Pavel Raskolnikov Character in Ardmair

General Physical Condition

Short but agile, his body like a tightly wound spring.

Physical quirks

Maintains good posture whenever possible.

Apparel & Accessories

Pavel wears loose cloth pants with shoes with lacing which binds the cloth to his lower leg, keeping it under control. He also wears a simple cloth shirt which hangs loose as to not restrict his movement.

Personal history

Pavel was born into a family of travelling merchants, who spent most of their time trying to get by with what they find and sell. Even though it was rough living, Pavel loves to remember this part of his life for it is where he discovered his love of painting. It was a skill he picked up to pass the time during travelling, which provided ample landscapes to inspire his art, that has developed into a passion of his. Pavel could have happily lived like this forever. Unfortunately, it was not to last. When Pavel was twelve, a gang of bandits stopped their caravan to pilfer their money and valuables. When two of the bandits came to sack their cart, they found Pavel's family cowering inside. After they showed perverse interest in Pavel's sister, Katarina, his father flew into a rage and attacked the bandits, but he was no fighter and the bandits deftly stabbed him in the throat. While her father lay dying the bandits grabbed Katarina and dragged her out into the night. A short argument burst out about what to do with the boy, quickly reaching the decision that there must be no loose ends. The bandits could not be more wrong about the gentle Pavel, but they grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out of the wagon his life had revolved around thus far and onto the cold, hard ground below a raised dagger, still dripping with his father's blood. But before any harm could come to Pavel, a hooded figure coalesced from the night itself and dispatched the surrounding bandits with brutal efficiency. The remaining bandits scattered with whatever they had already strapped to their horses, Pavel stared as Katarina's scream went with them. The stranger's rasping voice did little to comfort Pavel, but he had little choice but to accompany him to safety. Only when they arrived at an ancient ruin, which the man called his home he decided to finally push back his hood, revealing the monstrous face of a dragonborn. At first, Pavel was scared by the looks, as he had only heard myths about wicked dragonborn who had enslaved men. But given the kindness he was shown by the man, his fear vanished shortly after. When Pavel's panic had faded the dragonborn fully introduced himself: His name is Balazar, he is the guardian of these ruins and he is the last of his clan. Balazar offered Pavel to stay with him as long as he wished to do so. He provided him with food, water and decent enough shelter. Years passed, and Pavel stayed with Balazar, as he really enjoyed his company, he had so many tales to tell, and Pavel had nothing to go back to. The question of his mother’s and sister’s whereabouts always lingered inside his mind, but he knew they they were long past saving. Only when Pavel reched 20 years of age, Balazar gave in to his wish to be trained in the martial arts. However, this training didn’t turn out to be what he expected. The first year alone was spent discussing the philosophies of the clan Balazar was born into. Only after that the “actual training” started. Between some basic training in unarmed combat and defensive techniques, most of his time he had to spend on concentrating on his surroundings. Pavel never really understood the importance of this, as he found the actual combat to be more relevant. Besides his martial and awareness training, Pavel also learned how to treat wounds and more harmless illnesses with herbs he gathered from the forest. 3 years later, Pavel would realize the importance of his mental training. During one of his regular nights of guarding the ruins, he failed to notice intruders that have sneaked into the place. When noise of combat emerged from within the ruins, he didn’t hesitate to run towards the commotion. When he arrived Balazar was lying on the ground, bleeding heavily. He tried mending the wounds, but Balazar signaled that it is pointless. He told Pavel that the intruders took the relic which they were protecting and pressed on the importance to get it back. With his dying breath Balazar wished Pavel good luck for his adventure and thanked him for the time they spent together. After a few days of mourning the death of his master, Pavel packed the few belongings he had and marched towards civilization in the hope that he will find answers there.

Education

His only proper teachings were from Balazar, his monastic master, who trained him in the ways of the monk, an understanding of nature and how to use it to heal or harm.

Failures & Embarrassments

He failed to guard the temple, leading to the death of his master.

Morality & Philosophy

Death is part of life, so he sees friends as of great importance Time is a very valuable resource which should not be wasted, especially time shared with friends and family. Every day is a chance for improvement. Sees acts that would cut someone's time short as acts of evil, since it is theft of the most valuable resource a person has.

Taboos

Taking someone's life when your own is not threatened for him.

Motivation

Searches for his lost artifact out of fear of the destruction someone could bring about from misusing it's power.

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Always had an artisitic mind, able to bring his view of the world to paper with whatever tools he has available.

Likes & Dislikes

Enjoys company. Likes the catharsis of the process of creating art and putting his own expression into it. Dislikes the inhibiting effects of alcohol.

Virtues & Personality perks

Calm but alert, patient, humility, persistence.

Vices & Personality flaws

Hates the fact that he is very short for a human and resents it being mentioned. Unwilling to accept defeat.

Family Ties

Pavel's mother died in childbirth and his father was murdered by bandits however he doesnt know the fate of his sister (Katarina), who was abducted.

Religious Views

Will never seek aid from Deities as such help does not aid his personal improvement.

Social Aptitude

Submissive and introverted, often struggles to convey messages due to how long he spent away from society. While he means well, his attempts to phrase philosophies often create more confusion than enlightenment.

Speech

Has a strong accent which is viewed as bizarre to the populace of Taag Brosin

Wealth & Financial state

Views wealth as a source of corruption. To keep himself from succumbing to the vices of wealth he aims to keep no more money than he needs to survive from day to day, living hand to mouth.

Pavel Raskolnikov