Ras'Van

*"We see you. We hear you. We feel you in our head and in our Spark. Come, thou echoes - thou remnants, pieces... memories of life, love, pain, and hope. We, who would have been your guide, need you. Abjure the aberrant in this place, on your way into the Hallows. There are those here who are not yet ready to pass."* - Ras'van addressing Sparks of the fallen. Ep: Ellipsis

Ras'van is a Human Psychic, who accompanies the Knights Mavarine. He is played by Jon.

## Appearance

Even among Humankind, Ras'van is quite tall. Very little of his physique is actually visible beneath the robes he wears, but he is clearly a slender man. He carries himself well - shoulders back, chin tucked in - and moves with quiet energy.

He wears the vestments of his Order, which are dark robes that extend down to his ankles, with sleeves that reach his knuckles. The robes are black and grey, belted at the waist. Ras'van wears comfortable boots on his feet, and leggings for riding. Covering his head is a deep cowl of black, with a veil that completely obscures his face from view. He can presumably see out of it quite well, but it is impossible to determine his facial features through the veil.

## Personality

Ras’van is a man of intense empathy, which is both a boon and a curse in his vocation. He cares very much for the Sparks he helps move into the afterlife, and for those who remain behind to mourn them. He believes he feels the weight of what he does more than most other Vigils. While he would not know how to put it into words exactly, he feels *driven* to help. As for politics, wealth, fame... these things mean very little to him.

He is generally soft-spoken. It is rare for Ras'van to ever raise his voice, even in moments of alarm. For reasons he does not really understand, he refers to himself in the *plural*. When asked why, he tends to explain it away as an 'expression of devotion' to the Veil and the Order (Vigils do surrender part of their identity, hence the veil).

Ras'van loves working with animals - especially horses. He has named every horse he has ever had 'Old Friend', and treats each one as if it were the same 'Spark' in a different beast (true or not, he likes to believe it is). It is hard for him to let other people look after Old Friend, when he would rather do so himself. He also loves to cook - but he almost never gets the chance. Cooking is his 'guilty pleasure'.

## Early Life

Ras’van remembers very little of his childhood before the Order of the Vigil took him in. He was left to them - unwanted, a foundling. He has no notion of his heritage, his birthplace, nor even his true age. The only life he has known is the Order, and most of that has been spent travelling.

He was taken in by a Gnome named Yrgo - a fully-fledged Vigil, tasked with raising the boy in the ways of the Order. It was Yrgo, as far as the boy knows, who gave Ras’van his name. The Gnome was strict, devout, and very protective of his young charge. He was - and is - the closest thing to a father Ras’van has ever known, and took the boy with him in his travels. Ras’van is one of the few Humankind who can speak Gnomish (albeit haltingly).

Yrgo’s protectiveness was not without cause; the boy was clearly 'not normal’…   In a world as perilous as Vakasi-Ya, ‘not normal’ could mean either ‘dangerous’ or ‘in danger’ - or both. Ras'van's gifts manifested in physical changes, as well as… abilities. Yrgo implored his young charge to hide these changes for his own safety, but some things could not be helped.

Ras’van took to referring to himself in the *plural*, seemingly unaware he was doing to. He could also… perceive the Sparks (souls) of others. If he wanted to, he could pull them back from, or push them closer to the Hallows (ie either heal or harm). Such… *interference* went against Vigil doctrine, and created tension between Ras’van and Yrgo.

Throughout his childhood and training as a Vigil, Ras’van discovered a love of working with animals (especially horses), and of cooking. Vigils seldom have to cook for themselves (they serve the people, therefore the people see to their needs), so Ras’van revelled in each opportunity he could find to care for an animal, or prepare a fine meal.

## A Member of the Order

Years passed. Years spent mostly on the road.

In accordance with the tenets of the Order, Ras’van became a full Vigil, which meant parting ways with Yrgo. Alone, he travelled across Mavarin on his faithful horse (always named ‘Old Friend’), fulfilling his duties as a death-priest of the Veil. Ras'van was invited into the homes of farmers, nobles, artisans, merchants, soldiers, the rich, the poor, the devout, the superstitious and the skeptical...

All to observe the passing of a loved one's Spark into the Hallows.

And to not interfere. To merely... keep *vigil*.

Over time, this became increasingly difficult. Ras'van used his travels to quietly explore the nature and reason for his strange gifts (if there was a reason at all). He sought to understand the Hallows itself and his relationship to it - without revealing truths about himself that would cause others to turn away. He could never inquire too much, or too often.

Then came Winnow.

An enigmatic man was he. Winnow identified himself as an agent of Emperor Ephelden, and approached Ras’van with an opportunity: accompany a cohort of Mavarine Knights as their own Vigil. Ras’van immediately agreed. He was now a middle-aged man, and no closer to understanding his place in the world than he was decades ago. How better to understand his connection to Sparks, to the Hallows, than to shadow a group of knights who 'danced with death' every day?

Of course he said yes.

## Relationships

Kearve - "We only meant to help... Should not have shown him what we saw... He is a good man, but right to be wary of us. There is something about him that is similar to Cuff, but not the same. Kearve exudes a potent charisma, and the ability to shape his lyrics and songs into… magicka. He has seemingly forgiven us our transgression, since the Blackvein Mines, and we are grateful.”

Tavin - "We are uncertain why he dislikes us so much... aside from the time we tried to heal his strange wounds, and only made them worse. He is honorable. We can trust him in this, at least. To be named ‘*Oathblade’* is no small thing. Tavin’s mind and Spark are as sharp as his sword… sometimes sharper.”

Cuff - "Cuff has grown a little more wary of us over time, which is... hard. We feel closest to Cuff - perhaps because he is Gnomekind, like our father. Perhaps it is his affinity for Magicka? It is not the same as our... gifts, but just as potent, if not moreso. Dangerous. Enigmatic. Does he know how powerful he truly is? It would grieve us terribly to lose Cuff, more than any of the knights.”

Winnow - "Is he even a man? a person? People have emotions. Winnow... seems to have 'winnowed' them all out. In our opinion, Winnow is the hole left behind when the best parts of the Spark are removed."