Rayburn of Kovir

“*You think numbers will win you this fight? My sword can reach all of you, come all at once then, cutthroats.*”
―Rayburn against a group of ten assassins

## Physical Description

### Hair

Brown hair, dip-dyed at the ends with shades of yellow, is very short, curly and features elaborately shaved patterns, and he has a moustache

## Political Information

### Profession

* Witcher
* Criminal

### Nationality

 Koviri

**Rayburn of Kovir**, ***"The Golden Drake of Kovir",***  or simply **Rayburn** or **Drake**, was a witcher of lesser renown of the Northern realms, and a known School of the Gryphon witcher. He was an active witcher before and following the Second Conjunction of Spheres.

## Biography

### Early life (1130-1136)

Little is known about Rayburn's time before his time at Kaer Seren where he trained to be a witcher.

### Training in Kaer Seren (1136-1146)

Rayburn's training over the next 10 years was a bit easier thanks to an easy mutation process in which he adapted well to the lesser mutations and mutagenic mushrooms that he was fed early in his training, as well as the extra mutations given to him during his Trial of the Grasses.

### Mutations

The age at which Rayburn underwent mutations was 6.

**Rayburn** was subjected to extra experiments during his initial trials. He was marked as having exceptional mutations and allowed to proceed in his conversion.

### Trials

**Rayburn** survived all the trials. He had no hang-ups and proceeded through the process quickly.

#### The Choice

**Rayburn** was subjected to the Choice, eating the herbs and mushrooms alongside his training, his reaction to the experience was noted as being exceeding expectations.

#### Trial of the Grasses

**Rayburn** passed The Trial of the Grasses without a problem. He has some memories to aid him during the seven days in which he took the Trial of the Grasses. His body proved to be very receptive to the Trial of the Grasses and he had extra mutations applied to her. **Rayburn**'s body handled it well, and all the pain paid off in the end, as he was more empathetic and dexterous than his fellow trainees.

#### Trial of the Dreams

Following the Trial of the Grasses **Rayburn** underwent the Trial of the Dreams to mutate his eyes. He showed no issue with the procedure. Though when he got his cat's eyes, they developed not the characteristic amber color of most witchers but a brown which made him easier to blend in with human civilization.

#### Trial of the Pendulum

A trial that was performed shortly after the Trial of the Dreams. Less dangerous than the previous ones. The trial helps to further improve reflexes and speed. Due to its low danger. Survivors of the Trial of the Grasses passed it easily.

#### Trial of the Mountains

As it did not seem that **Rayburn** wouldn't full mutate he was not subjected to the Trial of the Mountains.

#### Trial of Remembrance

More than a trial, this was a reinforcement of the studies of the witchers. In that, those with the best minds would go much deeper into different knowledge which was in the library of Kaer Seren.

#### Trial of Forest Eyes

Executed in a different way between the griffins due to the climatic conditions of Kovir but maintaining its same essence.

#### Trial of the Stone Wall

The trial was performed so that the witchers of the School of the Griffin were able to resist stronger potions like Tawny Owl or Thunderbolt.

#### The Trial of the Contract

The last trial before graduation. This consisted basically of making a first contract and returning with the dead monster to the fortress.

### Graduation (1146)

March 1146. **Rayburn** graduated with full honors. Thus he officially became a witcher of the School of the Griffin. And in that same month, he would leave the school along with his other fellow graduates to start his first year in The Path.

### Captured a monster for a mage (1159)

Rayburn received a contract to capture monsters for a mage to study, and now he owes the witcher a favor in return.

### A vampire escapes Rayburn (1166)

An intelligent vampire escapes Rayburn during a contract earning him its ire, it may come for the witcher one day.

### Rayburn made a friend while working (1170)

While working alongside a friend, Rayburn made a new friend.

### Rayburn keeps a noble's indiscretions a secret (1171)

A noble is discovered by Rayburn in a compromising situation, and Rayburn agrees to keep quiet in exchange for a future favor.

### Rayburn learns social etiquette from a noble friend (1198)

A friend of Rayburn who is part of the nobility teaches him social etiquette if he ever needs it.

### Rayburn got a Child of Surprise (1201)

Following a contract where Rayburn claimed the law of surprise in exchange for exterminating a growing nest of wyverns, the client a nobleman of the Hengfor's league returns to see that his wife has given birth to a son, Rayburn promises to come back for the child in six years.

Naturally, the nobleman plans to betray the witcher and reassures his wife in secret that they will be keeping the child despite his promise.

### Rayburn trains his scion (1207)

Waiting for the witcher upon his arrival six years later Rayburn is not greeted by the noble man child in hand but instead by ten of the nobleman's most trusted men who cockily suggest the witcher leaves with his mutant tail tucked between his legs when Rayburn calls the nobleman an honorless cur for not honoring the sacred vow of the law of surprise the knights take offense and attack, Rayburn slaughters them all then proceeds to the manor still covered in the men's blood, the nobleman and his wife are quite shocked to see the bloody witcher, the witcher strides up to the nobleman calling the man out for his dishonorable conduct, the couple is visibly shaken at the sight of the furious witcher.

Just then the son, a boy by the name of Jevild enters the room, Rayburn asks the boy's name, and at first the couple stays quiet believing they can still resist fate, then Rayburn asks the boy himself, who tells the witcher his name.

Rayburn then calls the boy over to him telling him about his father's promise and that he's come to take him to be trained in the ways of monster slaying.

The witcher offers a bloody hand to the boy notices how filthy it is then proceeds to wipe it off on a banner which happens to be the standard for the family, this angers the nobleman and he blindly lunges at the witcher with a dagger he had hidden on him, screaming about desecrating his family's name with the blood on his hands.

The witcher's fist slams square into the nobleman's face throwing the man back onto his banquet table with a bloody nose. The witcher points out the nobleman is the reason those men were now dead so the blood is on him.

The nobleman swears vengence and to get his son back. Rayburn ignores this takes Jevild by hand and quickly rides for Kaer Y Seren.

Rayburn personally oversaw the training of Jevild until his graduation.

### Rayburn befriended a druid in a tavern ( 1226 )

Rayburn met a druid in a tavern after a few drinks we agreed to help each other out whenever we need to.

### Exiled from the School of the Griffin ( 1233 )

Rumors reached the School of the Griffin of people seeking information about Rayburn and Jevild's whereabouts and the location of the School itself, worried about a potential pogram.

Rayburn is summarily exiled from the School of the Griffin for the greater good of the school.

Jevild is taken in by one of the other schools to protect him from being ambushed.

### Rayburn hunts a Griffin ( 1240 )

Rayburn is contracted to hunt a Griffin.

He was nervous at first but after all his preparation it turned out to be an easy fight.

### Mages' attack on Kaer Y Seren ( 1249 )

Being an exile Rayburn was of course not present for the avalanche that buried Kaer Y Seren, but he heard about it a few months later through tavern rumors.

### Rayburn is injured hunting a troll (1251)

Rayburn's right hand is crushed by a troll, he loses the ability to cast signs with that hand. He becomes friends with the bard who helped him fight the troll.

### Rayburn hunts a Grave Hag ( 1271 )

Rayburn is contracted to hunt a Grave Hag in a cemetery. His employer refused to pay him afterwards using the excuse of Rayburn's criminal past.

## Personality and traits

“*Why does every two-bit racist soldier and dumb, unskilled bandit think they can take on a witcher? It's utter stupidity to take on one yet you idiots never learn until it's too late.*”
―Rayburn after killing half a bandit hanse, in Toussaint

Arrogance is the first aspect of Rayburn's personality that comes across to most people he meets. He is generally likable and loyal but can be a bit domineering and conceited.

He's not above cooperating with others, and his manners are impeccable as are most Griffin school-trained witchers. He is obsessive in self-discipline but does not tolerate disrespect.

He has a rational way of thinking and due to his heightened emotional range for a witcher can be a bit sensitive.

He is very proud and protective of his adopted son Jevild, though gives him his space and is not overbearing.

Standing 5' 8" tall, this golden-brown skinned man has an arrogant feel about him.

He has a narrow face with a square jaw, a turned-up nose, narrow lips, and his light brown eyes are big.

His brown hair, dip-dyed at the ends with shades of yellow, is cropped short, and he has a mustache.

He has narrow shoulders, muscular arms, a weak torso with a well-defined waist, wide hips, and short legs.

He usually wears old, stylish clothes that are mostly pastel-colored and well-fitting, and he wears no jewelry. He is usually seen wearing personalized boots.

## Abilities

* Swordsmanship
* Bomb-making
* Expert Hand to Hand Combatant.
* Witcher mutations
	+ Sterility: A condition which a mage during his trials tried to circumvent by doing experiments on Adalwulf, and something that Adalwulf's twin Eishe of Vicovaro hates intensely about both the witcher trials and the process to become a sorceress.
	+ Cat-like eyes that grant very acute night vision - witchers can constrict their pupils to see in blinding light or open them to see in near-pitch darkness. This night vision can be further enhanced with the cat potion, but in general, it is good enough by itself to not require further enhancement. Their entire sensory system is overall enhanced, allowing them to identify the species of animal from the scent of their blood, and detect nearby beings even when out of sight.
	+ Tremendous resistance to disease (which functions in most cases as complete immunity) and a boosted immune system, allowing them to consume large quantities of potions that could prove easily deadly if consumed even in small amounts by a normal man.
	+ Exceptionally enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, and endurance, far beyond any normal or well-trained human, allows them to swiftly end fights with minimal effort, and perform physical feats non-witchers couldn't hope to match. A witcher's physical skills alone are sufficient to defeat most monsters single-handedly if combined with extensive training and proper weaponry, whereas regular men could only hope to accomplish this in large groups. Witchers have also been shown to shrug off hits that would normally render normal men unconscious. Additionally, they have been known to survive the strikes of powerful monsters such as giants, or other beings possessing herculean strength, that would otherwise kill others with a single blow. Its generally thought a witcher is 10x stronger than a normal man.
	+ Having the ability to perform simple yet incredibly versatile combat magic in the form of signs. They also develop a sixth sense that allows them to "feel" things around them, be it items of importance or people's immediate intentions. This explains their uncanny ability to track and hunt people and monsters.
	+ Accelerated healing grants quick recovery from injuries. While not instant healing a witcher's healing time is highly unusual taking a fraction of the time to heal as well as surviving more deadly wounds possible. For example, when slashed in the neck by a Striga's talons the famed witcher Geralt of Rivia it only took him a few days to heal before he was back on The Path.
	+ Incredibly long lifespan and prolonged youth. While each witcher is different a witcher's known life expectancy is varied as they usually died in battle, it might be possible that witcher's are semi-immortal like mages.

* School Specific Mutations
	+ Magical Affinity: Rayburn had greater affinity for Signs.

* Extra Mutations
	+ Enhanced Dexterity: Rayburn can precisely control his movements and muscles, making him unable to be clumsy or fumble.

* Signs
	+ **Aard**: **Aard** is a simple magical sign that draws from the Plane of Air or the Astral Plane (Research has so far been inconclusive about the type of Chaos particularly) that is used by witchers. The Aard sign is a simple magical sign used by witchers that directs a blast of telekinetic energy to stagger opponents, leaving them open for a subsequent attack. Aard can also blow out any existing fires, blast open poorly secured doors, or punch through cracked or damaged walls.
	+ Aard Alternate Form- **Sweep**: Aard's alternate form turns it into a bubble of telekinetic energy that focuses around the witcher and expands outward with destructive force.
	+ **Aagni**: The Aagni sign functioned as a combination of the Aard and Igni signs and created a burst of Force filled flame from the users' palm.
	+ **Igni**: The Igni sign is a simple magical signs that draws from the Plane of Fire that is used by witchers and causes a burst of fire that can repel and ignite opponents, as well as start fires.
	+ Igni Alternate Form- **Firestream**: Igni's alternate form turns the burst of fire into a sustained stream of sparks and flames.
	+ **Quen**: The Quen sign is a simple magical sign used by witchers that draws from the Plane of Earh to form a protective field around the caster. Quen's basic ability is to cover a witcher in a basic shield that absorbs a limited amount of damage. Rayburn's Quen is stronger than a normal witcher's able to channel more intensity into the sign he is able to create a far stronger shield that could take a couple of blows from a fiend or other large monsters.
	+ Quen Alternate Form- **Active Shield**: Quen's alternate form creates a bubble of protective energy to form around the witcher it is stronger than the original form but is more draining on the witcher and requires them to remain in place. Rayburn is able to form a perfect damage nullifying shield as long as he remains motionless and pours Chaos into the sign. Any damage the shield takes actually heals the witcher.
	+ **Yrden**: The Yrden sign is a simple magical sign used by witchers that draws from the Astral Plane to form a circular, magical trap. The trap triggers a certain number of times when traversed by a foe, causing knock back, damage, and a chance of inflicting ailments on its targets Most foes that wander into the ring are significantly slowed, though some monsters are unaffected by it. Yrden is one of the witchers best tools for controlling multiple enemies in melee range. It's also particularly valuable for witchers when up against noonwraiths and nightwraiths, who remain incorporeal most of the time unless caught within a Yrden circle.
	+ Yrden Alternate Form- **Magic Trap**: Yrden's alternate form creates a stationary glyph of magical energy that strikes at and slows down hostile forces within a certain radius, as well as destroys and projectiles that happen to pass through that radius. Multiple Magic Traps can be placed down at once by experienced witchers.
	+ **Axii**: The Axii sign is a simple magical sign used by witchers that draws power from the Plane of Water that can charm an opponent's mind to stun them, temporarily eliminating them from combat. However, the stun effect disappears after seven seconds or when the target receives harmed. This sign can be used by witchers to calm their mounts or on people to gain information or benefits. This sign can usually only affect one person at a time and its effects are visible to other people in the vicinity.
	+ Axii Alternate Form- **Puppet**: Axii's alternate sign forces an enemy to temporarily become an ally and fight on your side during a conflict for a short time as well as boosting their physical abilities for the duration of the conversion.
	+ **Hatri** (Hate-reflecting sign): Hatri is a telempathic sign which reflects the opponent's hate, bloodlust and hunger back to its source, making the monster afraid.
	+ **Heliotrope**: **Heliotrop** or **Heliotrope** is a magical sign used by witchers. It is made by crossing one's wrists, as well as interlocking ones pinkies and works as a buffer against physical attacks, combat magic and impacts with walls, ground etc. Contrary to Quen, which is active until broken or dispelled, the Heliotrop is active only for a moment and cushions from a single powerful attack or damage.

* Alchemy
	+ Witcher Potions- Using alchemy Rayburn is able to brew potions which have calculated effects on witchers but are toxic to most other mortals.
		- TBA
	+ Witcher Decoctions- Using alchemy Rayburn is a able to brew decoctions which are a stronger type of witcher potion often using monster parts as ingredients, and have stronger effects. Only a few decoctions at a time can be used at once as they are much stronger than conventional witcher potions.
		- TBA
	+ Weapon Oils- Using the alchemical process and using dog or bear fat as a base Rayburn is able to brew oils to coat his swords in to deal more damage to certain types of being and creatures.
		- TBA
	+ Bomb Recipes- Through alchemy Rayburn was able to make bombs with different effects.

## Equipment

* Witcher's Griffin Medallion: Rayburn's witcher medallion.
	+ Bandolier: A heavy leather belt slung over Rayburn's shoulder, it held potion vials and held the sheath for Rayburn's current equipped sword.
* Hand crossbow: A small 'pistol' style crossbow that can be fired one-handed and easily reloaded. A similar model was used by School of the Crane witchers during their first years in the Western Continent.
	+ Bolt quiver: A quiver of crossbow bolts of various types that Rayburn uses to hunt monsters and the occasional human.
* Bomb pouch: A pouch which Rayburn keeps his supply of bombs in.
* Silver chain : Used to combat and bind monsters such as strigas, and werewolves.

## Trivia

* Rayburn is 6'8" ft tall.
* Rayburn is an NPC character created in The Witcher TTRPG and is based off of a post in The Witcher TRPG Reddit Community Resources by Reddit user Jasontherand.
* The Trial of the Pendulum is inspired by this post in The Witcher Amino.
* The Trial of Remembrance is inspired by this post in The Witcher Amino.
* The Trial of the Stone Wall is inspired by this post in The Witcher Amino.
* The Trial of the Contract is inspired by this post in The Witcher Amino.

## Notes

* **Rayburn** is a pure fanon creation as such there is no official proof of her existence in the Witcher works outside the fanon community.