Riaan

The massive draenei cannot be anything other than a warrior, and a fearsome one for most impressions. He stands a good deal taller than most, with a broad, powerfully muscled build. Often clad in a full suit of heavy plate and never without either his warhammer, Kure'kul ('The Redeemer' in his native tongue), or the Hanaadei, his family blade, he is the image of a powerful, elder vindicator.

The entirety of his body is lined with scars of millenia of battle, but only a few are left visible - the first a gruesome, jagged wound on his face. It trails from the upper-left of it, across the bridge of his nose and the edge of his right eye, and ending around the lower-right side of his jaw. The others of note are the two scarred nubs where the tendrils were presumably severed from his chin.

The impression doesn't quite reach the rest of his face, which is open and often smiling, with warm blue eyes. As though in defiance of his appearance, the brutish, war-torn exterior houses the colossal, compassionate heart that beats within.

Argus - Beginnings
The young Riaan was destined to be a warrior from the moment he was old enough to hold a blade of his own right. Born to Hanaador, a renowned and brilliant battlemage, and Araana, a sorceress, he was raised in the capital of Argus, Mac'Aree. Though a martial career was hardly an illustrious one on the eredar homeworld, his nigh-peerless skill in melee combat and herculean strength assured Riaan a reputation as he swiftly ascended the ranks of the city guard. Especially among his elders, this rise was cause for great alarm - the brash young warrior, they reasoned, was not fit for such station. Nonetheless, rise he did, and under the tutelage of Otodo - a high-stationed officer in Mac'Aree's forces - he grew into a seasoned, competent, and keenly intelligent soldier.

It was a simple life, and Riaan did not object. He had the inherent curiosity for the many mysteries of the universe as his kin, but arcane spellcraft had never come easily to him. With no true need for military advances nor even so much as a police force in the capital, he spent his days, months, and years in near-ceaseless training, striving for nothing short of martial perfection. And so when Sargeras came to the eredar, with his honeyed promises of flawlessness and unparalleled strength, he was nearly lured in his naivete to his own damnation. Were it not for the intercession of his father - to the scorn of his mother - it may well have been.

And so when that solstice came, he ventured to the highest peak of his home, with the scant hundreds who also heeded Velen's dire warnings, bearing nothing but his armor and blade. He beheld what became of his people in Sargeras' grip; he bore witness to the fate many friends, fellow guards, and his own mother had consigned themselves to. He drew his blade, prepared to die fighting that day, when the naaru came to their aid, spiriting them away from the clutches of the man'ari.

On that day, Riaan - a lowly warrior from Mac'Aree - became Riaan, the exile. And on that day, he swore an oath to return one day - even if it took the whole of his life.

Naaru Vessel - Birth of a Vindicator
It was not long, even in the shock of the sudden departure, before Riaan's attention fell upon the enigmatic naaru. They spoke of a war that spanned not only their people - not only Argus - but many worlds beyond. An entire universe that could be subjected to the Dark Titan's perversions. They spoke, too, of a Light: the source not only of their power, but indeed of their very being - and a path they were willing to teach to those who would learn.

While it was mere curiosity at first that drew Riaan to their tutelage, he came to envy the sheer sense of peace and righteousness that all but emanated from the beings of Light. He no longer wished to merely learn; he wanted to emulate that strength of purpose and faith. Many of his peers joined him in these supplications - and in time, amongst his fellow warriors, he dedicated himself to the Light and its teachings, ultimately swearing himself to the cause of the vindicators: mostly former soldiers such as himself, who now would wield the Light to bless and heal as well as deliver justice.

He and his newly-anointed, fellow vindicators were granted hammers as icons of their path. He christened his 'Kure'kul' - the Redeemer - and it has been his near-constant companion from that time onward.

(WIP - to be continued!)