Ryfon Sarren

**Ryfon Sarren** is a high elf bladesinger wizard, and one of the main protagonists of Campaign 2. He is played by Joey.

He is a legendary spellsword and former Mane hailing from the Fox Clan whose heroic reputation was shattered upon uncovering a dark secret about the supposedly-benevolent Manes he worked alongside.

After the betrayal of his close friend and ally Hiro Nakatubo resulted in the loss of the former’s left arm, Ryfon went into hiding and created a prosthetic arm that, unbeknownst to him, was magical, becoming bound to six-tailed kitsune Michi in the process.

During the events of Campaign 2, Ryfon obtained Inazumakiri, forged by (CHARACTER), to defeat Hiro. He successfully defeated Hiro in combat, and would later help destroy Sorrow alongside Astryd Ansirah, Yanqiong, and Diza.

His current whereabouts after The Great Fluxx are unknown. However, remarks from Kishor Dharvim and Callum Zidane seem to indicate that he is still alive and active to some extent, having gotten strong enough to defeat a number of the Manes in combat, though Kaneko Yoku still appears to be the only Mane he's permanently killed.

### **Personality**

Ryfon is, outwardly, considered a quietly graceful individual, yet calculating and confident in a way that makes him terrifying to those who oppose him. He has a strong and altruistic moral compass, strongly believing in channeling the hidden potential of those around him while also punishing those that try to exploit nature or higher powers to grow stronger. He is generally seen as cool, collected, and persistent, and takes careful steps to cultivate his heroic identity to those around him. He is also modest, and gets visibly uncomfortable when people discuss his own heroic feats, instead preferring to highlight the successes of his allies.

In reality, while many of the traits that exhibit his heroic persona are accurate, he is deeply anxious and appears to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. He is also implied to have dealt with, and overcame, suicidal thoughts or even attempts. He's a perfectionist who fears making mistakes, struggles with trust, and doesn't fully grasp his own limits or how the world perceives him. He is also prone to a hot streak, and can become excessively violent when doing so, most notably his execution with Rage. However, these fits often result in Ryfon spiraling into a panic attack shortly afterwards.

Ryfon's high intelligence makes him remarkably clever, to a point where he is arguably the smartest of any of the player characters. He was able to successfully remain in hiding for around thirty years without needing to drastically alter his appearance, can accurately identify spells with little issue, and successfully faked out Hiro during their final confrontation by faking capture with *mirror image*. Thanks to his time as a Mane, he is a master tactician, and is a self-described nerd who frequently enjoys reading in his freetime. He's also highly adaptable, and is constantly trying to find new ways to outwit his opponents.

However, coupled with his low charisma, Ryfon often struggles with communicating his thoughts to those around him. He frequently mumbles, stutters, and has a tendency to give out backhanded compliments without realizing it. His inability to effectively communicate is often a point of conflict within the party, further warping his own self-worth in the process.

He has a fairly cynical worldview, with Hiro's betrayal causing him to become disillusioned with moral codes and honor. He can, and will, fight dirty if he deems it necessary, as he believes that there is no point in honor if his opponent won't respect it. That said, Ryfon himself does still follow a few codes of his own. Namely, he only uses his sword if he deems it necessary, and he will work to protect the natural world at all costs. As a result of the latter philosophy, he strongly despises those that defy death or their worldly roots, and believes killing is necessary and a respectful action when in life-or-death combat because it is proof of the natural world at work.

However, Ryfon strongly believes in the idea that the common person has an incredible amount of malleable potential, and wants to use his own position as a renowned hero to encourage people to push themselves and find that potential. Despite his cynicism, he still seems to hold a degree of optimism for the future of the world, believing that channeling that potential is the key to a better world for everyone.

Ryfon has never been in a romantic relationship, and cannot pick up on any cues when someone is flirting with him. While this may be due to his socially awkward nature, it was later confirmed that he is aromantic-asexual, and has no interest in pursuing a romantic relationship of any form.

Despite his potentially brutal methodology, Ryfon deeply cares for those close to him, and is willing to alter his own plans to help them. His alignment is neutral-good, willing to adhere to laws and his own standards in the name of helping those around him, but has no qualms bending those beliefs or breaking rules in order to achieve his goals. He has a particular soft spot for animals, especially Michi. He also has a good understanding of the customs and cultures of all nine clans, choosing to honor those customs as much as possible. In particular, he seems to follow the beliefs of the Fox Clan.

Due to Ryfon's incredibly high dexterity, he plays the role of a mobile DPS, and prioritizes the elimination of his target(s) first and foremost. If an enemy tries to flee, he is often the one to pursue them.

### **Pre-Campaign Backstory**

#### **Background**

Ryfon was raised in the Fox Clan as an only child, and originally intended to become a professional dancer. He was particularly fond of reading, and particularly gravitated towards stories with vibrant heroes defeating villains. However, a bandit raid on his family's home resulted in the deaths of his parents, and a failed attempt to defend them by a teenage Ryfon resulted in a permanent scar on the bridge of his nose. Swearing to not make the same mistake twice, Ryfon decided to devote his time to becoming a swordsman and protector of the innocent.

Some time after his parents' deaths, he found an unnamed swordsman who took him in. Under that swordsman, he trained under a brutally intense regimen for approximately 80 years. At some point, Ryfon would attempt to protect his teacher from an attack, and would fail to do so, resulting in his teacher's death.

#### **Lion Clan**

At 100 years old, Ryfon would join the Lion Clan's Royal Guard, where he quickly shot up the ranks due to his incredible swordplay. During this time, Ryfon met and befriended Hiro.

## Abilities

### Notable Items

* **Inazumakiri.**
* **Wooden Arm.**

### Original Spells

* ***Eye of the Storm.*** *1st-level conjuration.* As a bonus action, Ryfon creates an updraft centered on himself to a range of 10 feet. Each hostile creature must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone as the winds lift them into the air and drop them to the ground. Large creatures have advantage on this save and a Huge or larger creature is immune to the effect. Additionally, ranged attack have disadvantage against him until the start of his next turn.
* ***Claws of Winter.*** *2nd-level evocation.* As a bonus action, Ryfon conjures a spectral set of freezing claws over his fists for 1 minute (concentration). They count as melee weapons he is proficient with, with the finesse and light properties, and each deal 1d6 cold damage on a hit. When he deals damage to a creature with these weapons, their speed is reduced by 10 until the end of their next turn. Additionally, attacks against creatures who are missing hit points have advantage as savage intuition picks up on his opponents' weaknesses.
* ***Blaze of Glory.*** *3rd-level evocation.* As a reaction, Ryfon refuses to die. He drops to 1 hit point instead and each creature within 10 feet of him must make a Dexterity saving throw as he explodes into a nova of fiery energy. He then gains 30 temporary hit points, but takes 5 fire damage-that cannot be reduced-at the end of each of his turns. He cannot be healed, as flames lick at his clothes and burn his flesh. The spell ends after a minute, or if he drops to 0 hit points. When it ends, he gains a level of exhaustion.
* ***Ethereal Foxtrot.*** *5th-level abjuration.* As an action, Ryfon imbues his weapon with spiritual energy and slashes the air, cutting a portal to the spirit realm near him and his target. The target is banished into the spirit realm, and he follows in order to take them on in an empowered state, hopefully finishing them off in a *fantastic* finale. The target then must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the target is incapacitated and takes 9d10 force damage. While in the spirit realm, neither Ryfon nor the target are visible to the Material Plane, nor can they directly interact with the Material Plane. The effect ends either at the start of Ryfon's next turn, or if either creature in the spirit realm is reduced to 0 hit points, as the spirits spectating the duel push out the combatants.