Rikuo Nura
Raphael Nighthawk
"The wings of the Nighthawk soar with the cries of vengance in the sky." -- A statement made when questioned why Raphael was feared.
It was said that the Lords of Ravencroft were descendents of ther seraphim that guarded the holy gates of Celestia, and that among them, those who were destined to rise to divinity were born with wings...and the burden of a great destiny. For eight generations the royal family had wingless heirs that moved from one lifetime of prosperity to another; however, when the ninth generation came under the rule of Lord Ramirez Nighthawk, Raphael was born as the first winged heir to the throne in centuries. Jealous nobles in the court and even those in his family sought to use this as an omen of ill, the truth of such a blessing lost in the pages of time, and sought to incite outrage and fear in the citizens. "He will be the harbringer of our destruction, tainted by those black wings," was the usualy cry for his life...not knowing that the child they spurned would be the saving grace of their world.
Despite these efforts Raphael was treated with relative kindness in the kingdom, and was tutored by the most brilliant minds his family could affort him. In particular the young heir found he had a particular gift for white magic and swordplay; thus, he became a prime candiate to take the Trials of the Silver Dragon to become one of the kingdom's Paladins. Holy Warriors blessed by the heaven's themselves. When he came of age at fifteen, he was sent to the cavern to be judged and moved from one trial to another with ease until he arrived at the heart of the cavern to see a woman sealed behind a crystal stone...his heart seemed to react to this and memories of times that he could not comprehend, of moments he did not live to see fluttered through his mind...and when he touched the container holding her back he could hear the voice. "You shall be the first upon many...Rise Lord of the Skies...Liberator Raphael." Raphael was disturbed when it called him Liberator rather than paladin, and noticed that he know wore a emerald pendant around his neck that seeemed radiate with a strange power. Thinking all was well he left the cave only to be ambused by the knights loyal to certain factions of nobles and left for dead, his right eye missing. The news of his reported death shook the country with grief...and soon the royal family was falling into a age of despair while darkness began to lurk within the kingdom's walls. A cult preparing for the awakening of a long dreaded enemy...and Raphael?
He was found by a traveling knight, a warrior who took him with her...and taught him to be who he was destined to be. The Lord of the Raven Skies, the Liberator of the World, and the Chosen of Light...while trying to balance the chaos in his heart, the need for revenge before he became the very monster he was destined to face.
Raphael Nighthawk
"The wings of the Nighthawk soar with the cries of vengance in the sky." -- A statement made when questioned why Raphael was feared.
It was said that the Lords of Ravencroft were descendents of ther seraphim that guarded the holy gates of Celestia, and that among them, those who were destined to rise to divinity were born with wings...and the burden of a great destiny. For eight generations the royal family had wingless heirs that moved from one lifetime of prosperity to another; however, when the ninth generation came under the rule of Lord Ramirez Nighthawk, Raphael was born as the first winged heir to the throne in centuries. Jealous nobles in the court and even those in his family sought to use this as an omen of ill, the truth of such a blessing lost in the pages of time, and sought to incite outrage and fear in the citizens. "He will be the harbringer of our destruction, tainted by those black wings," was the usualy cry for his life...not knowing that the child they spurned would be the saving grace of their world.
Despite these efforts Raphael was treated with relative kindness in the kingdom, and was tutored by the most brilliant minds his family could affort him. In particular the young heir found he had a particular gift for white magic and swordplay; thus, he became a prime candiate to take the Trials of the Silver Dragon to become one of the kingdom's Paladins. Holy Warriors blessed by the heaven's themselves. When he came of age at fifteen, he was sent to the cavern to be judged and moved from one trial to another with ease until he arrived at the heart of the cavern to see a woman sealed behind a crystal stone...his heart seemed to react to this and memories of times that he could not comprehend, of moments he did not live to see fluttered through his mind...and when he touched the container holding her back he could hear the voice. "You shall be the first upon many...Rise Lord of the Skies...Liberator Raphael." Raphael was disturbed when it called him Liberator rather than paladin, and noticed that he know wore a emerald pendant around his neck that seeemed radiate with a strange power. Thinking all was well he left the cave only to be ambused by the knights loyal to certain factions of nobles and left for dead, his right eye missing. The news of his reported death shook the country with grief...and soon the royal family was falling into a age of despair while darkness began to lurk within the kingdom's walls. A cult preparing for the awakening of a long dreaded enemy...and Raphael?
He was found by a traveling knight, a warrior who took him with her...and taught him to be who he was destined to be. The Lord of the Raven Skies, the Liberator of the World, and the Chosen of Light...while trying to balance the chaos in his heart, the need for revenge before he became the very monster he was destined to face.