Born in England with her Wizard father and Muggle mother; her mother did not approve of magic and did not want Rykan to go to Hogwarts, but her father insisted. Rykan's father was most likely almost made into a Death Eater but resisted, but he hides his past; this may explain where Rykan got her bad temper and unsocial tendencies from. She has a little sister called Teani, who is 12, and is in second year.
Her father had been an archaeologist before the war.
--Her father knew a lot of powerful (and dark) wizards before and during the war. They taught him many powerful spells, and because he was so close the dark wizards tried to turn him, and almost succeded.
--The Valerian's moved to Scotland when Rykan was about 7, and started to show some signs of magical inclination (her mother wanted to move far away from Hogwarts).
----Rykan's muggle mother was acceptant of her husband and daughters being of the wizarding world, but was firmly opposed to Rykan or her little sister learning any magic at all , especially at Hogwarts (what with all those extremely powerful wizards there). Her father managed to get Rykan into a small wizarding school in Scotland, but when they finally moved back to England, Rykan's father finaly talked her mother round and was alowed to go to Hogwarts.
  Unfortunately, she came to Hogwarts a couple of months before the uprising of the dark forces againt Hogwarts itself, meaning she didn't have enough to make any friends, except for one Scala Hawk, although she does recognise some other students, she dosen't know their names.
  During the uprising, Rykan made a few new friends; Sylandra Collins, Michael Phoenix and Pheoni Jacobs.

Rykan has short dark blonde hair with blue streaks and is about 5ft 4. ((wand; Phoenix Feather, Maple, 7 1/2 inches))