Ryn

Basic Information

Name: Ryn
Age: 37
Type: Dragon-Blooded Exalt
Player: NPC
Aspect: Wood
Concept: Member of the Hallowed Order of the Grass Spiders, Ronin-Duelist
Motivation: Live at the mercy at his own whims and play by nobody's rules but his own.
Political Affiliation: The Hallowed Order of the Grass Spiders
Anima: Swirling green and brown energy spiral together, accompanied by the chattering of monkeys. At fully totemic the eyes and tail of a Lemur appear in the energy, starring down his opponent.
Likes: Duels, Roof-Tops, Tree-Tops, Monkeys, Homemade Wine, Drugs That Can Be Smoked.
Dislikes: Rules Not His Own, Fighting Multiple Opponents At Once, Needles, Politics, Cooking, Sleep.

Background

Ryn was born in the tree-city of Chanta, one of the two million inhabitants of the capital city of The Kingdom of Halta. From birth his life was abnormal, his mother was the well respected and well known Flera Skyweaver; Air Aspected Dragon-Blood, famous general, and recently appointed Head of the Haltan Department of Warfare. If that was not enough, his father was a wise, old fae-blooded architect who designed many of the remarkable buildings that make up Chanta's distinct cityscape. Despite their prominent status in Haltan society their son was not relieved of the mandatory military service for all children in The Haltan Nation. Ryn showed exceptional military prowess, even from a very young age, though he was always more talented than he was interested. His wealth of talent and lack of interest or motivation left their mark on his early life which eventually discouraged his parents, though his instructors were frequently willing to overlook this for the opportunity to harness his skill. None of them succeeded.

It was no surprise when he exalted shortly before graduating from secondary school, following in his mothers footsteps as a dragon-blood; but of a more common eastern, wood aspect. He had breezed through secondary school without much of a challenge with high marks, though those who truly applied themselves outperformed him. After secondary school he was forced into his mandatory service in the Haltan military, given a high rank due to his talent, exalted status, and the prestige of his mother. Ryn had long disdained the thoughts of war, taking more after his father than his mother in that respect and many others. He had a carefree personality which made him a poor military commander, and he preferred to kill in an artistic manner than an efficient one. Naturally this did not serve him well in battle and his superiors rarely missed the chance to point it out; Ryn never paid it any mind. Ryn's refusal to yield to his commanders and acknowledge the need for his unit to follow the efficient, and often predictable military standards of the Haltan military earned him the ire of his superiors, but allowed him to deliver some of the most spectacular victories in Haltan military history.

His amazing victories, exalted status, and the high standing of his mother left the military with no choice but to continue to promote him up the ranks. Though finally he had earned the ire of enough brass to be punished, though discreetly. Ryn was promoted the the equivelent of a Dragon-lord within the Haltan military, though to do so his legion was changed. He would be reassigned to the legion that was newly joined with The Bull of the North on the front lines against The Realm and rival nation of Linowan, secretly many officers of the military hoped it would be a death sentence for Ryn. Their wish nearly came true.

Ryn continued to use his eccentric combat tactics in the battle against the Realm, however he'd never fought against the brilliantly disciplined legions of the Realm and his tactics cost him and his men dearly. In the midst of the battle against the Realm's forces he was injured by the overwhelming numbers of the legions, separated from his command he was left to fight alone. He fought valiantly against the horde, but eventually was overcome and badly injured which left him for dead on the battle field. His wounds did not turn out to be fatal and he escaped the battlefield in the quiet after the battle amongst the other dying and injured. He managed to hitch a ride west, passing in and out of consciousness as his body healed slowly over the course of the trip, those that carried his body likely assumed he would die. Which explains how he ended up in the City of the Dead, Sijian, but by the time he reached the city he was mostly recovered and forced to find himself a new life in the foreign city.

Ryn soon discovered that he fit in here far better than he ever had at his own home, here death was an art both in how one died and how one was treated in death. Ryn specialized in the former aspect, but he also came to embrace the intricate burial rites that made Sijian famous. His dueling nature led him to the line of assassination, he found it a natural line of work and he excelled at it. Only a short time had passed before the Grass Spiders came calling, his skill at assassination along with his dislike of killing those uninvolved made him an ideal fit. The Grass Spiders love of artistic and unique deaths appealed to him greatly, he didn't hesitate to accept.