Ikanu Barovas the Grand Master of Changelings

Role

Chapter 7

Ikanu Barovas hails from, as you may have surmised, Barovia.
His mother, Lavidia Stracek was a skilled necromancer who had
studied in the prestigious Tower of Sorcery. As a part of her
master's project she was sent to study the effects of prolonged
undeath; her subject being the legendary lich, Xoltrindar.
While stationed in the village, she fell in love with a
local farmer - a rather daring and foolish man, possessed
of a wild charisma that starkly contrasted against the
disciplined, cold demeanor of Ikanu's soon-to-be mother.

That wild, careless streak must have rubbed off, because
a couple years down the line, after Ikanu had been born,
she got the crazy idea to steal Xoltrindar's grimoire.
Knowing the lich's patterns better than anyone, she felt
that it could be done, and he'd be none the wiser. So,
one day, at dawn when the lich was always out of sight,
she uttered a spell of wraithform and slipped her hands
through the side of the cabin, right where she knew the
grimoire was resting. With a tug she pulled it through
and hurried quickly through the woods.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Now, that was strange. It sounded like someone was
knocking on a door...but that couldn't be right. She
was still a good mile or two away from the village.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

A cold sweat gushed from her forehead and her palms
as she realized it was coming from the grimoire...

*KNOCK........KNOCK........KNOCK*

The relentless sound was filling her ears, pulverizing her
eyes, exploding her skull with growing intensity. It was
as if a titan were trapped inside her body, pounding on the
walls like an enraged prisoner. There was only one solution,
one cure...she had to open the book.

As the tears streamed down her face and her legs buckled,
she slowly, with great remorse for her act, turned the page.
Upon it was a list of names, in no discernible order. The
pages began to turn of their own accord, and Lavidia could
only watch in horror as the terrifying spell was tightening
its grip upon her, drawing her in, making her see what it
wanted her to. At last the pages stopped, and there, at the
end of the list was inscribed "Lavidia Stracek." Just then
she felt the unmistakable, wrenching force of a summons.

She turned her head and saw the lich staring back. With a
slight cock of the skull, he said, "Knock-knock."

The skeleton made no other movements - apparently he was
waiting for the proper response. Why not? How much worse
could things get? The creature might even let her go if
she played her cards right. Some of her colleagues' studies
had suggested that liches, like everyone else, craved mortal
ties...perhaps she could employ her knowledge of undead
psychology. First thing's first...build a connection...

"Who's th-..."

"Die."

Role

Chapter 6

Ikanu grew up without ever really knowing what happened to
his mother. The townsfolk suspected, but never filled in the
details. But, for some reason he was very fond of telling
knock-knock jokes. He worked his father's dirt farm, but grew
to hate the man. He was abusive, due to rage over how badly
he was aging; the man's hair had turned to a mess of frizzy
gray, where it had once been black and flowing, and his belly
hanging over his pants in much the same way that a muffin does.
But, the bastard was strong, and though Ikanu fought him every
now and then, he couldn't beat him...not yet, anyway.

The conflict at home affected him in subconscious ways. He
would look for fights, and relished the tiny struggles seen in
nature that most people often overlook. In one such instance,
he witnessed an emaciated barovian wolf struggling to kill a
badger. It was a fair enough match, considering the condition
of the aggressor. But, after a minute or two into the battle
an eagle arrived on the scene. It looked to be a large male,
most likely hunting for its young (it was that time of year).

This was going to be interesting. He saw more than just a
recurring scene illustrating the struggles of the natural world.
This was a battle of wills. The eagle could have flown away
and found an easier meal. The wolf could have settled for a
squirrel. But no, badger was on the menu and that was that.
And so it began; wolf snaps at badger, badger bites snout,
eagle swoops for badger, wolf lunges for eagle, eagle rends
wolf...badger gets away.

But, the food no longer mattered. The anger, the need to kill
the opposition was all that remained. Both the wolf and the eagle
eagle stayed too long to turn back from this battle. Their wounds
were mounting, and a hearty meal would be needed to recover in
this unforgiving land. Ultimately, avian defeated canine that day,
but that's not the relevant part. What's important is that the
battle, the war, culled the weak, empowered the strong, and made
for one hell of a show. Ikanu would forever remember the dance
of the beasts, and years later it would help to mold not only his
harsh ideology, but his very being.

Role

Chapter 5

Many years had risen and fallen between Ikanu's turbulent youth
and his current status as a master shapeshifter. His focus upon
the essence of war had led him far, and he started from the
lowliest of places; the first form he took was that of an ant.

Ants are forgotten simply because they are miniscule. Ikanu
watched two species clash, once upon a time, and marveled at
their efficient lethality even amid the chaos of mandible-to
mandible battle. It seemed to him that if ants were only a
bit bigger, they could rule the world. From them he learned
how to use many to fight as one - a difficult concept for his
emotionally-disrupted mind, but he did eventually grasp it.

After studying the merits of the ant, he went in an entirely
different direction and learned the ways of the black bear.
Large, voracious, and fiercely independent, this beast was
something Ikanu could relate to. It inspired terror at a mere
glance, and how he savored it. At this point, one could say
that he truly became wholly wicked, for he reveled in
slaughter; the visceral sensation of tooth and claw rending
flesh and bone. This is also when he began to learn what
he could of the Scions.

Having spent years warring on the ground, Ikanu turned his
attention to the sky as he recalled the grace and power of
the eagle. Building on what he already knew of insectoid
physiology, he easily assumed the form of the firefly. His
first experience drifting along the wind-currents at high
altitude was deeply personal. It was freedom like nothing
else, even if from a mere bug's point of view. He looked
down upon the war-ravaged lands of Thera and in his black
heart he was pleased.

Role

Chapter 4

Having played the role of both the "eagle" and the "wolf,"
Ikanu sought to see conflict from every angle. With this in
mind, he learned how to become the resourceful survivor - the
badger. A creature whose mind races with the fevered fear known
only to prey...it was a learning experience. He realized the
ferocity of the hunted, for they truly have everything to lose.
He also learned how to survive, just as the badger had in his
youth.

He knew how to fly, after a fashion, as an insect. But, he wanted
to know the power of a true bird of prey. As he attempted to mold
himself in that way, he learned that he had a knack for becoming
an osprey. A splendid, strong hunter. It was perfect.

Now, nearing the pinnacle of his training, Ikanu sought a means
of becoming a true terror - stronger than anything he had yet
learned. Building upon his knowledge of the black bear, he willed
his body to grow even larger. After a long and painful ordeal, he
emerged as a grizzly bear.

But, Ikanu is not without a sense of humor. He understands that
morale is an important aspect of war, and so when he became the
hummingbird, it was to frustrate and enrage his victims - especially
the strong ones.

Role

Chapter 3

------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| "Evolution" |
| |
| It has been twenty-five years since the urge to pour my |
| thoughts into a journal has struck. I dedicated my time to |
| the craft, and in these recent years to my cause. And what is |
| it, exactly? As I said to an assassin recently, War is that |
| which tests, purifies, and allows all that we are to thrive or |
| die. We owe everything to it, and the great hypocrisy is that |
| those who benefit the most from it - the nobles, politicians, |
| and their lesser's - they denounce it publicly, under the gaze |
| of fat priests (also beneficiaries). I don't buy into that. I |
| embrace the role of conflict in our world, and further it. |
| |
| Until now I've raged violently, part man but mostly a |
| beast. I reveled in the power that my dedication to the craft |
| has granted me. But, in emulating the beasts I nearly lost the |
| most important gift the Gods gave me - humanity. Some say the |
| word represents benevolence and love. I say it is the aspect |
| of my soul that has given me wisdom and insight into this |
| simple truth: I am a herald of war. Through me there is no |
| compromise. Those who seek peace will find themselves within |
| the crucible as much as those who do not. |
| |
| Many who undertake the lessons of the guild believe that |
| shifting into the form of a beast is a state transcendent to |
| the one granted to them by the Gods. I no longer follow that |
| philosophy. My regression to a savage, primal state for the |
| sake of combat is but one path. My true form, the one formed |
| in the womb, is the most evolved. |
| |
| Iunna, through my travels and trials I have become a man, |
| and my once-chaotic mind now embraces the knowledge and beauty |
| mankind. All of it was built upon the foundation of war, and |
| only through taking part in it can one truly appreciate what |
| may be gained. |
| |
|----------------------------------------------------------------|

Title History

Role

Chapter 2

"Mother, can you hear me," Ikanu spoke into the flames. He barely
remembered her, but for the first time in his life he wanted to
know more of this woman who brought him into the world. In the
abandoned farmhouse once occupied by the Barovas family, he had
come to reminisce...he didn't know why, and it made no sense, for
he had always hated the place, and his father. It all seemed so
distant now, though, and so he came to see what could be found.
Much to his surprise, as soon as he walked into the decrepit
building his senses blazed with magical perception. It drew him
to the root cellar, where inside what appeared to be a plain,
earthen wall was a strongbox. Upon opening it, he was delighted
to find the last remnants of his mother's work...

Scrawled in flowing, feminine script was what appeared to be a
list, but the language was unrecognizable. Of the four items
listed, it was fairly easy to deduce that three of them were in
the box, owing to the check-marks next to their names. A brass
chime, a vial of blood (Ikanu later discovered this had come from
a Morosa demon - how his mother acquired it was anyone's guess),
and much to Ikanu's curiosity, a globe containing the essence of
a ccul'gra. Aside from those, there was also an assortment of
necromantic scrolls. One, in particular, caught Ikanu's eye. Upon
it was inscribed the ritual of gravespeaking, and within the
rolled-up scroll was a braid of raven hair - hers, he had no doubt.

And so he went to the woods and made a fire; normally that would
be a death sentence to do in Barovia, but Ikanu knew no fear
anymore. Let the wolves come. They would only find that, tonight,
they were prey. With some consideration he stoked the fire until
it blazed, held the braid, and spoke the words. The scroll turned
to smoke as the fire turned to emerald and chartreuse. For a moment
great, green eyes flickered from the shadows beyond, but he could
not tell if it had been a part of the fire, or something else...

Role

Chapter 1

"...Son? My son? How is it that you have found me? ...Ahhh yes, I
remember...you found what I left behind. I hoped you would," the
voice spoke as if from a great distance. "Time is short...we have
mere moments. All of your questions must wait until we meet in the
Abyss, child. Hear me now...the lich killed me. But, I had the last
reagent. Yes, I was on the path of greatness and he stole my chance.
You...you who are so strong, can get it. I suspect the elixir will
work for you, but you are no necromancer...its effects will be
unpredictable, but with the possibility of bestowing great power."
Ikanu felt anger at first, at his mother's audacity, but a surge
of pride came as he realized how strong-willed she was...how smart,
and how devious to think of using her own son like this. Surely he
was his mother's son, and gained all of his might from her.

"Destroy Xoltrindar, and take from him his dagger, Ikanu. Within
its hilt is a phylactery containing the essence of a virgin, but
no one else knows. We are the same, you and I. I know it will work!
My son...my Ikanu...will rise from the shadow of Barovia and make
the pillars of heaven quake and tremble! GO! GOOOOO!!!!"

As the green flames died down to crimson, Ikanu was startled to see
the eyes still ablaze, hovering not more than ten feet away. In his
mind he heard the soul-shattering voice of the Ill Omen speak, "She
is of a special breed, and has a place of power, Scion. Prevail where
she did not, and your own fate may be less grim than most who are
Damned." With that, the spectral gaze vanished into the blackness of
Barovia.

Ikanu did not delay long, and before the week was out he had gathered
a host of powerful wizards and defeated Xoltrindar. With his dagger
and the other reagents he sought the council of Dhunelz on how to
combine them properly into an elixir that would work. That is where
we find ourselves now...Dhunelz has the reagents and is formulating
a ritual, and Ikanu waits to find out what his fate may be. He
expects death, but rather looks forward to seeing his mother face-to
face if that's the case. If not, he may be crippled in ways to terrible
to define. But, that slim, almost imperceptible chance at power and
greatness is enough.

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