Ranaan Redcastle

by Laura Boland

> *He pushed himself to his feet and steadied himself on the door frame, the vice clamping around his chest again and making him gasp like a frightened child. The angry buzz of voices surged again, vicious and unrelenting.*
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Ranaan Redcastle is a human Ranger and Eldritch Knight, and an original member of The Rat Pack.

## Early Life

Ranaan grew up in the town of Aerith, the son of Yurian ambassadors Brie and Peter Redcastle. He spent much of his youth among elves, and saw little of the world outside of Aerith.

## Possession

When the Rat Pack first met Ranaan, he was being controlled by a cursed sword which he acquired on the road to Yuria.

The Machete, which formerly belonged to the sister of a prominent Yurian gang member, made Ranaan crave gold and bloodshed, and turned him into a completely different person.

When Coda removed the Machete in an attempt to bargain for Ranaan's life, Ranaan was able to shake the hold the Machete had over him and was freed of its influence.

## Imprisonment

Ranaan was arrested for attempted sedition after the first night the party went drinking together. He drunkenly stole Coda's firearm and shot a hole in the ceiling of a tavern while shouting about throwing off shackles and achieving true freedom.

He was imprisoned in Yuria's guard house, where he was interrogated by the Mages' Guild. Their unorthodox methods of obtaining information left Ranaan with residual magical abilities, which he did not possess before.

Ranaan was freed when the party paid his bail.

## Swinton's Bounty

A bounty was placed on Ranaan's head by a gang leader named Valan Swinton.

Swinton's sister Kayleigh had attacked Ranaan on the road to Yuria prior to the beginning of the campaign. Ranaan slew her in self-defense, and took her sword.

Ranaan, headstrong and egged on by the demon possessing him, made plans to seek out Swinton and slay him, claiming the bounty for his own. He was discouraged by the party, but almost went ahead with it anyway. His plans were waylaid when he and Coda decided instead to spend the night together in the tavern, after a surprise kiss.

## Animal Companions

Ranaan has acquired a number of animal companions on his journey, due to his natural affinity and love for animals.

His rat, Pumpernickel, belongs to his younger sister Ryely.

While investigating the tower of J. F. Sebastian, Ranaan befriended a small animated paper bird who he named Sesame Seed, who now travels with the party.

Ranaan also adopted a stray bloodhound who he named Atlas. He found the dog in his bedroom after a drunken night on the town. The dog, who took a liking to Ranaan and appeared to have no owner, happily follows him wherever he goes.

## Departure

Ranaan left the party for a time, during which he went to live in the forest with his animal companions.

He felt he needed to get away from everything and find out who he really was. When Ranaan returned, he had acquired a new knowledge of surviving alone in the wilderness, and now had a pet owl named Minerva.

## Family

Ranaan's family currently live in Aerith, where his parents work in the Yurian embassy. His mother works security and bakes in her spare time, while his father is an ambassador.

Ranaan has a younger sister named Ryely, a nine year old girl who shares his love of nature. They have a pet dog named Shep who stays by Ryely's side at all times.

## Relationship with Coda

Ranaan and Coda have been involved romantically since the night Ranaan almost went to fight Swinton and was stopped by Coda's impromptu offer to spend the night.

The relationship was terminated for a time when Ranaan left the party, but was rekindled unexpectedly upon his return despite a letter effectively ending the romance.