Baranov

**Baranov** (Royal: *Baranof Yukrik*) is a playable character in Struggle for Gera. He was the High Lord of Efsisi, and became the leader and grand marshal of an independent Efsisi in the Struggle for Gera.

## History

### Early Life

Baranov Yukrik was born on the outskirts of Mursanel, the capital city of the duchy of Selerui, Zeminar. The city was largely divided evenly between the Messianic Ballist Southern Kalayn people and the Waioloyan paganist Lettyen people, with the young Baranov and his family belonging to the latter group. From a young age, Baranov's only friend was Romanov, an orphan a couple of years his senior whose mother had left abandoned him early in his life. He and Baranov generally went around pulling pranks and making mischief. Baranov's parents did not approve of his friendship with Romanov. At the time, Baranov wrote it off as them disapproving of their mischief, but onbeknownst to both of them it was suspected by many adults in their community that Romanov was a half-elf, the product of a union between a well-known wandering elf and a women who left Selerui a few years after Romanov's birth. Baranov's parents knew that Lorewell had strictly banned other elves from entering Zeminar, and feared that their son might be punished for associating with Romanov.

Like many Waioloyan in Zeminar, Baranov's family decided to search for a better life and escape religious and ethnic persecution by escaping to Efsisi. Though leaving Selerui was no more difficult than the arduous trek on foot to Efsisi, the family would need the correct documents in order to work or purchase property in Efsisi. Though it took them years or saving, in 1722 Baranov's family were able to obtain forged documents that claimed relation to another Lettyen family in Efsisi. There was, however, a problem. Most Lettyen who were able to flee Selerui relocated to the Efsisi duchies of Nirui or Yenyenno, which were populated almost exclusively by Lettyen people and even had Lettyen governing officials, unlike the Waioloyan duchies of Zeminar. But the only papers which Baranov's family were able to afford listed them as residence of the duchy of Sand City, packed with millions of factory workers. Baranov's family had always been artisans: his mother had created pottery and his father had been a blacksmith. But there was not much room for artisans in Sand City, where much of their work had been replaced with the relatively new assembly line. Still, they decided it was their only option. All of this was kept secret from Baranov himself; his parents knew he would hate to leave Romanov behind, and feared that Romanov may try to follow them if Baranov were to tell him where they were going.

Just as Baranov's family had obtained their papers, rumors of Romanov's existence had spread to Lorewell, who, fearing the possible exposure of elven secrets, sent a battalion into Mursanel to capture Romanov. One day, when Baranov went to their usual meeting place, Romanov didn't appear. Baranov didn't know that Romanov had hid. Romanov wasn't aware that the battalion was after him specifically, but he feared capture because he often engaged in petty theft to survive. Baranov went to the meeting place three more times, until, after arriving home on the third day, Baranov's parents told him that they were leaving immediately.