Full Name: Alexei Vladimir Rykov
Born: Herak 8th, 5990
Skin: Pale (scared)
Hair: Silver
Eyes: Dark-Blue
Height: 187 cm (6’2”)
Weight: 89 kg (197 lbs.)
Physique: Muscular
Posture: Unassuming
Veteran agent of the Okhrana (the Deltoran Imperial Secret Police) and current director of the Special External Affairs Ministry, Alexei is no innocent youth like our other characters. Make no mistake, this man has deceived and destroyed countless people all in the interests of treacherous leaders and imperial expansion. Little is know of his past before the Deltoran Civil war, and his service record before being appointed head of the SEAM is remarkably hard to find. We do know that he spent a great deal of his life as a field agent before working for the secret police and becoming spymaster. As an accomplished and naturally powerful wizard, it's often speculated that he's entered into a contract with a secretive demon, although this remains a rumor among the few that are close enough to the throne to even know of him.
Although sworn to obey the commands of the Queen, by the start of Overture we find Alexei freshly inspired to begin taking his own course of action to ensure the survival of his nation. During his assignment to the Okhrana he once held a lengthy conversation with the adolescent princess of Deltora, Ashley Voltacore. While he hides his emotions and motivations from the world extremely well, it's clear that afterward an uncharacteristic notion of purpose had formed in his heart.
Distanced and hardened to the world, he only appears as what he wants to be seen as at first sight. A charming negotiator, a brutal murderer, and stealthy shadow. In front of his superiors he manages to be equally unreadable, seemingly loyal and treacherous at the same time. "A born spy, with no concern for his own life" in the words of Queen Elaine. Certainly a frightening character to comprehend, he's gone about his line of work killing and lying without a second though for decades. Oblivious to the weight of his sins, he's now almost naively drawn into some new ideal, although damned if I know what he's up to. By the time the Queen dispatches his to investigate an Egalitarian terrorist leader's return to Greater Shaar, it's already clear enough that the cogs of conspiracy are in motion in his mind. But does he seek revenge, redemption, or reform? And although his methods may be far more mystic and murderous than Tatyana's he's faced with the same problem in his wild schemes: What can one man accomplish?
As a character I wanted to try to tap into the viewpoint of an evil henchmen but it certainly got away from me. He plots against his masters and makes secret vows to people he once knew, and what can I do to stop him? At the very least, things will certainly become more interesting. Just because he's secretly devising rebellion doesn't mean he'll get along with our Egalitarian friends or separatist princess any better than you'd expect.
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