TDSS TalesTales of Albion
The Shadowed

Rykard

The rogue of Blackmere who trades with chancellors, sabotages siege engines, and carries the names of every traitor in a ledger.

allyaliveHumanRogueMentorThe Verdant PactAlbion's Resistance

Archetype

Jungian archetypeThe Outlaw

He works outside every code but his own. Rykard is the shadow the heroes need and distrust, and the man most likely to pick up the Shard of Varn.

PersonalityISTP

Observant, self-reliant, lethal in the moment, uneasy with anything that asks him to belong. He trusts skill over speeches.

The story

Rykard's people burned because someone sold Blackmere's defenses to the Dragon Kin. Everything he does since is in service of that ledger. He bought it from Lord Varrick in the shadow of Blackmere's cathedral, and Varrick paid him back with a Dragon Kin ambush. Rykard walked out of it with the names.

He is the Society's darkness by choice: the saboteur who slowed the siege engines at Ravenspire, the wraith who cut down officers in the mist. Orlenna welcomed him into the Verdant Pact anyway, and the Lifetree's magic did not burn his shadows away. It softened them, and the forest made room.

In the Whispering Woods the Silent Weaver showed him a thread of his own fate: himself, alone in a ruined hall, the Shard of Varn in his hands. He said he would wield it if Albion needed it. The web snapped a strand as he left. In Blackthorn he has taken a street orphan, Kiernan, as his apprentice, teaching him that death is a tool and never a default.

Appearance

An imposing frame wrapped in a dark cloak that swallows light. A face worn by betrayal and solitude, dark stubble, watchful eyes. He carries a dagger and moves like something the torches cannot find.

Signature

A black dagger and the traitors' ledger: the names of every noble, merchant and guard who sold Blackmere to the Dragon Kin.

Bonds

  • betrayed
    Lord VarrickTraded intelligence for the ledger; Varrick sold him to a Dragon Kin squad.
  • mentor
    KiernanTook the orphan as his apprentice in the shadows.
  • tested
    The Silent WeaverTouched her web and saw his fate.
  • ally
    Eadric of BlackmerePact-brother; sabotaged the siege at Ravenspire.
  • ally
    OrlennaShe welcomed him into the Glade.
  • ally
    YsadorPact-sibling and fellow defender of Ravenspire.

Words

I am the darkness.
Regret is a luxury I can't afford.
We're never even, Varrick.

Appears in

Tale 28 · The War of ShadowThe Shadow’s GambitIn the shadow of Blackmere's cathedral, Rykard trades the Dragon Kin's supply lines for a ledger of traitors, …Tale 26 · The War of ShadowThe Verdant PactOrlenna calls Eadric, Ysador and Rykard to the Lifetree to drink its essence and bind themselves to the land. …Tale 27 · The War of ShadowThe Siege of RavenspireOutnumbered five to one, Eadric, Morwenna, Ysador and Rykard hold Ravenspire against Malakar's horde until Lor…Tale 33 · The War of ShadowThe Silent VigilRykard disturbs the Silent Weaver's vigil to ask how Malakar's return can be stopped. She lets him touch a thr…Tale 39 · The War of ShadowThe Shadow's ApprenticeA street orphan has been following the Shadowed across the rooftops of Blackthorn for weeks. Rykard decides to…

Web of bonds

Lines — the bond:ally / mentorkilled / betrayedloveshadowDots — the side:● hero● ally● villain● turncoat

Drag the nodes. Click a name to travel.