Nil
Nil is a mysterious hermit who says he lived in the woods near Vladykino. Nil first appeared in Vladykino shortly after Yuri's return there, while the cossack was looking to recruit able-bodied people to prepare the village for a possible attack by Grey Wolf's minions. He was eavesdropping on Yuri's conversations, and after being noticed, said that he was looking for the right person to enter the nearby Cave of the Sleeping Bogatyrs. He immediately indicated that he was not sure Yuri was that person, as only a true bogatyr could find his way inside. Yuri's problem was that he was unmarried, had no horse, and no great deeds to his name (the slaying of Yaqub notwithstanding). Yuri was initially dismissive of Nil's advice, denied any claim to being a bogatyr, and expressed skepticism about what Nil was doing in the village. However, after being egged on by Nil and his intended's relatives, Yuri went to ask Svetlana's forgiveness, and a wedding was planned for the very next day.
After the feast began, Nil chatted with Svetlana and Yuri's companions Agapia Lokan(person:9f69caa9-15a1-4055-b57f-c9a2fd2db05e) and @[Zorina. As he wove a wreath for the bride, he told them the story of the bogatyr's doom due to excessive pride, and speculated that Yuri suffered from some of the same drawbacks. He also introduced them to an unexpected wedding guest - another hermit named Vorobei, who had wandered into the village for the wedding. The following day, Nil accompanied the Serpent Slayers to the caves, and asked whether he could send Vorobei along to guide Yuri. Reluctantly, the cossack agreed.
Nil did not follow the party, though he was seen around Vladykino on one subsequent occasion. After Malina flew to Vladykino using the services of a giant bat, she saw the hermit wandering around nearby. He inquired her as to where she was from, how she got there, and what she saw as her life's mission, but he did inform her that the people she sought - the Serpent Slayers - were nearby, in a cave near a waterfall downstream.
He has not been seen since, and his current location is unknown.
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