“We are each the sum of all our lies.”
- - Hrafn
Hrafn, or, as he is known by his alias, The Raven, is an exiled Arakai warrior responsible for instigating a war between the Arakai clans at the behest of warlord Ire Lamind. Despite resigning himself to continue working as an assassin, Hrafn feels extremely guilty for his actions and seeks to use his work - even if considered to be unfit for warriors by his people - as a means to make amends. While primarily residing in the southern Koldenwelt, given the nature of his work, Hrafn is often travelling all across the world.
History[]
Early Life[]
Born to a couple living in the city of Stormhelm during the winter of 8 NA, Hrafn lived a childhood that many would consider happy. In the age of four, his father, a mage and the only one of his kind in the Lamind capital, began to teach the young boy on matters of magic. However, Hrafn's father never finished training his son as in 15 NA he was requested by warlord Ire Lamind to oversee his wife's childbirth - the woman had experienced a difficult pregnancy and many scholars in the court feared that she and the child may not survive. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the childbirth ended just as all signs had shown; mother and child had both died despite the mage's best efforts. In a moment of grief and anger, Ire killed Hrafn's father over his failure and had his men deliver news to his family that he had been killed by "people with anti-mage sentiment" while serving in the court. Struck with grief beyond words over the news, Hrafn's mother was later found dead by two guardsmen, having hanged herself in the herbalist store they called home with Hrafn crying behind the store counter. Feeling pity for the newly orphaned boy, the guard commander - the same man who later would also train him to become a warrior - took Hrafn to raise him as his own son.
Hrafn would become a fully fledged warrior in the age of sixteen, gaining the honors of a wardancer and swearing himself to clan Lamind. Over the course of the next three years, Hrafn went on to attain a great amount of respect for his skill among his fellow warriors and was regarded as one of the greatest warriors in service to the clan. Eventually the warlord himself reached out to him; offering great rewards in exchange for the deaths of numerous clan leaders during an imminent clan summit. At the time, still filled with rather naive desires for glory and fame, Hrafn accepted the warlord's offer.
When the time finally came, Hrafn executed Ire's plans with ruthless precision. However, despite his overall success, he was eventually apprehended by the efforts of the surviving warlords who then exiled the now dishonored warrior for his actions. Ire was given the task of escorting Hrafn to a mountain pass leading to the outside world, and before leaving paid the gold that he had promised him for his service - even giving away the mask Hrafn had worn during the bloodbath to be kept as a memento. Before departing from his homeland, Hrafn came to realize his mistakes and what would eventually be caused by them and promptly threw the money given to him by Ire to the valley beneath him before taking off to Koldenwelt.
Exile[]
Hrafn traveled far to the southern Koldenwelt, wanting to stay as far away as possible from the Arakai Mountains. He eventually arrived at Ar-Klith, where he found his footing by serving the Sky Empire as an assassin - even if reluctantly - while also providing their scholars with information on his race. However, this servitude didn't last very long because of Hrafn's desire to be more independent and not be once again used as a weapon in a way where he had no say on the matter. Following this, Hrafn quickly earned a reputation as a highly effective assassin, causing many to seek him out to take on their contracts whenever he passed through a major city. One of his many targets came to be Marcos Ridgewood, who defeated Hrafn yet still spared the assassin's life. The two eventually became friends after bonding over telling each other stories about how they got to where they were now and eventually taking down Hrafn's employers. Later on he aided the Warriors of Dar-Nahalant in retrieving the ancient Simulacrum artifact of Windwailer from Harstag.
Shadow of the Ashen Throne[]
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
Hrafn is a relatively average-looking Arakai male of his age. Standing nearly two meters tall, he is considered tall for his race and even few other races. He is easily recognized by his mask; made for Arakai archers as a means to unnerve the enemy. Hrafn's mask, in particular, depicts Mortium in his Arakai form, the mythical gravekeeper Dysjofurr. He also wears a trench coat, made by a Klaxxa tailor during his time in the Ar-Klith. On his right arm - all the way from his hand to his shoulder - Hrafn has intricate carvings resembling and functioning similarly to the mage tattoos seen among some Koldenweltian mages. With him Hrafn carries a self-made shortsword, to which he refers by the Qoranit term Ehdra - roughly translating to The Broken. Additionally, on his right arm he wears a wristbow underneath his sleeve, which he often uses to incapacitate targets from afar with poison, or as a distraction against enemies not so easily killed by its bolts.
Personality[]
While he is often calm and has a good sense of humor, Hrafn is greatly troubled by his past deeds and seeks to redeem himself. He uses this as a justification for being an assassin, as he keeps to the Arakai belief that he will carry the souls of everyone who he has killed to the afterlife upon his own death. Due to this, and coupled with Hrafn blaming himself for the deaths of thousands who have lost their lives in the conflict that arose due to his actions, he houses some suicidal thoughts, even if not to the point where they would prohibit him from functioning as a person. Hrafn also has a strong sense of duty - which, alongside compassion and honor, Arakai warriors are encouraged to strive for rather than personal gain. Despite this, he often goes on to doubt himself and his convictions; depicted within his psyche as a voice similar to his own telling him to forget and let go of everything he holds onto from his past. While sometimes portraying himself with a crude and cold demeanor, Hrafn is friendly and open-minded towards people from other races - a rare trait among the Arakai.
Abilities[]
Like many Arakai warriors, Hrafn is a skilled swordsman; in particular being a wardancer, a deadly and revered kind of a warrior who fights in a trance-like state. Similarly, he shares his race's ability to easily manipulate the Source. He primarily uses magic as a means to increase his mobility through rapid teleportation. This allows him to move quickly and stealthily, but it also requires him to have a clear line of sight to be used. Additionally, he is known to possess some form of runic magic and other skills with cryptomancy. While already granting Hrafn increased agility by not forcing him to wear heavy armor, his strong natural armor also allows him to block a powerful swing from a greatsword and taking next to no damage from it. He is also a very quick learner, as evidenced by being able to adapt to many situations on the fly and having been able to craft his own weaponry without much training in smithing, alchemy, or machinery.
Relations[]
Friends[]
"I will always stay by your side."
- Marcos Ridgewood - I promise to repay you at some point for sparing my life.
Allies[]
"One can not always survive on his own."
- N/A
Neutral[]
"To truly know someone is a luxury most people can't nor should afford."
- N/A
Enemies[]
"Hate is a powerful weapon. But a person who seeks to rid oneself of such things is the truly dangerous one."
- Ire Lamind - I am not your weapon anymore!
Quotes[]
Notes[]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Raven's Flight
- The Crow Calls the Raven Black
- Wrath of Night (First appearance)
- Shadow of the Ashen Throne
Trivia[]
- Hrafn is inspired by Corvo Attano from Dishonored.
- Like with Corvo, Hrafn's name also means 'raven' in Icelandic.
