Post by Nero Iraklidis on May 25, 2020 21:56:45 GMT -5
Face Claim: Ivan Zakharov
OOC Name: Cassiopeia
CHARACTER NAME: Nero Zayn Iraklidis
AGE: 27
CURRENT RESIDENCE: Aldsage
APPEARANCE: Nero is tall (6'4), thin, and pale, like many of the Kotori. Despite spending more time above-ground than many of his peers, he retains a ghostly appearance. His movements are strangely graceful for a man of his size, and to many he looks to be more of a dancer than a killer. His long fingers are often occupied with a piece of bone or antler, carving artwork and jewelry.
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
FAMILY MEMBERS: None. His parents were a hunting pair that killed themselves via murder/suicide to protect the clan.
POSITION/OCCUPATION: Kotori Infiltrator
GRAMARYE GIFT: Heightened spatial awareness, with or without sight. While he cannot commune with the ravens the way many Kotori can, his skills apply themselves in a variety of ways, whether it is knowing exactly how his arrow needs to fly, which direction an unseen opponent is coming from, how far he will need to jump to make it across a ravine, or simply how much pressure he needs to apply to his knife when carving bone. He uses his environment to his advantage in battle, and while he may not appear as muscular or strong as a larger Drach or Wynfrid warrior, he is able to avoid attacks in a way that is distinctly uncanny.
PERSONALITY: Nero is a quiet, melancholy man, who moves with grace and speaks softly. He treats others with compassion and respect and refuses to harm another if it is not absolutely necessary. During his training he was often scolded for not being ruthless enough to do what needed to be done. He argues that he is more than willing to do what must be done, but only if it truly must. He believes that he should honor the forces of life and death by not taking a life if it can be avoided.
He is absolutely devoted to his partner and blood-sister, Talia. His devotion to her borders on obsession, since he has spent most of the last twenty years at her side and she is the only family he has. He would rather kill himself than harm her, and if it came down to it, he knows this is what he would do. He would do literally anything she asked of him, save for harm her.
He feels deeply guilty for allowing Talia to become so invested in Wynfrid and not protecting her from that. Paradoxically, he also feels guilty that he didn't kill her as some clan members urged him to do, claiming that her fixation on Wynfrid was unhealthy and endangering the Clan. His feelings for her simply won't allow him to harm her.
Nero's need to keep his hands occupied has resulted in a hobby carving bone sculptures, hair combs, and jewelry. In a pinch he will use wood, but he prefers bone as a medium. Many of his pieces are sold among the Kotori, but he gives his best work as gifts to his partner.
HISTORY: Nero's parents were killed when he was only three, and he was raised by the community at large, although he technically lived in the home of one of the three Crows. At a young age he was paired with a girl a bit older than him, who treated him with kindness and compassion. Immediately he was attached to her, and he refused to go anywhere without her. The two grew and trained together, and Nero's devotion to Talia only grew.
When he was 16 and she was 19, Nero gifted Talia an intricately carved bone rose, and asked her if he could truly call her his sister. She agreed, and he has referred to her as such ever since, both calling her his sister in conversation and using it as a nickname.
While Talia was integrated with Wynfrid, Nero was as well; as her partner, he had to be. Staying for five years was difficult for him, as he was fundamentally uncomfortable around them for such long periods of time. He is a skilled archer and hunter, however, and spent much of his time on long hunts to give himself the serenity his quiet personality demanded. He blames this weakness for not realizing sooner how deep Talia had gotten with Malcolm. He blames himself for her first pregnancy and marriage, as well as her suffering when she was eventually forced to leave Wynfrid.
When she first became pregnant, Nero lied during his reports, hiding it from the clan as long as possible. He did not want any harm to come to Talia. He helped her continue to create reasons that she should stay in Wynfrid territory, making excuses for her as long as possible. When the time came that she no longer had a choice, he helped her to create the ruse of having an affair, although it made him sick to do it. He has never acted romantically towards Talia because he sees her as a sister, but that time period tested his resolve and confused him deeply.
He was nearly caught by Malcolm before he was able to get out and has a long scar across his chest to remind him how close he came to failure.
