Luca Karrnson

—Luca, taking his oath

**Luca Karrnson** is a human paladin who appears in Metanoia Blues. He is played by saharali.

## **Description**

### **Appearance**

Luca is a tall, broad, muscular man with sharp cheekbones, a black and white undercut, and a winning smile. He has green eyes, and is missing his left arm. As of Episode 5 he wears a porcelain white prosthetic with pink accents and flower detailing. His attire is on the simple side, with a white shirt, green pants, and a green shoulder cape.

As of Episode 14, Luca wears the symbol of his oath on the strap across his chest, a silver brooch containing his blood. He bears the Mark of the Sentinel on the back of his neck.

### **Personality**

Luca is soft spoken and compassionate, with an oddball sense of humour. He gives most people (and most creatures) the benefit of the doubt, and tries to spread generosity and kindness wherever he goes. He has a flirty streak, and is very forthcoming about himself and his past, despite knowing little about either subject. He’s also rather vain, applying great effort and attention to his physical appearance, and taking slights against his handsomeness very personally. He seeks to protect those around him.

## **Biography**

### **Background**

At six years of age, Luca had a close friend in a boy named Ulrich ir'Falkenturm. The two boys were like brothers. While the pair were sledding near Luca's home one day, Ulrich severely injured himself. Luca carried Ulrich to safety and was hailed as a hero by his parents.

Otherwise not much is known about Luca’s history, even by Luca himself.

Five years before the events of Metanoia Blues, Luca lost his memory under unknown circumstances. When he regained awareness, he was a prisoner of war, his left arm was missing, and the only identification he had were his melted tags, leaving him with little more than a name and a rank.

Having been a high ranking Knight Captain in the Karrnath army, Luca feels a heavy burden on his shoulders for all the lives he knows he took. His memories might be missing, but nightmares of war and death haunt him all the same. This feeling of blood on his hands is what leads Luca to take the Oath of Redemption during the events of Metanoia Blues.

He remembers being captain of a cavalry, and at some point being ambushed by enemy mages in a brutal fireball attack that killed half his men. A man named Camron was a corporal under him, and someone Luca cared about.

Luca came to Regalport with other ex-prisoners of war, and mercenaries. While wandering around near a Blood of Vol temple, he literally ran into Seeker Else, causing her to drop her shopping. He offers to help her carry her bags back to Salvage, and finds her comforting and easy to talk to. She invites him for dinner, sympathies with his struggles, and soon takes him in. He’s been working as a nurse at the Nodding Poppy since then.

### **Metanoia Blues**

#### Chapter 1: The Lonely Lighthouse

With a prosthetic so old it was teetering on the edge of collapse, Luca was pointed in the direction of Willow Jenkins for repairs. In order to earn gold for repair materials and assist the locals of Salvage, he joins Willow's investigation of Salvage's broken lighthouse. Along the way he meets En, and helps to defeat Duncan O'Fairn's ghost. Afterwards, Luca joins Willow and En on a trip to Regalport where they barter with Mallachee for a secondhand prosthetic arm. Willow fixes up this refurbished arm so it's good as new, giving it to Luca for free.

#### Chapter 2: The Hag of Driftwood Marsh

Accompanying Willow and En to Aggie’s Barge, Luca discovers he is Dragonmarked. Further inquiry with Seeker Else reveals this to be the Mark of the Sentinel. He also tells En and Willow of his amnesia, and that his past is largely unknown to him.

#### Chapter 3: Three Ships-a-Sailing

After helping to lift the curse on Varis and his crew, Luca celebrates his 26th birthday with Willow and En, concluding in an intimate night with a hobgoblin named Ludo.

When Luca finally manages to cease the endless war of his dreams, he approaches Seeker Else and asks for her assistance in taking on an oath that would help shape his future, the Oath of Redemption, to make up for all the blood he presumably spilled during the war.

#### Chapter 4: What Evil Lurks?

Upon first encountering Kai, Luca is thrown into a state of confusion and aggravation, struggling to discern Kai from someone who perhaps antagonised him in his forgotten past, though he’s unsure of who. Eventually the dust settles and En returns to their normal self, putting Luca at ease for the time being.

#### Chapter 5: The Wreck of Good Fortune

In order to raise money for travel, Luca agrees to join the fighting tournament at the Belly of the Beast. With the help of En, Cat, and Willow, he designs himself an alter ego known as the Scarlet Prince. He fights his way through the competition with a rosy romantic flare, ultimately making it to the finals and winning the prize money.

Before leaving on the Harpy job, En gives Luca a seafaring coat, and vows to travel with him for the foreseeable future. With the prospect of leaving Salvage becoming more and more real, Luca also gives Willow a preemptive farewell gift in the form of a broken lantern that Willow might enjoying fixing up. He also leaves Willow with a small wrapped package that Willow is instructed to open on their birthday. He hopes that theses gifts will help Willow remember him fondly.

During the fight against Roselia, a fireball triggers a dissociative episode where Luca believes himself to be in the past, up against enemy mages with half his soldiers dead. While in this state he calls for someone named Cameron. By the time he snaps out of if, En has killed Roselia against his wishes. Though Luca and En manage to come to an understanding regarding En's slaying of Roselia, Luca struggles with the fact that En didn't give Roselia a second chance before killing her. A perspective influenced by the fact that Luca himself wants a second chance for his wrongdoings.

On the voyage home, Luca gets drunk and tells stories about meeting Seeker Else. The events surrounding Roselia have left him heavy, and he looks forward to seeing Seeker Else as the Scrap Bucket docks in Salvage.

#### Chapter 6: Three of a Kind

Returning to Salvage, Luca is quick to have a private conversation with Seeker Else, opening up to her about what happened on Skyshriek Reef, and all his crushing fears for the future. In the aftermath of her comforts, Luca feels that maybe he can find a way to handle the future after all. He opts to stay in Salvage for awhile longer so that Else might teach him ways to manage future flashbacks. In the meantime, he joins Varis as the man meets with High Prince Ryger. Luca makes an impression on the High Prince by speaking of his goals to reclaim his lost memories, and his dragonmark.

Mustering his courage and wearing Willow's new anchor bracelet, Luca allows En to use their Detect Thoughts on him in hopes that they'll shake a memory loose. They manage to unearth a childhood memory about sledding with his friend Ulrich ir'Falkenturm when he was six years old.

As the trio plans for the auction, Willow reveals that they have not returned to Cyre to find out what happened to their home since the Mourning. Luca finds himself angered by Willow's refusal to seek answers when they're right in front of them and makes his disapproval known. He quickly realises he has been selfish in his response and seeks to rectify it, challenging Willow to a duel. The fight results in him embracing Willow, apologising for the war and his actions.

#### Chapter 7: Death of the Artist

Attending the "a New Khorvaire" art auction as Damon's bodyguard, Luca is approached by a fellow Seeker who calls herself Vei'ilya. The two manage a civil conversation despite their contrasting views on war. Luca is later prompted by En, Willow, and Damon to use his charms to win over Arel d'Thuranni in an effort to build connections with House Thuranni. Luca shamelessly flirts with the man, garnering his favourable attention.

When a flood of choking smog fills the auction house and a hoard of zombies attack, Luca struggles to catch his breath and fight back. Once he finally claws his way out of the smoke, he cleaves through the hoard and aids in ending the fight. He then offers healing to those wounded in the sudden assault. In the fallout, Luca ensures Willow is tended to, and later follows En into an alley where he discovers Kai has taken over in response to En having a breakdown. Luca urges Kai to allow him to speak to the Eye, and attempts to convince the Eye that the bad things happening around En are not En's fault, in hopes the message will reach En.

Concerned about the Order of the Emerald Claw being involved in the undead attack, Luca investigates Regalport's Blood of Vol temple, and secures a meeting with Bloodsworn Seeker Nereus. Speaking to the vampire, Luca explains the situation, spurring Seeker Nereus to action against those who would attempt to misuse undead. But not before Nereus offers Luca a few nuggets of wisdom regarding generosity and redemption.

During the ambush on the Emerald Claw operative's safe house, Luca joins Seeker Nereus in an attempt to track down the fleeing Vei'ilya. Luca learns much about Nereus and the vampire's past, but fails to locate the missing fugitive. Not discouraged from the case at large, Luca joins Kai as they approach Miraldine Frostroot in an effort to solve the murder. He offers her Speak with Dead free of charge, in hopes that it will reveal Tarek's killer. Intrigued by this, she accepts and suggests they meet later to make final arrangements.

Upon learning of Seeker Islay's disappearance, Luca speaks with Seeker Nereus, pleading with the vampire to help him locate and save Islay before their betrayal of Vei'ilya gets them killed. Alongside En and Willow, he follows Nereus to the ruins of a fort on the edge of Regalport. There he attempts to stop Vei'ilya from escaping through a teleportation circle, but fails, getting knocked unconscious. When he comes to, he finds Islay abandoned, broken and miserable. Despite Islay's grievous mistakes, Luca meets them with compassion, convincing them to atone for the damage they have done and strive for redemption, same as him.

Signing a contract to officially join Brina d'Medani's investigation into the murder of Tarek Elham, Luca assists Seeker Else with Tarek's Speak with Dead ritual, learning new, harrowing facts about the case. He also acts as Miraldine's bodyguard for a spell after news accusing her of hiding Tarek's death hits the newspapers, and joins in on the stakeout outside of Warfred's apartment. During his stakeout, he's tricked by Warfred, drugged with dreamlily, stabbed, and captured. His unconscious body is dragged away into a mine under Warfred's apartment, where he is later rescued by En.

As a fight begins between Luca's allies and Warfred and Alonso, Luca struggles to get his bearings. He manages to break Warfred's concentration on a lethal illusion spell, but incurs Warfred's wrath. Warfred casts a new spell that summons up Luca's worst fear; himself as a slaughterer. This horrific illusion knocks Luca out, nearly killing him. Willow pulls Luca back from the brink of death, and the two proceed to corner Warfred until the Port Authority arrives.

#### Chapter 8: Weight of an Anchor

As Luca struggles with what happened to him during the investigation, he seeks guidance from Seeker Nereus. Nereus invites Luca to attend training sessions at the ruins of Caer Bradan, where he teaches Luca how to summon a magical steed. It takes the form of an undead elk adorned in flowers.

## **Relationships**

### ***Cat***

After a rocky start, Luca and Cat became quick friends, often indulging in roughhousing.

### ***Damon ir'Ardantego***

The two fought in the finals at the Belly of the Beast tournament, where Luca learned a lot about the kind of man Damon was. Luca approaches Damon with a degree of friendly softness, asking him about himself and inviting him to meals. Luca likely sees something of himself in Damon.

### ***Seeker Else***

After literally bumping into Seeker Else at Regalport, Luca helped her carry her shopping back to Salvage. Since then she’s taken him in and treated him like her own. Despite only knowing each other for a short time, the two share a profound, familial bond. Seeker Else helped Luca find his way among the Blood of Vol, and performed the ceremony that would cement Luca’s oath in Episode 13. Luca would also entrust his dog tags to Else, an important symbol of his identity and one of his few personal belongings from his past.

### ***En***

After taking his oath, Luca learned of En’s grim history with the Snapdragons. This only furthered his convictions to take En in as one of his charges, in accordance with his oath. En's response to his offer was unclear for awhile, them often telling Luca he didn't have to protect them. Kai bluntly asked Luca for his protection, but Luca didn't trust Kai on the matter. Finally En stages a "Knighting," and officially asks Luca to be their friend and travelling companion for the foreseeable future, a deeply touching moment for Luca. This results in the pair taking on one another's 'missions,' En promising to aid Luca in the daunting task of remembering his past, and Luca pledging to lend his sword to En's pursuit of justice for the Snapdragon victims.

### ***Varis Greenleaf***

Luca and Varis connect as fellow leaders and captains whom have lost everything, Varis often extending kind words and advice to the lost young man.

### ***Willow Jenkins***

Luca respects Willow’s intelligence and knowledge, and looks to them for advice and insights. Luca’s prying nature doesn’t always seem to play nice with Willow’s cagey attitude, but he’s learning their boundaries and does his best to be thoughtful. He often cups Willow's ears as a show of affection.

## **Character Information**

### **Notable Items**

* Cheese
* Blood of Vol Brooch
* Longsword
* Deck of cards
* Seafaring coat
* En's Shortbow
* Willow's Anchor Bracelet

***Paladin Abilities***

* Sacred Oath: Redemption
	+ Divine Sense
	+ Lay on Hands
	+ Divine Smite
	+ Rebuke the Violent

***Dragonmark Abilities***

* Mark of the Sentinel
	+ Vigilant Guardian
	+ Shield

***Paladin Spells***

***1st Level***

* Bless
* Cure Wounds
* Command
* Detect Magic
* Detect Good and Evil
* Protection from Evil and Good
* Purify Food and Drink
* Sanctuary
* Searing Smite
* Shield
* Shield of Faith
* Thunderous Smite
* Wrathful Smite

***2nd Level***

* Find Steed

## Trivia

* Luca's fighting persona was named for his favourite fruit; the scarlet prince peach.
* Some of the names considered when Luca was being conceptualized were: Reuben, Khao and Bakar.