Ravaryn - Erek Trygg (Governor of Sleetspire)

Details

With his fair skin tone and dark hair he seems very typical for a Ravaryn man. Only his eyes do not have the typical darker colours, but are a piercing bright blue. Even after becoming general of the Ishgardian army when he no longer needed to fight in, but lead the army, and now as governor of Sleetspire he kept training and maintained his very muscular build.

Now that he’s become the governor of Sleetspire, he has exchanged his armour for fur coats and expensive jewels, his braids typical for the army for those more appropriate for official affairs. He is still adjusting to the different weight that the furs around his shoulder bring.

Harsh to his enemies, kind and warm to those close to him, Erek is able to both be extremely merciful and hard in his judgements. When he was younger, he used to be a lot more wild and could only see the world in black and white; with age has come wisdom, balance, and the ability to see more and more shades of grey. He is quick on his feet when dealing with situations and will not show any doubt about the decisions he makes. He always tries to do what’s best for Ravaryn, but when it comes to the collective good or that of his people, he will almost always choose for those closest to him.

His father taught him dark magic, just like his father had taught him. He learned about the ideas and beliefs behind it and studied the difference with other types of magic. Erek knows two types of dark magic.

Weapon enchantment allows him to change the properties of a weapon. This means he could make a weapon temporarily sharper, longer, stronger, poisonous... He does this by offering something with this property: a sharp wolf tooth, a bear's hide, a snake’s venom… This effect will wear off after a while. How long depends on what was offered, the amount that was offered and the caster’s expertise, energy and concentration. This is a type of magic that he uses very little. The glow dark magic leaves on objects makes it impossible to use when anyone is around and so he only has been able to practice in secret. When he was younger he used it when he was alone on a hunt, but now he is quite rusty when it comes to using this.

Secondly, he can also heal. As with all magic, something must be given in return for this to happen. For small wounds, he can use his own energy without depleting himself too much. More serious injuries require a sacrifice. A small animal will do in most cases, but life-threatening wounds require bigger offerings. This type of magic is easier to hide. It leaves dead bodies, but those can be burried before anyone can see them. When he was in the army he would sometimes heal the wounded soldiers when no one was watching. He could never do this often because he did not want to risk exposing himself as a dark mage, but whenever he had the chance to safe someone, he did. Because he has used this type of magic more, he is better at it, though still not amazing since he's had to err on the side of caution and not use it too much.

The Trygg family had governed Norwyn for generations and so it came to be that Vikar Trygg would follow in the footsteps of his ancestors. While the young boy was being prepared for this role, his brother tried to find his place in Norwyn as the son of the governor, but not the one to take his place. Erek didn’t have the same expectations placed on him as Vikar, but still greatness was expected of him.

Growing up the two brothers partially followed the same education. When it was discovered that Erek was talented with weapons and had a great strategic mind, his lessons were focussed on this in comparison to his brother who was taught all the political knowledge and etiquette he would need. This set Erek on his course towards becoming the general of the Ishgardian army while his brother grew into his role as future governor.

It was right before his twentieth birthday that he met the love of his life. They married and Erek moved to Sleetspire where they lived. He was often away because of his role in the army, but still they wanted to have a family. Years passed, but still no children came.

His first battles were messy. The blood, the chaos around him. Yet, somehow he thrived in the environment. The battles left many scars, both physically and mentally, but fighting was something he was good at, excelled at. First on the battlefield and later with other high placed officers when determining what would be the best course of action.

When he was home, he spent time either in Sleetspire with his partner or in Norwyn with his brother and his family. He was a great storyteller and loved sitting down at the fireplace with the children, though he made sure to leave out the most gruesome details of his tales. His relationship with his brother had always been close, even with all the time they spent apart, and Erek loved spending time in Norwyn.

Over the years, Erek grew to be a respected man and his expertise when it came to military business was recognised by those around him, this is what got him the role of general of Ishgard’s army.

Biological children never came, but over the years, they—kind of by accident—adopted. It always started with a child or teenager not having a place to stay and him and his partner taking them in and sooner than later they became part of the family.

Not long ago, the current governor of Sleetspire passed away. Erek was offered the position and accepted. Even though he would have wanted to stay in the army forever, it was time for him to retire from that position and start something new. Only the few trusted soldiers he took with him are still a familiar part of his job. It will take some time for him to adjust to navigating the world of politics, but he hopes he will get the hang of it soon.

While this big life change was happening, another one took place. His brother died and left a hole in the family. Erek tries to support Rán with the loss of her father and her new role as governess, but to be honest he is quite lost when it comes to this and she helps him just as much as he does her.

The most important things to Erek are his family and the people of Sleetspire, and Ravaryn in general, and he will protect them at all costs.

- Now that he has the time for it, he will start breeding his own sled dogs.