision. He’d whirl to look and see nothing at all. Ranozir would run for miles to build his stamina and feel great; if he sprinted fifty meters he’d break out in cold sweats. What weirdness was afflicting him, the young teenager pondered?

Chrysalis & Tutelage

And it took just a single afternoon for him to essentially discover that weirdness. After classes with the tutor, the sixteen year old went quail-hunting. As he flushed out some of the game birds, he raised his bow up to the cloud of avians. And an immense shadow fell upon he and his horse on the crest of a large hill overlooking a quiet village below. Ranozir looked up in terror to see the form of what could only be identified as a dragon. Wide-eyed, he just stared, arrow falling from grasp. His stallion bucked and whinnied, and he dropped the bow full-stop to retake the reins. The cyclone-like batting of the great beast’s wings send the world up in a whirlwind as it stopped to hover and peer upon the youth on horseback -- lunch!

Despite Ranozir’s best efforts, his horse squealed and tossed the rider off its back. Ranozir expertly threw himself aside to avoid being trampled as the horse fled. But the stallion didn’t have a chance. The terribly real dragon fell upon the steed, huge claws tearing into its flesh with a spray of blood and vain equine screams. Ranozir leapt to his feet, tears suddenly streaking his face as he watched his beloved horse be ripped almost in two. His curse echoed out over the hill, and the dragon just chortled in a deep, rocky tone as it ripped its maw through horseflesh. Ranozir screamed out in absolute horror and defiance at the same time. The boy was suddenly a king, or at least stood like one. The dragon’s reptilian eyes blinked once as it beheld the Wyrded noble standing there. Tears dried instantly on the cold Sidhe’s features. Ranozir’s voice issued out in frightening and compelling command for the dragon to depart immediately.

But the dragon just snorted in derision at the attempt, and swooped down to rend the mortal apart. Whether the dragon recognized the Chrysalid or not, it was not about to bow down for a man. Ranozir blinked and hissed out in instinctive intent. He grabbed a hold of his own hair and ripped out terrified handfuls, dropping down to his knees just as the draconian beast was nearly upon him. And the winter answered the Chrysalid’s wyld call. The dragon suddenly plummeted to the ground in front of Ranozir, shaking the hill like an earthquake - encased in a huge block of ice a few feet thick. The dragon was staring straight ahead, immobilized…until its hot, fetid breath melted that ice. Ranozir knew better than to linger. The boy stood and fled down the hill, back to his valley estate some miles away. Though the stablehand demanded where the stallion was when Ranozir returned, the youth just ran inside and locked himself in his bedroom. He didn’t crawl under the bed, but he felt like he should…

Ranozir spent a week in seclusion in his bedroom. Only Zhenka could get anything out of the confused and frightened youth. Zhenka told Ranozir of what happened to the village near where his saddle was found. It suffered a horrible fire blamed on bad electrical wiring that burnt the whole place to the ground. Ranozir “admitted” he was in the village at the time when the fire broke out. His horse panicked and threw him, then got trapped in the blaze. He watched it die helplessly (a partial lie). Zhenka did his best to reassure his younger brother, but like the rest of the Karkadin family, gentle words weren’t his strong suit. It left Ranozir feeling just as confused and cold as ever. When Zhenka left him alone, he stared at himself in the mirror…seeing his true, chimerical self, the way he always envisioned himself as a boy hero. It seemed that dreams could come true. Dreams were coming true.

His parents were about to throw in the towel and call a “specialist” (psychologist) vaguely related to the family. However, someone else unexpected showed up at their hidden estate doors. In full armor and trappings, a veritable knight of antiquity demanded to see the gathered family. More than the mere trappings, the man seemed almost angelic and elfin at once. In awe and wonder, they did in fact gather except for Ranozir, who hid still in his room. The man introduced himself as Sir Ustin Valroy of House Varich, a sidhe lord returned to the earth in knightly raiment and glory. He was quite brutally honest with the mortals, who were just in shock to see this open manifestation of the supernatural. But Ustin explained further that he was led to the Karkadin estate by the guidance of the Seer Elsbeth, who promised that the old bloodlines were once more revealing themselves. And Ustin explained, he believed that someone in the household was manifesting the full blood of the sidhe, too. Though the family was confused, they soon realized that Ranozir must be it. So Ustin was permitted into the youth’s self-confined chambers while the family tried to sort through the haze the sidhe’s Glamour inflicted upon them.

Ranozir knew immediately what Ustin was. In fact, the sight of the older sidhe brought the boy’s Gremayre tumbling down. Ranozir remembers suddenly screaming through open space, discharged deep from the heart of Arcadia into the banal Earth realm. He remembers soaring blindly through the Dreaming, not knowing who or what or how to enter and be whole. He only remembered the cold hinterlands of Mother Russia and was drawn there naturally. As if reading his thoughts, Ustin spoke, telling him of his true nature and all that had befallen the sidhe and fae at whole. For the next six hours, Ranozir received a crash course in modern changeling realities. And Ustin even suggested that it was no coincidence Ranozir chose the Karkadin family. The blood of nobility ran in their veins and their heraldry linked to the noble fae House of Varich long ago before the Shattering -- when the sidhe fled the Earth and it’s increasing Banality.

And the youth had little choice but to accept the wild tales Ustin told him. He only had to peer into the mirror to realize the futility of disbelief. So he accepted it all wholly and to be quite frank, he was happy someone could tell him what the hell was going on! So late that night, Ustin sat down with all of the Karkadins. And he spelled out more truths. Much of it Ranozir heard already, and much of what Ranozir heard was not told to his parents and siblings. But they learned this much: Ranozir was sidhe, they were Kinain to his high blood, and always had been, just as Ranozir had always been sidhe -- and he was just now reborn, a latecomer since the Resurgence. Ustin proved these ties by stating facts from their family heritage that no one but the head of the household could know from their secreted heraldry.

So Ustin was given stay at the Karkadin estate while he educated the young Ranozir in the changeling ways. Ustin instructed Ranozir in the Escheat and what was really important to follow of those laws. The Varich emphasized that strength and honor went hand-in-hand -- that they had to, for honor without strength was no honor at all, but a flimsy façade doomed to be shattered by the ignoble. Ranozir learned that his value of competition and challenge was very good indeed. In fact, Ustin found that he had little to teach Ranozir besides reminding the Chrysalid sidhe of what he already knew of fae yore. Ranozir could already ride, fight, and hunt. He was already tip-top -- a Varich knight in the making. But Ranozir discovered that he had to study hard to store those fae memories permanently again. He was just more of an athlete than an academic, and fae lore was academia! He learned what kernels of magic he could from Ustin, demonstrating his prowess of battle applied through Glamour in that endeavor at least.

After the traditional year and a day of tutelage passed, Ustin informed Ranozir that it was time for his Final Challenge. This was known as the Naming in the old tongue. Ranozir told his mentor that he was ready. So the pair left the Karkadin estate and went to the city of Ufa to a fencing tournament. Ranozir assumed at first that he was to participate and win! But that was not the case, Ustin stated. He was to observe the competitors…and choose who would win their matches. Ranozir blinked in surprise, but accepted this challenge with interest and excitement. He assessed the fencers as he watched them fight through the primary rounds. Then he began to choose his matches. During the secondaries, he was accurate only half the time. But by the tertiaries and finals, he was guessing correctly on every match. Ustin commended the youth’s performance. Ultimately, Ranozir was right 8 out of 10 times, and that was enough to pass his Naming…considering he assessed the competitors without the Varich boon to help.

Slope End

At last came time for Ranozir to be Named -- Sained in the old tongue. Ustin and Ranozir returned to the Karkadin estate. Ustin informed the young sidhe’s family of Ranozir’s success. It meant it was time for the boy to enter manhood. He would have to leave the Karkadin family behind for the time being and enter noble service elsewhere in the world. He promised to look after the youth, of course. And the parents invited their son and his sterling mentor to a final feast of in celebration. Glad to spend these last hours with his family, Ranozir displayed more joy than he had in years for his parents and siblings.

And the very next day, Ranozir and Ustin left the estate and Russia altogether. They traveled by train to Sweden. By horse they rode from a station deep in the Scandinavian forest further into isolated hinterlands. Ranozir was brought to nature-rich County of Slope End, run by the powerful and strict Count Alrik ap Aesin. To this Count Ustin’s loyalty was sworn, and thus, so was Ranozir’s so long as he served the knight as squire. Ranozir didn’t mind, finding the freehold beautiful in its primal and dreamy way.

It was at Seer Elsbeth’s Naming that Ranozir was Sained after the two Varich settled in that week. The Saining was almost barbarian in style. He was commanded to climb to the top of a long slope and shout out his new common name -- Ranozir Karkadin Varich -- to the world. It echoed in the frozen valley below. The winter wind whisked through his hair, bringing him scents of the chilly snow and evergreens alike. The Dreaming was responding. Ranozir felt strong, stronger and more glorious than he ever felt before! And the bones Elsbeth cast pointed at his strength to come, his glory as a dragon slayer of great purport. Once the solemn and almost primitive ceremony was completed, Ustin dragged Ranozir back to the main hold where the other Sidhe (and no others, not even Trolls) of the freehold waited. They rejoiced in the new warrior’s arrival, and drank to his health. Indeed, Ranozir barely remembered any of the celebrations after his Saining. It was just a week long of drinking and merriment. He is pretty sure he lost his virginity to a lovely girl of the household, but the drunken fling never went beyond that week. And it was just as well. The next year he was promised to service in his mentor’s capacity, and it would be grueling indeed under lofty Aesin rule.

The County of Slope End was unforgiving in law and the freehold was ancient in standing. Though they claimed only loyalty to the wintry side of the fae, the Unseelie, they staunchly supported the natural cycle of things. They did not yearn for an Eternal Winter. And thus, the agenda of the Shadow Court was not honored and its recruiters were expelled from the county whenever they arrived. And Count Arik’s household, to which Ustin and Ranozir belonged, made a great deal of wealth. Like the young Varich’s family back in Russia, much of the financial stability came from the county’s vast stables of prime horses. But Slope End also reeled in a lot of Dross. They hunted all the region’s chimerical beasts down that were not given special permit to remain in the realm as trophies. Ranozir came to love these hunts, galloping through the woods after various dream-beasts, taking them his share down with bow and arrow.

However, some of those chimera were dangerous indeed. Ranozir learned under Ustin’s hand the most effective ways of tracking, trapping, and hunting. He even developed some knightly magics and Varich Arts under his master’s tutelage. The young squire exemplified his service over the next few months, demonstrating a natural aptitude for the household’s sport. In fact, when a ice dragon swarmed onto the county and terrorized some of the fae, it was Ranozir’s lucky shot that cleaved through its armor and brought it down. Count Arik presented Ranozir with the bow he had been borrowing since his inception into Slope End. The young Varich grew in both skill and pride. He never learned Swedish or any other Scandinavian tongue. Count Arik spoke Russian, Ustin spoke Swedish, and Ranozir never felt the need to learn his peers' human language. They had such simple wants, as did he, that speech was unnecessary. He was content for those first few months, enjoying time among beautiful Sidhe women and proud and valiant fighting men.

And that’s always when the unthinkable could happen. Chasing down what appeared to be nothing more than a loose will-o’-the-wisp, Ranozir watched his mentor suddenly blink as the chimera vanished just before his arrow passed through the tiny fireball. Moments later, Ustin’s age caught up with the sidhe. Ranozir blinked in horror as Ustin suddenly choked and slipped off his horse. Although his life was extended through longevity by his time in the freeholds, Ustin was actually aging into his 50s. Although youthful in appearance, the kratti played a terrible trick upon him. Ranozir watched Ustin fall into the snowy forest path and never move again…cardiac arrest. The vicious chimera was nowhere in sight, so Ranozir carried his sorrowful burden back to the lodge. He was given a proper Aesin and Varich burial, set at sea like some Nordic hero. Count Arik did not hesitate to remind Ranozir, however, that he was still bound to the house by oath. Ranozir promised the Aesin that he did not mind.

And the young Varich squire spent the next six months searching all over Sweden for that elusive kratti. When he finally sensed it lurking in the northernmost hinterlands of the Laps, he lured it closer with a simple campfire, then sprung upon it with freezing magics. Once it was too sluggish to escape the Varich’s cold wrath, Ranozir dispatched the chimera with his sword. He harvested its remains -- a tiny glowing marble -- as Dross to show and give his liege. Count Arik was pleased with Ranozir’s success.

The last month revealed a drastic change in Ranozir’s youthful mien, however. So obsessed had he proved with avenging his mentor that he lost all interest in the parties and womanizing his fellow sidhe men pursued. He became interested only in the study and hunting of dream-beasts. The urge and need and want to inflict pain upon the chimera, and indeed any who competed against the Varich, became more and more apparent. "Cold fish" swore many of the Sidhe women there. But Ranozir didn’t care. As the squirehood drew to an end, the Count knighted the youth. Ranozir was honored to accept the title and responsibilities of knighthood. But when Arik invited Ranozir to remain with Slope End, Ranozir declined. His reason to stay, Ustin Valroy, was gone, his body now ashes in the sea. He felt he learned enough from Slope End, also. So he gathered his belongings and the horse he owned and left.

Errant Years

So by horse, Ranozir traveled Europe. Mostly, he stayed in the far eastern half of Europe. Its underdeveloped status allowed him to get by with fewer questions on his strong Jutland gelding, Thurlow. The Varich wandered from freehold to freehold, espousing his pedigree and growing resume of success stories. At first, he was often forced to prove his skill in difficult challenges. But Ranozir never turned any of them down, and to Gwydion, Ailil, Aesin, Varich, and other noble houses, the young knight proved his worth. And he also demonstrated his talents for hunting chimera as he offered to do for these households. He brought in all kind of rogue and dangerous dream-beasts. And occasionally, he tracked down rogue changelings, defeated and captured them, and brought them back to the lord who paid handsomely for his expert mercenary services. As the years ticked by, Ranozir became less and less gentle with the targets of his bounties. Many were returned seriously crippled or maimed. So long as the contract of the agreement did not say otherwise, Ranozir had no honorable interpretation to leave his bounties in perfect health.

That’s how Ranozir became a notorious bounty hunter throughout many of the old European freeholds. Yet his great skills and bold apprehension always went well-paid. He charged in cash, Dross, and sometimes magic. He feared that his own cold and precise nature would age him faster than most fae. He was afraid of Grumpdom. So he often requested of a Count or Duke’s sorcerers to enact temporal spells to keep him from getting old. Of course, they warned him that Grumpdom could set in based more on psychological wear than physical and that such efforts were temporary at best. Ranozir didn’t mind; his wanderjahr was only meant to be temporary. He needed time to hone his skills and decide where he wanted to go with his life with such an abrupt end to his youth. Eventually, he planned to settle down into a freehold again, and serve some worthy lord.

Some of Ranozir’s most famous exploits included a school of rabble-rousing zloi dukh in a small Russian village not far from St. Petersburg. He chased the annoying imps out and sliced up those that dared to test his patience for more than a few moments. The surviving imps learned quickly and fled the village. As far south as Italy, Ranozir helped Venetian fae rid the canals of a marauding sea serpent that lost its way and decided to stay around in the area. It changed its mind after multiple attempts to drown a back-hopping Varich only resulted in getting its scutes pierced multiple times, and attempts to constrict the sidhe only got it frozen in place and swam around in circles by the swift, athletic warrior.

And most impressively, he was also reputed to be the slayer of Orage, a vicious dream-dragon that wracked the countryside of Normandy. The rumors of this victory traveled throughout most of the European holdings, and always remained an unconfirmed rumor. Ranozir was not a braggart. That’s perhaps why a “fellow” mercenary changeling doubted Ranozir’s skill. An Eshu, Kjabib, was moving chemical weapons for some Arab “comrades” through the state of Kazakhstan. A Scathach lord of the region put forth all available assets to find the “terrorist” and that included hiring outside help. Ranozir came across the commoner first, tracking the Eshu down through the plateaus and steppes while the Scathach combed the cities and towns. The two changelings clashed in a vicious duel that ended in the Eshu’s chimerical death. Ranozir put the comatose Kjabib over his horse’s back and rode back to the Duke to collect his bounty.

But Ranozir’s career also had its share of failures. For example, he chased the dragon, Elchor, in the British Isles for two damn years! The dream-beast constantly eluded the tenacious Varich, managing to escape every hunt and seeing through every trap. And finally, after blowing two years of his life on the chase, he came across the carcass in the Scottish highlands. The bite marks covering the beast made it clear -- a corby of Redcaps found it first. And its heart was missing. They harvested the Dross from it and he discovered they claimed the bounty, too. At least, Ranozir rationalized, all that time in England helped him learn a second language finally.

Then in Ireland, a Fiona Countess hired Ranozir to find her kidnapped daughter. A rampant Satyr made off with the beautiful lass. It was his job to track her down and bring her back; the Satyr could be disciplined later. All that mattered was the girl’s safety. So Ranozir set out like he always did, following clues and terrifying chimera and other changelings into telling him whatever he needed to know. And when the Varich finally cornered the Satyr and the Fiona daughter, he found that they were actually lovers lost in wild passion. The girl wasn’t kidnapped. She had eloped. Ranozir tried as hard as he could to break them apart, even to force the girl apart. Try as he did, the Satyr failed to defeat the Varich, and was soundly trounced by the cold Sidhe.

But the Fiona proved the more worthy adversary. She didn’t fight Ranozir. She grabbed a shaft of cold iron off a graveyard fence and threatened to pierce her own heart with it if she were forced to come home. Nothing Ranozir could do would dissuade or stop the headstrong, heart-strong girl. He was forced to leave and return to the Countess empty-handed. She was outraged that the Varich failed, but Ranozir just shrugged. For the first time in his life, he witnessed true love in action. Though he knew he could never experience it - he never wanted to, even -- he was nonetheless moved. Ranozir had no desire to try and break up that rare gem. So he left Ireland, making a note to never return to what he found to be such a hypocritically confused country.

With many successes and a few failures under his belt, Ranozir decided it was about time to go elsewhere. He wanted to seek his glory in another land. And where else but the “land of opportunity”? But before he left for America, he traveled leisurely back across Russia. He needed to see his family again. So he returned to the Karkadin estate some thirteen years after leaving. His parents were retired. His brother ran the business. And poor Liolya was paralyzed from the neck down after a fateful riding accident that broke her back. Ranozir caught up with his siblings and parents, then bid them farewell once again.

The Kingdom of Grass

Then he and Thurlow traveled overseas. He arrived in Boston with his horse. Ranozir arranged for all of his papers and all the papers he needed for Thurlow. Then he took up his horseback travel once again. He rode cross-country, seeing the great states of the Union one-by-one. And once more, he offered his services, this time to the nobles of Concordia. He found himself turned away and rejected far more than he expected. It wasn’t a reputation problem either. It was the fact that he was an admitted member of an Unseelie House in a Seelie-controlled Kingdom.

Worse, the New World's chimera took a disliking to the fearless mercenary. And many minor imps and sprites began to tease him mercilessly. He'd teach the occasional bunch a lesson with some ice magics. But the dream-creatures still haunted and annoyed him. The few missions he did perform for nobles also drew more chimerical poltergeists. A murder of crows began to follow him around, eager to fall upon the next carcass he left. Soon Ranozir’s desperate hope became finding a noble liege of the Unseelie who did not practice the forbidden ways of the Shadow Court. Ranozir needed one who would respect his skills, needs, and freedoms. He needed a liege who would respect his hunger for honor through strength. And that he found in his lover, Lady Zofia ni Aesin. Together they stirred an old freehold, and his knightly skills were put to regular test defending the place from Nunnehi encroachment. Glory and Glamour, ho!

Remembrance


Ranozir can recall back ages. These visions of the past come whenever he concentrates, and often when he doesn't. All of them seem to be in the dead of winter, when both his Court and House thrived the most. He can see vast forests, titantic snow-peaked mountains, and immense lakes and seas covered in ice. He can recall the scent of a warm fire cooking dinner somewhere in the distance. He can hear strange languages call out in the dimming afternoon. This is the most common setting for all of his memories, regardless of the memories he wracks his brain for. Ranozir knows one thing -- it is always the hour before a great battle in the past. There's no reason to believe the present is any different.

Chimera


Broad Sword
Level: 2
Origin: Ranozir has held this sword, called Crystal Blood, since the Sundering. He remembers receiving the weapon from the Tuatha themselves. He's long forgotten what they told him those many ages ago, but it is inscribed on the flat of the sword in ancient glyphs.
Description: This double-edged blade is thirty-five inches long, made of bronze. It flashes darkly in light. Its adornments include one blood-red, opal-cut ruby set on either side of the guard. The pommel is wrapped in fresh leather. Up along the blade from base to tip are emblazoned ancient fey glyphs none but Arcadians could decipher. Its scabbard is rustic leather, finished but unadorned.
Effects: It's just a sword.
Glamour Costs: Sword: 0; #1: 0
Activation: Start swinging.

Dagger
Level: 1
Origin: This slender blade Ranozir has possessed since the Shattering. He was given it to by Aesin lieges to aid in their battles against Fomorians in the northern hinterlands. He used it most often to dispatch death blows to the mortally wounded.
Description: This steel dagger is approximately eighteen inches long. There is nothing particularly flashy about the weapon except his House blazon flamed into the base of the dagger's pommel. The weapon lacks an edge; it is a thrusting weapon. Its scabbard is rustic leather, finished but unadorned.
Effects: It's just a dagger.
Glamour Costs: Dagger: 0; #1: 0
Activation: Pointy end goes into the other man.

Short Bow
Level: 3
Origin: This very recently acquired chimerical short bow was a gift from Aesin patrons in Sweden. He uses it to great effect when chasing and harrying chimerical beasts and prey. He is adept a rider enough to fire with fair accuracy even at full gallop, like the feared Mongolian barbarians of the ancient Far East.
Description: This attractively constructed short bow is approximately three feet tall and recurved for maximum potency. It is made of fine yew, the shaft carved into the shape of a long-bodied dragon with two heads, one head on the top and one on the bottom. A Flemish twist bowstring is kept in working order and replaced as needed. The bow came with its own leather, pole-shaped case. The case is simple finished hide enclosed in soft, white ermine-like fur. A black leather satchel-quiver is buckled to the pole. The flap is etched with primitive designs of the sun, moon, and stars. Ranozir attempts to keep a dozen shafts in the satchel between missions. He prefers arrows made of heartwood pine and steel heads. He likes to keep a mix of broadheads and armor-piercers in his quiver, as well as an occasional odd head. He demands the fletching be of hawk or eagle feathers.
Effects: Shoot arrows at stuff, duh.
Glamour Costs: Bow: 0; #1: 0
Activation: Nock an arrow. Aim. Shoot.

Leather Armor
Level: 1
Origin: Like his sword, Ranozir has worn this simple set of leathers and cuirass for ages beyond count. He's fairly certain he's had this armor since the Sundering, another gift from the Tuatha. It has saved this riding warrior's life many a times; arrows and bad falls alike have been brushed off by this thick leather protection.
Description: This light suit mainly protects only his torso and the vital areas there. It provides shoulder padding, a cuirass over his chest, and padding over his back and belly. The armor straps together at the sides to provide greater mobility in the upper body. The armor isn't that heavy at all. On the other hand, it's just beefed up riding leathers, and wouldn't stop the thrust of a sword. The leather is finished in a rusty brown color. The cuirass is sheathed in leather, as well, where the Varich symbolia is blazed into the stiff skin.
Effects: It's just light leather armor -- 1 die worth of protection.
Glamour Costs: Armor: 0; #1: 0
Activation: Wear it well.

Bunk Styles


Style: High Fantasy
Examples: Etch glyphs, ash rune on forehead, slam weapon into ground, leap, staredown

Significant Other


Ranozir met Zofia while riding near her equestrian farm in the Sleeping Waters Duchy, in the summer of 2004. The two Unseelie nobles hit it off that night. After customary hospitality, Ranozir and Zofia ended up in bed. But this was no one night stand, for Ranozir often returns to Zofia after his mercenary missions. Theirs was purely a sensual relationship at first. But when Zofia invited Ranozir to help her stir and keep a small freehold near her estate, the Varich couldn't refuse. It'd be a constant source of Glamour, after all, and the glory of defending such a place from his lady's enemies was more than he'd ever need!

Zofia

Weakness
Dark Hero


Ranozir considers himself an antihero of sorts. Maybe he is. But ultimately, he's a cold-hearted bastard, a villain who happens to hunt other villains. What honor and glory will he find?

Likelihood of Corruption


Average.

Ranozir stays clear of most politicking, preferring to sell his skills to the highest bidder -- Seelie or Unseelie. Thus, the Shadow Court would likely never be able to command his true loyalties. But even he is subject to a fall, especially through his own House's brand of honor.

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