Red Raven
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The Red Raven, named for his famous tattered red cape and the ravens who feasted on his earliest victims,1 is an iconic vigilante renowned throughout Galt for his high-profile heists. Some view him as nothing more than a rebel, while to many he is an egalitarian folk hero.2 Unbeknownst to nearly everyone, however, is that the Red Raven is Aric of Halvon, an outspoken citizen of Galt.1
Appearance
While engaged in his capers, Red Raven always dresses flamboyantly. The appearance of his signature tattered red cloak belies its magical nature. When not committing crimes, Aric is less dramatic and leads a more frugal life.2
History
As a child, Aric's parents were taken by the mysterious Gray Gardeners and executed under the final blade named Madame Margaery. The orphaned boy was raised at Sister Sarinda's Home for Revolutionary Orphans and forced into work sewing clothes while bombarded with a succession of Galtan revolutionary propaganda.
However, he endeared himself to Thanarus, the leader of a group of bandits wronged by Galt's Red Revolution. Thanarus mentored and trained Aric in both honorable behavior and combat until Thanarus's capture and subsequent execution by the same final blade in Isarn.1
Aric recovered Thanarus's red cape from his discarded remains, then went on a murderous rampage against the Council of Skulls, the Revolutionary Council who ordered Thanarus's death. The tales of a red-cloaked killer leaving behind bodies to be picked over by ravens inspired his vigilante name: the Red Raven.1
Dissent and arrest
After felling the Council of Skulls, the next Revolutionary Council—led by Korran Goss—asked the Red Raven to perform tasks on his behalf, though Aric eventually rebelled as Goss's requests grew increasingly violent. Aric's protests by day grew more vocal, and Goss—unaware that Aric was in fact the Red Raven—ordered the Red Raven to capture Aric for execution.
The ironic request led to Aric convincing himself to burn his vigilante costume and stage his own capture by his own vigilante persona, leaving himself at the Gray Gardeners' mercy.1
Escape and vigilantism
Before his own execution, however, Aric was set free by a legal clerk named Quinn. The erstwhile investigator helped Aric flee to Taldor, blamed the Red Raven for Aric's capture, and vowed to track him down, unaware that Aric himself was the masked agent.1
Aric now wanders the Inner Sea region with a recreation of his Red Raven costume,1 and mainly commits daring, high-profile thefts against the wealthy that help his image as a hero of the downtrodden common people. (Some tales claim the Red Raven found his current red cape in a wizard's rubbish in Woodsedge.) Folk tales describe the Red Raven as a criminal who strikes only against arrogant nobles and corrupt merchants,2 and potentially the lost son of original revolutionary Darl Jubannich.3 In real life, he is less concerned about corruption than he is about money. Rather than helping the downtrodden, his crimes often increase tensions between the rich and the poor.2
The Red Raven also monitors the city of Edme, watching the streets and ensuring that common folk are not preyed upon by criminals. Despite his efforts, crime continues to rise in the city.34
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 John Compton. (March 3, 2016). Meet the Iconics—Aric, Paizo Blog.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 . Flight of the Red Raven, 22. Paizo Inc., 2008
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 John Compton. (February 26, 2016). Meet the Iconics—The Red Raven, Paizo Blog.
- ↑ . “Galt” in The Inner Sea World Guide, 72. Paizo Inc., 2011
Additional works published by Paizo Inc. in which Red Raven appears: