Octavian

Ren, Tavi

Alive

"Does Thaldra love all her followers, even the ones who return from the dead?" -Octavian

Human (Vampire)

Lawful Good

Description

Octavian Ren keeps his appearance hidden most of the time. As a vampire in the Elysian Empire, he would be hunted down without question. This means that he is seldom found without his full helmet covering his pale face. Underneath the helmet, he has soft facial features and curly black hair. His eyes are a piercing red, which quickly betrays his true nature. He has trouble keep well nourished due to his reluctance to feed, so he isn't as muscular as many guards and prefers to wield two shortswords, rather than a martial weapon.

Most Elysian soldiers wear purple acccents, but Ren prefers red, and Charlie doesn't much care about her empire's standards. As such his armor colors are iron and maroon, and he keeps fur options available for when his excursions took him to the northern parts of Hadea on behalf of Charlie.

Biography

Ren was a soldier in the Elysian Empire since he was 17, believing starkly in their mission to protect the kingdom from monstrous forces. He rose in the ranks swiftly, and was assigned his own unit of the Gilden Watchers by age 23. His group supervised the eradication of any creatures deemed threatening to the safety of the empire. At age 29, on his trip to Ivorhelm on the Hadean Dwarven Isle, he and his soldiers were tasked with exterminating a vampiric threat that had been investigating Mount Dunrar's tunnel system. His squad consisted of 7 highly trained soldiers, including his high elf husband, Aelek. They cornered the two vampires, but things went awry. The two of them possessed powers unlike anything the soldiers had faced, and they were quickly exterminated.

However, one of the vampires saw potential in the young captain of the squadron, raising him as a vampire spawn. His new master introduced himself to Ren as Vesk Aternox, and promised Ren that he could now live a life eternal. Ren's instincts were to lash out, but he kept his cool, hoping to discover an opportunity to escape and quickly return to his infant daughter, Oreli. He humored Vesk for weeks until he was granted full vampireship, and properly educated about how to preserve his new life. Vesk didn't try to stop Ren from fleeing, as he hardly saw himself as his master. His god promised that Ren would prove useful to their cause soon enough.

Back in Wisteria, Ren was too ashamed to report in that he was the sole survivor of his squad, especially after he was turned into one of their mortal enemies. He quickly packed as many of his things as he could, and decided to take Oreli over seas in hopes that the two could live in secrecy. As he was trying to leave in the night, he was caught and arrested for treason, horrified at what the emperor would do to him. The crown guard assigned to his cell, "Cayden Calloway," could tell what he was immediately, and did her best to ensure that his trial would not happen during the day. She worked with Lady Charlotte to get him assigned as a new crown guard, knowing that Charlie's mercy extended towards what others would consider monsters.

The two crown guards became fast friend, with Cal always ensuring he would be able to take night shifts to protect him from the sun. She contacted an old ally and made arrangements to get Oreli safely out of the city now that her father was a criminal serving his time as an oathbound crown guard. The two remained close over the years, until Cal was alerted of the oath binding her exclusively to her partner's will. With Cal's personality shifting back to a distrusting paranoia, her friendship with Ren also suffered. Corruption was secretly shipped into the city, and with it, Ren received a message from what he believed was a messenger of Thaldra that Cal needed to be terminated. In reality, the message he received was from the parasite, Erd, who had been hoping that Ren would fulfill Erd's assignment and release Azazel in the Elysian capital city to cause pandemonium. He attempted to assassinate Cal at the dockyard, with his plans being thwarted by Xaveria. He hoped that Cal had died in the warehouse blaze set by Xaveria, but was always wary that she was still alive somewhere, plotting her revenge on him or his family.

Ren's personality is inquisitive, but stalwart above all else. He is loyal to his god, his family, and his moral code. He has an extreme fascination with the dwarven technological advancements that have been made in recent years, even if he has a hard time understanding the workings of it. He awaits the day that his soul oath expires, so that he can return to his daughter.

Relationships

Vesk

Ren sees Vesk and his sister as the peak of villainy, attributing his husband's death to their violence. Vesk sired Ren, which means that they had a complicated relationship from the start. Now that he is a vampire, Ren can't deny that he understands certain aspects of Vesk's motives.

Cal

Ren only knew Calliope as Cayden Calloway for most of their relationship, and found it shocking how many secrets she had been keeping. He doesn't trust her, but he does regret that he attempted to slay his former friend. Even if he no longer wishes her dead, he believes she's dangerous and questions her loyalty. In return, Cal harbors a deep wound from being betrayed by another one of her friends. She doesn't forgive Ren for attacking her, and having to put it aside and work with him makes her even more spiteful to be under Elysian Empire employ.

Shadow Prophets

Ren has a soft spot for many of the Shadow Prophets, knowing how it felt to be unjustly imprisoned. He respects their strengths and does his best to stay out of their way, even when working alongside them. His trust isn't fully established with the group, but he recognizes that they are all working towards a shared goal of stopping the destructive path of the Everheir Empire.

Notable Appearances

Octavian Ren first appeared as the antagonist in Xaveria's session 0.