Name: Raiden MoranaRace: HumanHair: Black, now streaked with grey. Tied neatly in a ponytail with a bowstring.Eyes: Greyish blue.Age: Late 40's.Height: A little under six feet tall.Weight: Around 14st (195lbs approx).Birthplace: The Covian Shire----------
Appearance:Raiden stands a little under six feet tall and is heavily built. He has huge shoulders, muscular arms and chest and powerful thighs honed by years of rigorous training whilst serving in Cove's elite unit, the Grenadiers. A regimen he continues to this day.
He has steely blue eyes and his right cheek boasts an angry jagged scar. His nose, although not quite flattened, has obviously been broken and he also sports another smaller scar running through his left eyebrow. His hair is always tied neatly in a ponytail using a bowstring as a mark of respect for his fallen comrade and best friend, Grenadier Sergeant Vince Valentine.
His forearms are crisscrossed with old scars and his torso also bears the marks of many a battle, including a puncture wound to his left shoulder. On Raiden's upper right arm are two brands. The letter 'A' and also a small wolf's head.
Raiden Morana, Captain. As pictured today.----------
Background:Raiden was born and raised in the Shire by a dour woodsman and his wife who showed him little affection. He ran away from home in his early teens to seek fame and fortune in Britain. However he was soon to find that the capital's streets were not paved with gold and Raiden had to learn every dirty trick in the book in order to survive life in the gutter-gangs.
Barely two years after leaving Cove, Raiden returned to the Shire to find his parent's home long since burnt out and derilict. Rumours told of Vesperian raiding parties and Kaldorian's burning out homesteads during their retreat. Or perhaps roaming orcish war bands but Raiden didn't really care for which.
Raiden stumbled upon a Covian Militia patrol in the Covetous mountains and was soon enrolled within it's ranks. Not motivated by a need to avenge his parent's demise but out of the simple need for three warm meals a day, a roof over his head and a little coin in his purse.
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Life As A Guardsman:*A weather worn painting depicts Guardsman Recruit Morana (spattered in blood),
as he helps defend the Swaggers Inn against the Kaldorian onslaught.*
Other Covians pictured: Grenadier Sergeant Al Makhtoum, Corporal Niharel,
Hardened Guardsman Gry & Junior Guardsman Arkay.
Serving in the Kaldorian Line, Minoc and Vesper campaigns, Raiden made steady progress as a guardsman and soon made it his ambition to join Cove's elite, the
Baron's Own Grenadiers and follow in the footsteps of his two early mentors, Ahmed Al Maktoum and Erik Arkay.
When many of his comrades and beloved Baron left for Yew, Raiden chose to remain in Cove and stay loyal to his duty to protect the Shire's townsfolk. Under the guidance of
Arkay and
Commander Gregor Eason, Raiden continued his rise through the ranks and helped rebuild what was left of the fractured Baronship.
The next few years would be turbulent ones for Raiden. The Baron returned from Yew but his joy at this was tempered by the Grenadiers becoming an archer only unit. Raiden became the first guardsman to sign up for the Glenmore Highlanders where he served with some distinction in the conflicts against Yew. The Highlanders however would be short lived and the Grenadier's returned to being a mixed unit. Raiden shaved off his beard and trimmed his unkempt hair, tying it into the familiar ponytail he sports to this day.
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The Baron's Own:It wasn't too long before Raiden joined his best friend
Vince Valentine in Grenadier command and under their guidance the squad enjoyed it's hay day, smashing the Yewish out of Minoc and then Vesper and also building up much of the reputation the unit enjoys today with deeds of heroism and unwavering loyalty to their baron, not to mention swooning many a fair lass along the way!
Grenadier Sergeant Valentine (centre) & Grenadier Corporal Morana (right of centre) on parade.Just like their predecessors however, disaster or what some might call the
"Grenadier Curse" would befall the two friends. Not long after Sergeant Valentine was wed to his sweetheart,
Kelly Sanderson he would undertake a dangerous solo mission, on the Baron's orders.
When Valentine failed to make contact at the designated time Raiden, now
Grenadier Corporal led a search party to rescue his friend from whatever had befallen him. Alas the mission was in vain as all that could be found were Valentine's charred remains. Returning to Cove, Raiden shouldered the unenviable duty of informing Kelly that her husband was lost and to return the fallen Grenadier's wedding ring which he had recovered at the scene. To this day, Raiden ties his ponytail with a bowstring as a mark of respect to his dead friend.
Raiden struggled to come to terms with the loss of his friend but he battled on alone guiding his Grenadiers, being promoted to
Sergeant in the process. These were relatively peaceful times for Cove which didn't really sit well with Raiden. Warriors need to be kept busy. The Baron decided to sojourn in the colonies taking with him Shadwell and leaving Raiden, now a newly gazetted
Captain in charge of Covian affairs.
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Life As An Officer:This was a heavy burden for even Raiden's broad shoulders. He was a warrior not a politician. Most of his friends were slain or absent and his marriage to Flina was failing. He had always enjoyed the comradeship he had shared in the ranks but now, as an officer, he felt very much alone. The homeland he loved too was in decline and it was only his desire to see it prosper once more that kept him focused on his duty.
With the help of the army's new leadership consisting of
Hoagie, Kelly Sanderson and Graem Carcer, Cove steadily grew once more. An alliance with Vesper and bustling trade with Trinsic meant that once again the Baronship was thriving. Octiovus' visits became more frequent and many Covian veterans returned to take part in the town's
Freedom Festival to celebrate the anniversary of the end of the orcish occupation of Cove. The festival saw Raiden promoted to
Commander.
A proud moment and huge honour to follow in the footsteps of the famed Erik Arkay and Gregor Eason... Not only had Raiden become the first Guardsman to advance from Recruit to Senior Guardsman, he had now progressed from Corporal to Commander.
*A weather worn portrait depicts Raiden's promotion to Commander at the 4th Freedom Festival in Cove.
However things would take a turn for the worse. Blighted crops and alleged mismangement by the treasury meant that Cove could no longer afford to pay the army's wages. Guardsmen deserted, citizens fled in search of more fertile pastures and the newly installed Commander had to make the hardest decision of his life.
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The Company:Cove's militia, long since transformed into a professional army under the leadership of Gregor Eason, would become a mercenary company, in an attempt to replenish Cove's empty coffers and breathe life back into the Baronship.
Under Raiden's leadership
The Company saw many new recruits and returning faces and it carved out a reputation for bravery and ruthless efficiency during the
Vesper Civil War in particular. Commissions for these darkly clad warriors came thick and fast and soon there would be a new dawn in Cove.
*A faded drawing depicts one of The Company's many triumphs during the Vesper Civil War.*
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The Baron's Return:With the Company's ranks swelling, the return of the Baron to Cove and the coffers once again full, The Company was dissolved and the Covian army reinstated and pressed into immediate action during the
War Of The Great Combine.
This would be Raiden's last major conflict leading Covian forces. Life as Commander, especially the foppish politics of Sosaria, was finally taking it's toll. Even the support of his trusted comrades in command and the love of his second wife,
Railen and their new born babe,
Ryan, couldn't halt his increasing depression.
After numerous attempts on his life and the lives of his wife and child, Raiden resigned his commission, returning his Commander's sash and Grenadier's garb personally to the Baron. However, his resignation was only accepted by Baron Octiovus under the condition that Raiden remained part of the Covian army, as an Exploring Officer.
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Exploring Officer.:Charged with wandering the lands, collecting information on allies and enemies both, Raiden would take himself out of the forefront of Sosaria's politics and his family out of harm's way. But only at the cost of being absent from their lives.
Another hard bargain for the weary veteran...
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Personality:Raiden can be the best of friends or the worst of enemies. Having spent more than half his life in the army, much of it serving in the elite Grenadiers he knows every dirty and malingering trick in the book and does not suffer fools easily. Fiercely loyal to his friends, family and homeland, Raiden has suffered much heartache through his life and finds it hard to forge close friendships. In fact, he can count his friends that are not absent or dead on the fingers of one hand.
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Relationships:Raiden's closest friends are his wife, Railen Morana, Captain Grayner, Kelly Sanderson, Eve Thenasa, John Dell, Vince Valentine and Aliryl Trefynwyd. He came through the ranks with the Hoagie, Vince, Kelly and Dell. Eve was his first love and surprisingly he has forged close bonds with the elven Scout Aliryl. Raiden also has the utmost respect for the former Commanders Gregor Eason and Erik Arkay.
*A faded, tear stained sketch of the wedding of Railen & Raiden Morana.*
Raiden has had many relationships, affairs, flings and a failed marriage in his past and he holds many women dear but the bond he shared with his wife is stronger than any other in his life. Having Railen to go home to at the end of each day made the burden of leadership easier to bear and although he has loved deeply in the past, notably
Eve and his secret relationship with a
Waywatcher, nothing compares to the love he has for his wife and their child, Ryan.
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Career Landmarks:First Guardsman to complete the entire army ranking structure, Guardsman Recruit through to Senior Guardsman and then the entire Command structure from Corporal to Commander.
Awarded the Baronship's most acclaimed accolade, the Covian Seal, twice, along with the Richter Crest, Baron's Cross and Rage Of Raaz.
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Campaigns:Kaldorian Line Campaign
First Minoc Campaign
Vesper Campaign
Yew Campaign
Second Minoc Campaign
Border Wars Campaign
Vesper Civil War Campaign
The War Of The Great Combine
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