Riak the Pict

• Species: Kindred
• Origin: Pictland (Now Scotland)
• Residence: Leicester
• Age: 30 (at embrace) 1,774 years old.

(rY-akh)

Riak - Aghla-torr

Riak was born at a time of great turmoil for his people,  the Roman Empire had spread northwards across the island of Britannia  and her soldiers had not stopped their advance until coming to the lands of the Picts.  Riak joined the Aghla-torr (The Warriors of the Dawn) to fight what his tribe saw as the coming darkness of Roman rule.  Dedicated to the Sun God Lugh-na and to saving his consort Dalch-nu (Earth Mother) from the evil that they saw, Riak and his comrades waged a bloody war of attrition against the Roman forces for almost fifteen years.  Often they were aided during night assaults by the Dhomm-torr (Warriors of the Dusk) who were strange savage creatures.

Riak was one of the few Aghla-torr who made it to, what was then, old age.  That plus his unwavering courage, zeal and savagery he won a rare privilege and was invited by the Dhomm-torr known simply as "the Pict" to undergo the ritual of transformation.  Over the next month he was prepared, he prayed and fasted, he underwent ritual scarification and his beard was shaved to represent eternal youth.  Then on the night of the new moon, in the Barrow of his ancestors his blood was drained by the Pict and he drank of the Pict's blood.

Riak - Dhomm-torr

So Riak became one of what he eventually discovered was the Gangrel Clan of kindred.  The first duties he was taught was in memory of Khaini and the curse of Lugh-na.

Many years after the wars of the Gods Lugh-na had taken upon himself the onerous daily duty of returning to the Otherworld to defeat the evil that gathered there.  He despaired that he left his Wife, Dalch-nu, and her bounty in darkness when he left.  Dalch-nu told him not to worry, that his absence would mean rest for all creatures until his triumphant return in the Dawn, yet Lugh-na knew the treacheries of the Demon-kind and knew she and all she cared for would be in danger.  So it was that Dalch-nu blessed the hero Khaini with eternal life and flesh that would be hard as the hardest rock that she was made of.  She taught Khaini how to renew his strength eternally requiring only the lifeblood of mortals, just as mortals drew sustenance from her.  Lugh-na was relieved and blessed Khaini with the righteous fury of battle so that Khaini could light the darkness of night with his rage.

Many years Khaini fought to protect his former kin from the horrors that dared creep once they were out of Lugh-na's stern gaze.  More and more horrors entered this world and it seemed that as powerful as Khaini was, he could not be everywhere he was needed.  So Khaini undertook a great journey to the highest mountain in the World and asked Lugh-na for aid.  Lugh-na entreated Dalch-nu for the secret she had gifted Khaini and she taught Khaini how her power saturated his blood, and how it could bless others.  So Khaini created the first brood, then when he learned of far off lands he instructed the first brood to pass on their blessings, so that their children would spread across the world and bring protection to their former kin.

Centuries later Khaini travelled to distant lands to admire the selfless toil of his family, but what he found horrified and disgusted him.  Many of his grandchilder had exalted themselves as Gods before the mortals, had them create huge cities to slake their thirst for lifeblood, and preyed upon the weak and innocent as savagely as the Demon-kind had done.  Khaini flew into a terrible rage and destroyed many of his descendants and their cities, but his anger at his children was still not stayed.  He cried out to Dalch-nu and she opened to him, allowing him to descend into the underworld to treat with Lugh-na before the next day.

Lugh-na was wroth with the children of Khaini and in his fury he swore that any of Khaini's treacherous children that fell under his gaze, he would burn to ashes.  Until the day that the children remember their duty and their humility.

The next dawn saw many of Khaini's family burn.  The survivors disappeared into the night forever to cower from Lugh-na's fury until all Khaini's children took their place as humble Guardians again.