Khoma (Kho*MAH)
Khoma was the village blacksmith of Aleksandrovka, at least until recently. He is currently gone from the village, and stands accused of murdering his friend, the potter Gavrilo. The two apparently went boar hunting shortly before Maslenitsa. Only Khoma returned later that day, dragging back the quarry. His friend, he implied, went whoring in Yasnyi.
While at home, Khoma helped Lada bake a pie using the boar meat, this being the last time the eating of meat was allowed before the onset of the fast that would last until the Great Day. Always one to control things, Khoma insisted on taking care of filling the pies himself. On the morning after the feast, he also disappeared. At the prompting of his wife, Tatiana, Lada, joined by Ivan, Irina and Davajaav went looking for the smith. After following his trail, they learned that he and Gavrilo were involved in an altercation, and that no boar was killed that day. They also found a rosary belonging to the man. After returning to Aleksandrovka, Irina and Davajaav discovered Gavrilo's mutilated body in his cellar. Though initiating a search for the man, the people of the village still do not know of his whereabouts, though a vision by Vashti bat Leon seems to indicate that he fled to Vlasovo.
Khoma is known to have had a difficult childhood. The scar on his face is the mark of a Kochmak sabre, as the boy was nearly taken captive during a raid. For years afterwards, he did not speak. He came to Aleksandrovka as an orphan, and was raised at the convent. Even after he regained the power of speech, he was still known as an idiot savant - a very good and knowledgeable blacksmith, but simpleminded in most other respects. He is also known to have a weakness for drink, and for singing loudly when drunk.
Khoma is a large and powerful man. He has a black beard that he strokes frequently. He is married to Tatiana, and has four children.
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