Character Bio’s

WARNING!!!:  These Biographical sketches include story spoilers!  If you haven’t read up to the current chapter (which will be listed for your convenience at the head of the bio page each time I add a new one), you are strongly advised to read the chapters before reading the biographies, as to do otherwise might ruin your enjoyment of the story.

That having been said, the first bio I have finished is Riovanes.  More will follow.  Hopefully this will let you get to know my characters a little bit better, and enhance your enjoyment of the tale I have to tell!  Thanks for reading!

-Rio

 

Name:  Riovanes  (Pronounced: Rye-oh-vay-nes)

Basic Statistics:

            Height: 6’4” (76 in.)

            Weight: 220 lbs.

            Eyes: Brown

            Hair: Fiery Red

            Build: Slender, with a highly defined musculature.

            Race: Human, of Caucasian descent.

            Age: 20

            D.O.B: Eighth day of the Second month of the year 2682

 

History:

            Orphaned at the age of six, found wandering alone and half-starved outside the Kyrie monastery in Lothofran.  Taken in, cared for and raised by the monks that lived there.  At first it was intended that he should be trained as a scribe, however, shortly after his arrival at the monastery, the monks discovered his internal potential and began training him as a Kyrie Warrior.

            Riovanes showed tremendous aptitude for the martial arts early on, and an uncommon level of understanding of the more ethereal abilities available to the Kyrie order.  Manifested SoulFire ability more than four months before his peers.  Due to this incredible rate of progress and natural ability, Riovanes was set on the training path to becoming a Knight of the Order.

            During his training, Riovanes also developed the AngelicLight and DragonSoul abilities.  It was just after developing the DragonSoul ability that the first hints of a darker nature began to manifest in Riovanes.  The monastery was attacked by a pack of DemonHounds when Rio and some of his peers opened the gates to allow a traveler in.  The Hounds cut down two of Rio’s fellow students before anyone could react.  Without the slightest warning, the DragonSoul flared up within Riovanes, and he lost consciousness.  When he came too, he discovered both the Hounds and his compatriots had been slaughtered… by his hand.  The Elders of the monastery quickly covered this incident up and told Riovanes that his power had risen up to protect him.  Although this did nothing to assuage his guilt, Riovanes believed what the Elders told him, and continued his training, eventually becoming one of the Senior students of the monastery.

            Some years later, a group of adventurers in need of a guide across the desert came to the monastery.  The Elders chose Riovanes for this task, citing the fact that they felt the time had come for Riovanes to leave on his Journey.

            And so Riovanes has been sent out into the world…  This is where our story begins…

 

Disposition:

            Very friendly, if a bit shy at first with new people.  His lack of social interaction with anyone other than his fellow students has made him somewhat of a social goof, but he gets on well enough.  Strongly grounded in his faith, this is both an asset and a hindrance to him, as it makes him somewhat naïve and a bit closed-minded, although it does give him the courage and impetus to go on where others would falter.  Rio is becoming more and more open-minded as he travels with the people in his charge.  A complete klutz with women, Rio’s biggest stumbling block also happens to be the most important person in his life…  Gabrielle Ni’Sho.  Hopefully, the fact that he is naturally a kind, compassionate, and caring person will be enough to make Brie see past his social ineptitude…

 

Current Status:

            Currently in Shilay along with the rest of the group, waiting for Gabrielle to recover from wounds incurred in battle.

            Has reason to believe that they are being pursued by members of his own order, and means to confront them in Shilay.

            Riovanes is also busy figuring out his feelings for Gabrielle, but those thought have had to be put on the back burner until the problem of the pursuit has been dealt with.

 

Relations to Other Characters:

            Gabrielle Ni’Sho (Brie):  Uncertain of his feelings at this point.  Thinks he may be falling in love with her, but doesn’t know for sure, as he has never had extended contact with a woman prior to this time.  Knows he at least cares a great deal for her, and enjoys spending time with her.  Currently the most important person in Rio’s life.

            Romo Lorudo:  Friends.  Depends on her for advice about women/Brie in particular.  Feels a great deal of guilt about the death of her brother, Pomo, but does not let it show.

            Myanar Hiletu:  Although they don’t talk much, Rio and Myanar get along well.  Feels Myanar is somewhat misguided, as the young man is a lover of technology, but is willing to overlook this.  Enjoys his enthusiasm for life and his friendly demeanor.

            Olian Meru:  At first, these two didn’t get along well at all.  At one point, Riovanes became so angry with Olian that he nearly lost control of himself.  Now, though, the first seeds of possible friendship are being sown.

 

Skills of Note:

            Master of the Kyrie martial arts.  Absolutely deadly in hand-to-hand combat.  Skilled with staves and pole arms.  Minor medical field skills (bone setting, splinting, CPR and wound dressing).  Can cook passably.

            Major skill in music of all types (one of the gifts of being a Kyrie).  Can play any instrument known to man, and although he doesn’t like to show it, he is an excellent singer as well.  Also an exceptional dancer.

 

Special Abilities:

            SoulFire:  ability unique to the Kyrie order that Riovanes may call upon during battle.  Uses internal energy and faith to grant inhuman strength and speed to the user.  Outward signs of use include an aura of bright blue fire, and the eyes of the user becoming completely blue.  No known side-effects.

            AngelicLight:  One step up from SoulFire.  Calls upon Heaven to grant additional power and tremendous speed.  When using this ability, Riovanes moves too quickly to be followed by the human eye.  Outward signs of use include the user becoming bathed in a shaft of golden light, and the eyes changing from blue to silver.  No known side-effects.

            DragonSoul:  Current limit of Rio’s power.  Riovanes is uncertain how or why this ability works, or even how it manifests itself.  Allows him to fly, as well as fire incredibly destructive bolts of energy from his hands.  Has already manifested twice on its own in the past, and creates in Riovanes a bloodlust that frightens him.  Riovanes hates to use this power, because he is afraid of it, and what it does to him.

 

Name:  Gabrielle Ni’Sho (a.k.a. Brie)  (Pronounced: Gah-bree-EL Nee-Sho)

 

Basic Statistics:

            Height:  6’ (72 in.), 6’4” when her ears are up.

            Weight:  130 lbs.

            Eyes:  Sky Blue

            Hair:  White

            Build:  Slender, athletic.

            Race:  Shothian, female.  White furred.

            Age:  20

            D.O.B.:  Twelfth day of the Eighth month, year 2682.

 

History:

            Gabrielle is a daughter of the Shothian nobility.  Born to a Captain of the Shothian Knights and the Duchess of Sholensgrad, Gabrielle’s path in life seemed set toward gentility from the moment of her birth.  However, she surprised everyone by taking after her father rather than her mother.

            At the tender age of eight, Gabrielle chose to enter the Sholensgrad Military Academy.  Being the daughter of a Knight Captain, she was immediately set into the officer career track, and soon proved herself worthy of her father’s name, excelling in all of her classes and becoming the top officer candidate in her class.

            At age sixteen, Gabrielle was given her first command, a squad of eight freshly-graduated Shothian Knights.  Charged to patrol the Northern borders of Sholensgrad, Gabrielle and her men set out to prove their worth.  While on patrol in the Northern Hills, the squad was ambushed by a group of bandits.  The attack came so swiftly that three of Gabrielle’s men were cut down before anyone had time to react.  Refusing to allow herself to be frightened, Gabrielle forced herself to remain calm, gathered the rest of her men together, and lead them in a way that would have made even the most experienced of Shothian generals proud.  Badly outnumbered and demoralized by the swift deaths of three of their comrades, Gabrielle and her men fought valiantly.  Though they managed to win the day, things still went rather badly with them.  In the end, only Gabrielle and one of her eight Knights managed to walk away from the ordeal with their lives.

            Upon her return to the Academy, Gabrielle’s father had her transferred into his unit and kept her in the rear lines at all times, having her serve as a logistics and tactical officer rather than the line commander she had wanted so badly to be.  For a time, Gabrielle was content to live this way, feeling that she was unworthy to lead any more warriors into battle after her initial failing.  For more than two years, she lived with the guilt of the incident in the Northern Hills, never allowing herself to move on.

            Then, one day, the Eastern border of Sholensgrad was attacked by unknown assailants.  Gabrielle’s father’s unit was called in to respond, and one of the bloodiest battles in Shothian history ensued.  The invaders were human, wearing robes of white with hoods and cowls obscuring their features.  They fought with incredible martial ability and strange powers that had until that time been unknown to the Shothian race.  Thanks to Gabrielle’s tactical ability and her father’s courageous leadership, however, the Shothians were able to drive their foes from their land.  Unfortunately, the invaders would not be ousted without a parting shot…  A spell was cast by the fleeing enemy, which threw open a rift in space and time, dragging the Shothian army into itself and depositing them in an unrevealed time and place.  Alive but lost, the soldiers of Brie’s unit were listed as Killed in Action, as no one had the first idea where to look for them…  The casualty list included Brie’s father.  Gabrielle, having been on the back lines, was spared.

            Horrified at her father’s fate, and disgusted with herself for not having been at his side to share in it, Brie slid even further into depression and self-loathing.  It was at this point that she met Kaeith Sen’Daru, the son of a Shothian dignitary who was about her age.  Taking advantage of Brie’s emotional weakness, Kaeith convinced her he was madly in love with her, and eventually managed to get her into bed with him.  As if this one conquest were all he had ever wanted from her, Kaeith abandoned Gabrielle the morning after, as she lay sleeping beside him, fleeing Sholensgrad altogether.  Alone, feeling used, dirty, and abandoned, Brie very nearly gave up on life altogether.  But then everything changed…

            While searching for paper on which to leave a letter of explanation for the act she was considering committing, Gabrielle stumbled across her father’s notes.  In them she discovered a set of papers on a mythical tome, the Hokin’gulra.  According to her father’s notes, this tome supposedly contained a spell that would allow for inter-dimensional travel.  All at once, Gabrielle abandoned any idea of ending her own life, as here, in these notes, she had found hope that she might find her father, and perhaps reclaim her lost sense of purpose and self-worth in the process.  She immediately set out from Sholensgrad in search of the Hokin’gulra.  She would later be joined in her quest by Pomo, Romo, Myanar and Olian, all for various and personal reasons.

            Eventually, Gabrielle and her friends would find it necessary to travel to the Kyrie monastery in Lothofran to seek the aid of a guide to cross the Hirakali desert.  It was here that Gabrielle first met Riovanes, and two lives that had until that time been totally separate became forever intertwined…

 

Disposition:

            Quiet, shy and reserved most of the time.  A highly capable leader, although her own lack of self-confidence tends to inhibit this ability.  Somewhat withdrawn and aloof, due to her past problems…  Being around Riovanes is changing her, however, slowly bringing the old Brie, happy and fun-loving, back to the surface.

 

Current Status:

            Recovering from wounds incurred in battle just outside of Shilay.  Severely unhappy about being moved into Kaeith’s care, but willing to go for the sake of Riovanes, whom she is busy trying to figure out her feelings for.

 

Relations to Other Characters:

            Riovanes:  Fairly certain she is falling in love with him, even if she won’t admit it.  Gabrielle is afraid of her feelings, due to her experience with Kaeith, and an unfounded fear that Rio will reject her feelings because of her race.  Enjoys being with him and spending time with him tremendously, and would have a hard time choosing between staying with him and continuing on her mission, although at this point she is more likely to choose to continue her search for the tome rather than stay with Riovanes.       Romo Lorudo:  Friends.  The two met at a library where Gabrielle was doing some research on the whereabouts of the Hokin’gulra.  Romo and her brother Pomo became interested in Brie’s quest, and empathizing with her desire to find her father, they joined her.  Gabrielle relies on Romo at this point as a go-between for her and Riovanes.

            Myanar Hiletu:  These two get on okay.  Myanar joined the quest because of a past relationship with Romo, and so he spends most of his time with her and doesn’t talk to Brie much.

            Olian Meru:  Put bluntly, Brie thinks he’s a jackass.  She tolerates him because he is a crack shot with his rifle, making him an asset in battle.  Olian joined the group out of desire for adventure, and a way to escape his involvement in a gang known as the Wraiths.

 

Skills of Note:

            Highly skilled with swords of all types.  An adept leader and strategist, as well as a fine speaker, if her shyness doesn’t get to her first.  A fair dancer and an excellent singer, although she hides these talents out of modesty and shyness.

 

Quote:  “As a leader, I have to follow my head…  As a woman, I want to follow my heart…  How did father ever choose between the two?”