Physical Description[]
Ryziam stands about average height for a male blood elf. Close to six feet tall, give or take a few inches either way. He is stocky but not because he is overweight, rather because of having to bear the weight of his plate armor, sword, and shield every day that he goes to battle. His muscles are, obviously, well-defined - though it is hard to tell behind the nondescript armor which he wears.
He has long hair that is jet black and pulled back messily into a pony tail. He has two bangs that fall into his face but do not impede his vision or ability to act, as well as some hair that falls over his shoulders and down the side of his face to drape on his chest. He has a styled patch of hair on his chin, and it is all well-kept and clean at all possible times. His eyes are a deep emerald green, as is stereotypical among his kind.
He has four basic sets of armor that people will find him in. His battle armor, which is in good condition but often dirty, with minor dings and scrapes, and does not match in any particular order. He is caught in this in places like Dalaran or, obviously, in the wild. His second set of armor is what a few of his friends dubbed his 'Righteous' armor, which is a combination of white and gray pieces of armor that give him a 'holy' appearance, which some find fitting of a paladin. He wears the tabard of the Argent Crusade with this set. His third set of armor is a more formal set, of blue and muted gold. He wears his guild's colors with this set - the Prophecy's tabard. In these three sets, he wears a sword and shield at all times.
His last set, which is is found in less often than the others, is his Blood Knight armor. Red and gold in coloration, with his black and red tabard, it is something to behold. He equips a maul bearing the colors as well, as he regrettably threw out his Blood Tempered Ransieur long ago.
Personality[]
Ryziam is, to put it simply, a sarcastic jerk who could care less about anyone else around him. He is cold and selfish at first, with a sharp tongue and a complete disregard for his or even his guild's reputation. He often does not stop to think before he speaks, and rarely apologizes.
He doesn't much care for sympathy, and reacts sharply to anyone who judges him for being, or as, a Blood Knight - regardless of the fact that he is, indeed, a Blood Knight. He is quick to judge and condemn those he does not get along with off the bat, and does not give people the same period of grace that he expects in return.
However, he takes pride in his duty as a protector of the people. He considers it his job and problem to take on the world's problems to protect the people. He will stand and guard people with his life, as well as listen to and take on other people's problems. He does not show them much in the way of comfort, but he does what he feels is needed to be done as a paladin, or even as a Blood Knight.
History[]
He was born Ryziam Anu'Serrar, to what could only be called a middle-class family, a family that was happy together and tight knit, long before the Dead Scar existed. He had a father and mother and 3 siblings, an older sister, Katriana, and a younger brother (Peolo) and sister (Luci). His father, Reinak, was a paladin, before they became formally known as Blood Knights, and his mother, Eileen, had used to be a mage. After the birth of her eldest daughter she had retired from the active duties of the Arcane, choosing instead to keep a close eye on her child (and soon after, children).
It had always been a tradition for the oldest son in the Anu'Serrar (which literally translates to "Blade of Light") family to become a paladin, to follow in their fathers' footsteps and become a warrior of the Light. So, Ryziam did just that. At a young age (where most humans would consider him 10), he began his first training. It was nothing too intensive, too complex, just the basics: How to hold a sword, a shield. Footwork. Dodging, parrying, blocking. All the things he would need to stay alive. He trained with his father and his cousin, Cedric, and sometimes his half cousin, Orras, whom was also supposed to become a paladin. Ryziam is now, as a grown man, both ashamed and relieved to admit that neither Cedric nor Orras followed the path of the Light.
Ryziam was a devout believer in everything he was taught. How the paladin was a protector of the people, how they followed the Light and helped those who could not find it, how they guided those people. He believed in the class, believed that he would be a protector of his people, someone to smile up at and protect them and to lead their troops against the growing problem of the undead and remaining demon populace.
He would soon learn that many of his creeds were wrong - or at least, horribly warped.
Around the age of 15 (again, relatively), the Scourge reached their lands. His mother and the children had escaped while his father went to fight; Ryziam and his eldest sister, Katriana, had fought vehemently to go with their father but were told to protect his mother instead. They holed up in a house in Eversong, by the river and about in the middle of the woods. They did not realize that they were smack dab in the middle of the Scourge's marching path.
Ryziam woke one night to Luci's screaming, and before he asked any kind of question he was out of bed and dressed, wearing his light mail armor, sword and shield. He was prepared, he thought. Ready to face the enemy with the few spells he had learned. He stepped from his room and Luci was behind him immediately; he stood facing the most intimidating monstrosity he had seen to that point of his life. It used to be human, that much he could tell, but the flesh was rotting and the ribs were showing and the mind was gone. He felt his face pale, and his entire body went slack as the undead shuffled toward him. But suddenly, with a flash of red light - which turned out to be fire -, the beast collapsed. Katriana had heard her sisters scream as well. She scowled at Ryziam, obviously upset by his lack of action, before they woke their mother and younger brother up.
He has wished he could forget the rest of the night since the day it happened. They ran, they ran for Silvermoon but they never had a hope of getting there. The Scourge had been on their doorstep and they didn't plan on letting the living get away. First, his younger brother was caught. Ryziam turned to fight, casting what he could at the undead, but he failed. His brother fell under the beast, and then they were piled on, all the while the boy was screaming for help. Ryziam ran again, Luci at his side. Katriana was far ahead.. Soon after, Luci tripped over a root in the dark and fell. Again, Ryziam turned to help her but, again, he failed. There were too many for him to take, and his nerves were not steady enough, his spells not strong enough, to turn back the advancing army. She died quicker, quieted faster, but was so much more terrible a death to Ryziam. He turned and ran again. He had lost his mother and Katriana completely by now, but would soon find them in Silvermoon. He was cut and scraped, but was easily healed and watched over. The same could be said about his mother and sister.
But then he had to admit to what he had failed to do. He told them, and they both slapped him in their horror and distress. He was supposed to be the shining hope, the warrior of the Light to save them. They asked why he did not have the honor to die giving his siblings a chance to get away. Why he hadn't been a paladin. They berated him and broke his psyche in their grief. The death of his siblings and his shame have hung on his conscience since that day, even though there was nothing more he could have done next to dying fruitlessly. They holed up somewhere Ryziam could not remember, while the Scourge advanced, until the Sunwell was destroyed. The effects of this catastrophe were quick and devastating.
They waited then for the return of Ryziam's father, but it was not to come. He had been killed in battle, along with countless others. Despite there being absolutely nothing he could have done, Ryziam was again flooded with guilt. He went back to live with his mother and sister for some time, but soon left. He had to continue his training in name of his father.
He would not be met with the outlooks he had once held. No, now the training was different. He was among men and women who felt slighted, who no longer trusted the Light and who simply wanted its power. They wanted revenge (at least the men and women with which he trained), they wanted to get back at those that had wronged them. Ryziam held on to his old views of the Light, of what it meant to be a paladin, but they were soon crushed.
He was told that the Light was nothing but something for him to take and bend to his will, and he stole his power from M'uru and, later, from the weakened magistrates. He was told to create his first weapon, using the blood of demons and the discarded remnants from a fellow paladin and other creatures. As he grew, he learned of Arthas and Death Knights, of how the paladins had been broken and betrayed their people and brought the Scourge and war upon the world. He was eventually ordered to desecrate Uther's grave, and he was soon given the now formal title of Master Blood Knight.
The day his training was complete, he was honored in front of his classmates and invited family members. His mother and sister did not make it. He was presented with his tabard and armor with no fanfare, and had no one to share his bitter happiness with. His view of Blood Knights was mixed. He knew what he stood for, but he also knew what the Knights stood for. He slowly became resentful, doing his duty to his people and those in need, but also becoming callous.
Soon after his training ended, he received a letter from his sister on the anniversary of his siblings death. It again placed blame on him for their deaths, as well as letting him know their mother had become a Wretched, unable to handle the withdrawals and addiction to Arcane magic. He has received a letter like that on the anniversary every year.
He serves as a Blood Knight with honor and dignity, helping those whenever they need it.
His entire set of views was shattered, and he wages a battle everyday with who he is and what he stands for. He is currently helping the Knights fight the return of the Plague, and spends much of his days in the Dead Scar murdering the lingering Scourge, searching for any remains of his past. He knows they are long gone.
Most recently, he has joined a group called the 'False Prophecy,' and finally feels as though he has found a home. Only time will tell.
Random Facts[]
- Ryziam hates being called 'Master,' 'Knight,' or 'Sir.' He has earned the title of 'Master' but resents it because of the clash of his personal beliefs.
- Ryziam has self-titled himself the "Sword and Shield of the Prophecy," though this has not been endorsed by any of his guild members.
- He does not drink often, but when he does it tends to end in disaster. He either gets meaner, or gets far too sentimental for his own good.