Rane

Rane, meaning 'the One' in Arlain, is the twin sister of Den and the main antagonist in '*Den and the Wolves*'. Like her brother, she is cursed with immortality due to a spell cast onto Den by the 81 wolves. After usurping many of the key *norsaks* from their throne within the Great Hollow, Rane attempts to become a god herself. But without worship from men, she lives a meaningless perpetual existence. Her plot to enslave humans into worship, or otherwise face death, prompts Den to devise a plan to remove his sister's status as an untouchable immortal.

## The Prophecy of One

Alexib's preface in the first chapter of '*Den and the Wolves*', entitled '*One and the Other*', describes a vague prophecy, devised by *norsaks* during the Dichotome, involving the birth of twins to chosen parents, Li and Lileotu. Born first, Rane was dubbed 'One', while her brother was titled 'Other', and thus she was preferentially treated amongst the Irrok tribe, who presumed her destiny was pre-determined by the gods. Other, on the other hand, was disregarded, criticized, and looked down upon. Besides repeated mentions of 'greatness' in One's future, no exact destiny was ever laid out for her. Since *norsaks* do not directly interact with humans, the prophecy was entirely speculative, and for the most part, Rane lived up to everyone's expectations as a great hunter, an intellectual, and a future leader of the tribe.

During her first interaction with the 81 wolves, Rane overhears chatter amongst many wolves regarding her own future, which again is draped in vagueness. The only indication that a prophecy does exist for Rane is when she attempts to kill herself, during the bargaining for her brother's life, which the force the wolves to give in to her demands. Suspicion is first raised when Chaos does not refuse her plea, allowing a seemingly uninteresting boy to live. If Chaos was planning for upheaval, then Other surely plays a much larger role than previously thought. Through misinterpretation, Rane comes to believe preserving her life, above all, was the gods' highest purpose, when in fact the preservation of Other's may prove just as important.

## War against the gods

After gaining immortality through her brother's bloodstones, Rane watches centuries pass by and her tribe gradually become extinct. When the last Irrok is buried, she comes to realize she has achieved no such 'greatness' that was promised to her, and angrily returns to the Great Hollow to demand firmer answers regarding her destiny. Dissatisfied by their response, she takes arms against the wolves in an act that leaves Other stunned. She manages to kill Judgement, and immediately becomes infused with that exact power. Her bloodlust grows, and after slaughtering others who attempt to stop her - including Pain, Greed, Sleep, and Martyr - she becomes a multi-tiered god that otherwise forces the rest into submission. Chaos welcomes her to her throne, completing his plan to elevate a human to the status of *norsak*, and disrupting the entire order of the Dichotome. Rane's first act is to declare there is only one god: herself. She invents the practice of Liarani: the worship of Rane.

Rane offers her brother to join her on top of the world, but, terrified of her madness, Other declines and runs away.