Astervitch

Captain Astervitch (a.k.a. Ast)

“You ready yet?” the boy called, and Ast sighed, the overwhelming desire to throw himself into a fight suddenly rushing back. He stooped over to pick up his sword, it having been tossed onto the dirt at the end of his last match.

“Ready to kill you!” Ast shot back. The boy smirked, but there was a tinge of apprehension behind it. Ast was unpredictable, both the boy knew it and he knew it. And he used it to his advantage. He was regarded as something rabid among his peers, both because of his history but also his temperament. Hungry in a fight, when the other boys were still all nerves.

Astervitch is the de facto captain of the Rusalken and is a soldier of Fort Brickard. Notably, he is Ryven Bekkerd's best friend and plays a large part in the initiation and development of the Bourjen City Revolution.

Biography

Early Life

Ast initially lived with his older brother and sister on the reservations, his mother having died in childbirth and his father then leaving the children to fend for themselves. At age seven he witnessed his brother rape and kill his sister, and subsequently stabbed his brother to death in his sleep. Unsure of where to turn afterward, Ast went to another boy in his village, Ryven, for help. They buried and hid the bodies in the back of Ast's hut, and because Ast had no remaining family, Ryven brought him to Fort Brickard when he was accepted four months later. Ast was accepted as a soldier there on account of being Ryven's companion.

The Rusalken

While fighting at the pits, Ast was approached by Jamie Corrigan and invited to join the Rusalken under their new captain, Evander Balassar. Apart from there having been no mixed military units in the Confederacy, Ast was also not suited for a scouting company, however Corrigan was still able to convince him to join.

During training he became friends with Corrigan and Evander, and was amicable with several of the other men in the unit. He trained with the company for two years in Beourjen City before they departed for the Border Wars.

Ferren Downs

A month into their patrol during the Border Wars in 1546, the Rusalken was captured by men belonging to Michel Torniet and the entire group, save for Ast, Evander, and Key Dawston, was slaughtered in an attack from a storm arcanist. Key unknowingly escaped to Beourjen City, while Ast and Evander were brought to Ferren Downs and taken into slavery. Ast spent a year working in the mines underneath the keep, and only saw Evander a handful of times throughout. However, they managed to develop a plan out of the keep, and after a little over a year, Ast was able to sneak into the keep and find Evander, and the two of them escaped.

The pair then made their way to Ressen Keep, where they met up with Key and there was a physician who could help Evander. The three stayed for a month while Evander healed, and in that time Ast regained his strength and began to look into Torniet, who was in charge of a bigger slave trade than they had realized.

Once Evander had healed physically, the three men returned to Beourjen City, where they were granted another month of leave to rest and recover. Ast stayed with Alma Corrigan and under her tuteledge began to learn to work a forge. He went to Fjornin Balassar near the end of the month, requesting an extended leave and support in finding and killing Torniet and his men. He begrudgingly asked Key to go with him, as Key was the only one fit for the journey and as vengeful as him, and they agreed to meet in Armistice.

The Journey to the Cravvik Isles

The night that Ast was leaving, he ran into Evander on the central bridge over the Ivory and had an awkward goodbye, as Ast was keeping his plan from Evander. He then left and rode through the night and morning, and was stopping that afternoon for lunch when Evander caught up to him, having left that morning to follow him.

Personality

Astervitch is both outspoken and humorous, though he wouldn't be considered personable by any means. He's often crass and he enjoys riling people up or getting into fights, but at the same time he has no qualms about showing affection towards his close friends and comrades. He likes being around people and prefers being in a group, and often in both the prequel and trilogy he's almost disturbingly loyal.
However, he also has a short temper and is aggressive without always intending to be, and this earns him as many enemies as it does friends. He often graces the line between self-assured and cocky, and his humor borders on insensitive at times.

Prequel

The Prequel is told in third person solely through Astervitch's perspective, beginning with Lennik Balassar's death when he's fourteen and ending after he's helped Evander kill Michel Torniet.

Conditions

• Sterilization

Year of Birth

1527 27 Years old

Parents (Adopting)

Alma Corrigan

Gender

male

Eyes

Brown

Hair

Shoulderlength, straight, thick, black

Height

6'2"