Dragomir "Chernobog" Krestovozdvizhenskaya

Acanthus, Free Council

Dragomir Anatolyevich Krestovozdvizhenskaya

Shadow Name: Chernobog
Concept: Cossack Sorcerer & Cavalryman

Path: Acanthus
Order: The Free Council
Legacy: The Daoine

Virtue: Justice
Vice: Wrath

Arcana: Fate •••, Space ••, Time •

Dedicated Magical Tool: A perfectly balanced silver kopek (coin)

Known by the Shadow Name "Chernobog," Dragomir is a charakternik (Cossack battle-sorcerer) and member of the Don Cossack Host in Eastern Ukraine. He is an Acanthus Mage of the Free Council/Libertines, as well as an initiate of the Daoine Legacy.


Physical Appearance

Dragomir is a large stocky man with the rough, weather-worn features of someone who has spent his life outdoors. His hands are meaty and calloused, and his arms and chest bear the scars of past battles and saber duels. He has golden brown eyes, an aquiline nose, and a thick horseshoe mustache. In typical Cossack fashion, Dragomir sports a khokhol, a hairstyle consisting of a long forelock of hair on an otherwise fully shaved head. Chernobog’s khokhol is usually worn braided and hanging down the left side of his face, tucked behind his ear. According to Cossack belief, as each Cossack goes to Hell for killing his enemies, God pulls them back out by their forelocks, forgiving their sins because they were committed in defense of family and homeland.

Dragomir’s clothing tends to be showy and ostentatious. His fashion sense could be described as "Caribbean pirate meets nomadic horseman". He prefers bright colors; lots of whites, reds, and blues. The Cossack wears open-breasted kaftans (tunics) over flared trousers, leather riding boots, and a wide crimson sash at the waist. In cold weather, he dons a black papakha (tall fur hat) and long coat with large gold buttons. He has no jewelry other than earrings: a silver loop in his left ear, and a crescent-shaped earring in his right ear that denotes his status as the only living son of his family.


Personality

Dragomir is a boisterous, larger-than-life person who loves women, fighting, and vodka. He’s loud, gregarious, and hot-blooded, and he makes no apologies for it. Like most Cossacks, Chernobog believes in living life to the fullest, so he both works hard and plays hard. He loves and hates with passionate intensity. The Cossack will readily die for friends and family, and he’s just as quick to visit a terrible wrath on those he considers enemies.

Dragomir has an innate sense of justice (Justice is his virtue). He frowns upon the victimization of the weak by the strong, especially when those victims are children. He despises those without honor, in particular, people who lie and break their word (so much so that Chernobog usually turns other people’s agreements and promises into magically binding contracts, using Fate to punish those who forswear on their deals). He also resents those who attempt to impose their will on the Cossacks as a whole (i.e., the Russian Tsardom and the Ottomans). Faced with a serious injustice, Dragomir will often go out of his way to rectify the situation, even if it has nothing to do with him. The Cossack believes that the punishment should fit the crime, and so he likes to castigate his foes in ironic or poetic ways. However, Dragomir’s moral sensibilities are still those of a 16th century Cossack. Thus, he thinks nothing of mercilessly slaughtering his enemies and then raiding their villages. People without honor or character are victimized without a second thought.

Dragomir holds a deep respect for ancient Slavic paganism, from which much of his magical practices are drawn. Although the Cossack is not quite religious, he is very superstitious and puts a great amount of faith in his people’s folklore. As a practitioner of the Fate Arcanum, Dragomir lives according to a semi-deterministic philosophy, often taking the position that some things are predestined and simply "meant to be." He sees the individual threads of destiny in every part of the Tapestry, and because of this, he accepts that there are forces beyond human control. By Dragomir’s estimation, free will only partially exists, and even then, its influence waxes and wanes. Consequently, the Cossack tends to roll with the punches and live in the moment; he rarely, if ever, bemoans his fate or feels sorry for himself.

Dragomir is an excellent horseman. As with most Cossacks, he has spent his life around horses and was able to ride one by the age of five. Most of his work and warfare center around the use of a horse. When not employing his spells, Dragomir fights from horseback with a bow and arrow. He rides a Russian Don, a type of Cossack horse bred for cavalry work. Chernobog is close with his horse, which he likes better than most people.