Drazhan Dragomirovich
Drazhan was born in one of the border villages on the frontier between Nor' and the Steppes. This village was primarily an agricultural one growing large swaths of wheat to be sold to the cities to the north. His mother Militsa was born in this village and lived life as a normal village woman who worked in the field during harvest, wove baskets, and engaged in other handicrafts . His father Dragomir was an outsider to the village who met several of the villagers on the road north who were being attacked by a band of Psoglav raiders after the recent harvest being sent north. Dragomir just appeared suddenly in the midst of the chaos of the Psoglav attack, deftly felling several of them. Shortly after he arrived a deafening chorus of wolves howling broke through the chaos and the Psoglavs fled into the forest. One of the people he saved was Militsa.
Dragomir was welcomed into the village and stayed for a few years, leaving shortly before Drazhan was born.
Drazhan took after his father in appearance. He looked like a human of pure Labed descent, and was always a large child, a full head taller than the others of his age, and broader as well. When he was around nine years old the village was attacked by ghazi raiders and most of the villagers were killed. The dead included his mother, Militsa. Drazhan and the rest of the survivors were taken as slaves.
Seeing his physical gifts, the raiders trained Drazhan as a slave warrior. He spent many years fighting for his own survival, until he was fully forged as a ghazi, just like those who had attacked his village. Such was his life, until one day, while fighting amongst a small band of raiders who were cutting down helpless residents of an isolated homestead, Drazhan came upon a young woman and child. Something about them brought back memories of his mother and his old life. And he snapped, turning on the other members of his raider band, but being outnumbered five to one his efforts were essentially futile. Knowing this the other raiders essentially made sport of him. After sustaining a particularly severe wound and falling to his knees the beast lurking just below the surface from his shifter heritage awoke. The raiders saw Drazhan fall to his knees in what appeared to be defeat, and one of them stepped forwards to put and end to their sport. But what rose up to meet him was not a gravely wounded slave but an enraged beast. The beast that did not flinch in the face of the raiders' blades, but lunged forward and tore out the throat of one. And the raider bled out while watching this beast swiftly kill its way through his comrades. After the last raider fell, the lupine form of Drazhan's shifter hybrid turned to the woman and child for whom he had betrayed his erstwhile comrades, and killed them in a beastly bloodlust.
He awoke some hours later with his wounds mostly healed, surrounded by the mangled bodies of the raiders, and the woman with her child. Horrified at the sight of the family he woman and child he had vowed to protect slain by his hands, he stumbled away, ashamed and grief-stricken. But the memory still lives in his mind still and haunts his sleep as a vivid nightmare.
Drazhan made his way back the the lands of Nor' and ended up fighting with a force protecting the borderlands from bandits and raiders. He fought with them for some years, seeking vengeance against the ghazi bands, and redemption for what he did as part of them. He made himself useful as a tracker of ghazi raiders across the frontier, being intimately familiar with their movements and tactics. However, the beast that lurked just below his altruistic demeanor soon made his presence felt again, during another brutal fight, and Drazhan had to move on yet again. He traveled north into the vast wilderness, lived like a beast for a time, but the nightmares and gluttonous desires of the wolf drove him back to human society.
While with the ghazi, Drazhan learned a ritual that allows him to enchant his sword. This involves cutting himself with it and dripping blood across the blade. The blood is absorbed into the blade, focusing his will into it. He thinks the ritual draws its power largely from the supernatural aspect of his being.
Though the beast is still within, Drazhan eventually developed some level of control over it. But that darker part of him is always there ready to seize control given the proper stimulus. Drazhan drinks heavily, both to calm the beast within and drive away the nightmares that haunt him, but the memory of the woman and child that fell to the beast continue to haunt his dreams. No matter how much he drinks, he cannot shake the vivid nightmares that occur during the full moon, which is when his first transformation occurred. At such times, he calls out in his sleep and shifts restlessly. Sometimes, he will violently awaken in beastly form occasionally especially if he is disturbed by those around him.
Has been working primarily as a hired guard or guide for travelers and merchants. His price is quite cheap, and few look to hire him if they have any other options. since he quickly builds the reputation of a violent drunk. Despite his debauchery while staying in a town or village, Drazhan never drinks a drop while he is on a job. Therefore, those that do hire him find that they have made quite the bargain, as he is a competent guard and expert guide, who is even able to forage for food during their travels and makes very good time while traveling. Many of those that hire him pay him much more than they agreed on in light of his performance. And then, they are usually surprised again, after many days and nights on the road together they quickly find him deep in his cups or passed out drunk in an ally of tavern. He is often robbed while passed out drunk in an ally, but occasionally the thieves are not quite gentle enough and wake the beast, and are viciously slaughtered. When this happens, Drazhan is forced to flee again, and go to another distant village, where the news of him and his bloodlust has not spread.
He came, at long last, to the great northern city of Krinets. There, in a hostel known as the Prince of Fishes, he encountered the Yokels. At that time, their erstwhile guide, Tumma, had just been seized by the militia, and they need a guide to take them through the forest to the village of Kaverinka. Drazhan overheard their conversation, and offered his services. Though Vasilisa in particular was skeptical because of Drazhan's drinking, his cheap price, and their dire straits proved sufficient for the deal to be struck.
After helping them to fight off some ruffians on the Krinets city streets, the Yokels, who had some business to finish sent him ahead to track down a man named Reznikov, who had stolen an item of great value to them, and headed off in the direction they were going. Drazhan quickly picked up the track of a single rider, but as he followed him, but was soon caught in a blizzard, and became trapped in the winter realm of Grandfather Frost, who was also an ancient deity of some sort. Drazhan spent the night, surrounded by tame wolves, and fed by Grandfather's granddaughter, Nastia. Drazhan was taken by the mystical power of the place. Soon, his companions arrived, and negotiated their departure with the Grandfather, but they had to promise to keep him apprised of Baba Yaga's activities. Baba Yaga, it turned out, was his companions' patron. Grandfather made them pledge something of great personal value to them in case they fail to keep their promise. Drazhan had nothing, but when Plamen suggested that he could produce an offspring with Katarina, Grandfather accepted.
Drazhan left the realm of winter with his new companions, and continued to guide them toward Kaverinka.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Broad-shouldered, with a large grey beard, despite his relatively young age.
Species
Ethnicity
Year of Birth
6773
Children
Eyes
Brown
Hair
Grey and black
Height
5'10"
Weight
170 lbs.
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