Andrey Ivanov

Andrey Ivanov is one of two known commanders of the Knights of the Northern Isles. He is one of five POV Characters is Book One: Universe Eight. Much of Andrey's past is mysterious and convoluted, and it is unknown how old he is. Ivanov colludes with the Dark God Sagittarius, and may be an unwilling follower of the Lumieri.

## Appearance and Character:

Andrey Ivanov is a tall, muscular, and bald man who appears to be late-middle-aged, but it is implied that he is much older. Andrey had a ring of salt and pepper hair around his head, bushy grey eyebrows, a permanent scowl, and dark eyes. His appearance is described as "disgusting", as he has black teeth, brown gums, and smells both in breath and odor. He wears the uniform of a commander of the Knights of the Northern Isles (mostly grey, with a singular purple patch on the left breast). His weapon of choice is often a bolt action sniper rifle of unknown make and model, but in Book One: Universe Eight, he wields a nine-millimeter pistol, and keeps a serrated bluesteel knife in a sheath on his belt. Andrey has a tattoo of a dragon swirling on his left arm. He speaks with a Russian accent, but his accent tends to "slip", leading some characters to wonder whether he is who he says he is. Andrey describes himself as a "King's Man," and may have served on Universe Nine for a time. Andrey is brutal, ruthless, and cares not at all for human life. At Hero's Folly, Ivanov personally killed children, and other civilians protesting the cruelty of The Tumult. Andrey is a sociopath.

## History:

Much of Andrey Ivanov's past is shrouded in mystery. It is assumed he has been on the Afterlife for a long time. He is described as being a long-time friend to Zenzele, and considering Zenzele's age, it is assumed Andrey is of a similar age. Andrey is said to know "every blade of grass" on Thane's Isle, which implies he has spent most of his life there.

Andrey knows a great deal about the Rift War, but it is unknown at this point whether he participated in it himself. If he did, he would be a super-centenarian.

At some point, Andrey prayed for the first time to the dark god Sagittarius. From this point forth, Andrey was his servant.

Andrey joined the Knights of the Northern Isles, and fought with them during the Moon Sea War. Andrey grew to despise the Sun Nation after the conflict.

Andrey played an active role in the Battle of Hero's Folly, where he assisted in the massacre of the protesters there.

During the Battle of the Salt Marsh, Andrey's forces fought Devin Mallory's forces, and the skirmish ended in a victory for the Loyalists.

Andrey was later tasked with collecting as many of the Chosen Five apocolites as he could.

## Universe Eight:

Andrey is first seen at Huxley Homestead, where he assaults Joe Huxley and forcibly takes Ben from the innocent farmers. They insult Ivanov, referring to him as "The Butcher of Hero's Folly," and Andrey laughs at them, brushing off their insults as naivety. Ben initially refuses to go with Andrey, but Andrey threatens the Huxleys, and Ben goes with him to avoid further harm coming to the farmer family. Ivanov is accompanied by the soldiers Enrique Valdez, Boris Krupin, Uzair Ahmed, Prahlad Krishnan, Manny Fletcher, and Theodore Lawrence.

Andrey rides passenger in the military truck, and keeps his soldiers in line. One of them angers him, and he squeezes the metal siding of the truck with immense, inhuman strength. The squadron heads to the shore of the Salt River, and meets with Captain Man Lai Choi, captain of the KN 401 submarine. Andrey, using documents provided by Thane Zenzele, takes command of the submarine, against Captain Choi's protests.

Arguments break out on the submarine, and Choi threatens to have Andrey arrested. The tension is about to boil over, when Ben Reynolds arrives after waking from his drugged sleep. Andrey has Ben look out the periscope, at the Sun Nation fleet sailing to the High Isle, and tells Ben that the plan has changed. Ben will help them defeat the Sunnese force.

During a meal in the galley, tensions boil over as soldiers insult Andrey and his soldier's honor. Captain Choi arrives, and declares Andrey a mutineer, and demands his surrender. Andrey refuses, and a gun-and-knife fight breaks out in the galley. Andrey leaves the scene, presumably to help a wounded Boris Krupin reach the ship's doctor.

Ben Reynolds helps the mutineers take control of the ship, and Andrey is arrested. Ivanov finds Ben's act of bravery foolish, and amusing. He is brought to a cell, and the attack on the Sunnese ships begins. During this time, he asks for assistance from the dark god, and is visited by a monster, which recites the Chosen Five prophecy to Andrey. Andrey initially refuses the monster's commands. The conversation is interrupted by the lock to the door being shot off, and Andrey realizes the goop the monster resided in was not there at all, and the chamber was flooding with seawater. Andrey leads an evacuation as the submarine sinks from damage sustained by depth charges.

Andrey assists Ben Reynolds to shore, and watches helplessly as Boris Krupin dies. When an artillery shell opens a section of a hidden bunker on the island, the surviving submariners, Knights, and Ben Reynolds pile in. They enter an old cannonade, and watch the SNCV Abraham explode, dooming the battlecruiser. Andrey notes that hanging on the wall is a bluesteel Technician's shield, adorned with the ancient symbol of the order. All hell breaks loose when Sunnese sailors evacuated from the Abraham burst into the cannonade. Andrey kills helmsman Donald Watts with a shot the head. Andrey is confused when a ceasefire is called, and Ben Reynolds and his grandfather reunite. Andrey, distraught by the idea that he nearly caused the mission to fail, sheds a tear.

Andrey is cruel to the Sunnese prisoners, but allows Peter Reynolds to remain unbound. He argues with Ben about letting the Sunnese live, but Ben is immovable in his convictions. He calls for a ferry to bring the troops across the strait, and boards it with the rest of his men.

At the fort, Andrey is intentionally separated from the sailors due to his cruel nature, by Commander Artemon. He is sent down to the beachhead to prepare defenses with Commander Marian Ethne. For a moment, Ivanov wonders if Ethne is flirting with him, and he doesn't like the idea. He treats her rudely, and briefly converses with Tiger Diallo, whom he recognizes, but cannot remember.

A mutiny breaks out where Tiger Diallo and two men attack Andrey, in retribution for their mistreatment. Andrey defeats them, but his remaining men are killed. Andrey gets the upper hand on Tiger, and shoots him in the head. He leaves Commander Ethne to clean up the mess.

It is assumed Andrey participated in the battle of Fort Lightchild. When the troops reach the High Isle, Andrey gives Leon command over Sophia's unit, but it is unclear why he does this. Due to his conflagration with the dark god, it may be he can see deeper into the situation, and knows Leon's fate.

At some point after the battle, Andrey returns to Fort Lightchild.