Character Avatar:
Player: Noci
Character Name: Ravi Heron
Age: 35
Birthday: 01/23
Height: 65”
Rank/Title: Chevalier
Race: Tsingano
Country/Province: Terre d’Ange
Townhome Request: The roads nearest Marsilkos
Country Home Request: Terre d’Ange
Appearance/Personality: Ravi is small but well built. Bronze skin, dark brown eyes, dark hair worn long, kept in multiple braids around their face and reaching just below their shoulders. They carry a pair of scars over their right eye from a Skaldi soldier’s blade.
When not in uniform, Ravi prefers loose and comfortable clothing that allows them to move freely. They are a person of intense emotion, but mostly genial. Their queerness means they are extremely open-minded when it comes to relationships and sexual experiences, and they have grown into a true sensualist. They love good food, good drinks, great art, and smoking, and all of this, mixed with their long mixing with the d'Angeline, has made them looser than the strict cleanliness ideals their family maintained while they were growing up.
Additional Information Ravi’s experience of their prescience is a blend of how Frank Herbert characterized Paul’s prescience in the Dune novels, and my own experiences with severe OCD.
Marital Status: single
Known Languages: Tsingani, d’Angeline, basic competence in Alban and Aragonian. Smatterings of Helasian,Carthaginian, Caerdicci
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Experienced sailor, horseman, survivalist. Finds picking up new languages incredibly easy.
Decent singer, dancer, lutist, mostly from their time with their kumpania. While they’re an experienced fighter with fist, club, dagger, sword, it’s their prescience makes them an absolute demon in personal combat.
Their prescience means they are more or less constantly experiencing every possible outcome at once, and it takes effort for them to focus on the here and now. This can make them seem aloof or distracted (because they are), and they’ll sometimes catch themself finishing others sentences, or mouthing another’s words as they’re being spoken. It’s really only combat and sex that give them the focus they need to actually control their ability.
While they’ve spent decades living as a gadjo (non-Tsingano), Ravi’s upbringing is very much still a part of who they are. When speaking, their voice still carries a Tsingani accent. They are marked as an outsider, and that can unfortunately still be a problem in Terre d’Ange.
Family Members/Important NPCs:
Immediate Family to be fleshed out in play– Father, mother, two siblings.
Raelin Duval
Alain Mercier
History:
Ravi Heron was born in a Tsingano camp outside of Marsilkos. Their early years were spent traveling with their family along a loop that spanned across the continent, with Marsilkos serving as its center point. It was during the early stages of puberty that Ravi first realized their queerness and prescience, a “gift” more terrifying than in any way helpful.
The community they were born into wasn't as accepting of Ravi's abilities as their family was. At the age of fifteen, when their prescience became apparent to everyone, they were exiled from the community. Ravi's family was devastated, but they were powerless to stop the decision. Left with no other options, Ravi was forced to either find work, steal, or die of starvation.
Out of desperation, Ravi signed on with a ship captained by an experienced sailor named Bernaud de Lancey. They spent ten years traveling in and out of ports, deepening their experience of the world and becoming more aware of how much their prescience made them different from other people. In their 23rd year, the wars with the Skaldi and Carthinginians broke out, and it was in combat that Ravi was first truly able to control their prescience. The ability to see your enemy’s next move the moment before they make it proved incredibly helpful, and it was during the wars Ravi caught the eye of Alain Mercier. A contact that would prove helpful later. In the latter days of the war, Ravi came face-to-face with a Skaldi berserker who managed to absolutely tear through half a cadre of d'Angeline soldiers. After nearly losing their head and being disarmed, they managed to bury their dagger in the Skaldi's head. Alain witnessed this, and was completely confounded at how Ravi was able to best the monster.
When Ravi was 25, Raelin Duval signed on with the ship, and they quickly became friends over their shared nomadic and traumatic histories. Ravi’d been considering returning to land, but Raelin renewed their love of sailing. While they developed feelings for the dynamic young woman, they never acted on them. Even with the renewed passion Raelin brought, Ravi ended their contract when Cpt. de Lancey died. They didn't remain unemployed for long, however.
Alain Mercier, having witnessed their act of bravery, recommended them for an award. It was decided that they were to be bestowed the title of Chevalier, alongside Damocles Shahrizai and a select few other recipients. -Thanks to Janet
Ravi has now been a Chevalier for close to five years. It's a path that suits them well – it gives them purpose, structure, and discipline that their life had previously lacked. Their prescience still poses some challenges, making them appear aloof or unknowable to those around them, but they have learned to control this better with age. Their eyes are firmly set on joining the Queen’s Guard.
Updates:
Approved by Janet - 15th May 2023
