Radovan

Radovan son of Kynthelig is a wildling from the far reaches of the world near the ice rivers. While his curiosity got the best of him and took him south he did spend half of his life north of the wall. Perhaps the kindest Ice River clan member to have ever existed is still morally flawed and frequently misunderstands typical customs. Radovan’s body is strong and his skill with a weapon is immense but his most useful tool is his great wisdom and curiosity. His skill in fighting has usually gotten him out situations his curiosity got him into. Don’t mistake kindness for weakness because Radovan is anything but.

Appearance and Character
Radovan has a muscular frame and is considered just above average in height. While he cannot really be considered handsome his features are far from ugly. Radovan’s vibrant green eyes almost look like gems hewn from the earth and his short tousled brown hair are akin to the color of pine bark. Crow’s feet surround his eyes giving him an older appearance than a man of his age would normally have. Wearing simple clothes and a cloak given to him Radovan leads a relatively humble lifestyle. His Staff and sword are the only items he carries with worth any value and of course, his mind.

Wielding a calm collected attitude and a soft smile Radovan’s has a kind appearance. Radovan possesses a strong moral compass (of course the morals are defined by him) and does his best to meet the difference lifestyle of kneelers. However, he would never give up his freedom.

Early Life
In 371 A.C. on a terribly cold and snowy day in the ice rivers Radovan was born. His early years were the most difficult as it is a struggle to survive in such dour conditions. As is custom he was named Radovan on his second birthday. Ever since he could wield one he was given a small club no more than a stick really but it would defend him better than nothing. His father, Kynthelig, took him out to train every day from that point on. In the meantime, his mother would teach him about the old gods and the herbs that help close wounds. He pestered his family with incessant questions constantly asking ‘why’? Here his curiosity developed and would be a driving force in his character.

On his eighth birthday Kynthelig finally took Radovan on a hunt if only to watch. The young boy, at this age, was of no combat use. Even at the young age of eight Radovan’s ability to retain information was astounding and he remembered much about what his mother taught him about healing. A fight broke out between a rival clan and left his father grievously wounded. It was only by Radovan’s quick thinking he was saved. Radovan and the other ice river clan’s members consumed the defeated.

Insatiable Curiosity
When Radovan was a young adult his curiosity had plagued nearly everybody in the ice rivers and frequently got Radovan into much trouble. On a raid south of the wall he saw a sign on what appeared to be a building. It had an image of a sun on it with letters on it. Though he had no idea what letters were at the time. The south fascinated him immensely. While Radovan was a wildling needless killing was not interesting to him and he lacked much of the bloodlust of his fellow clansmen. Usually his position in raids was to gather supplies and locate where important points of attack might be. At the time he had already been given his stone staff which he never went anywhere without.

In the year 389 A.C. Radovan was stuck in a blizzard and was forced to flee from the Frostfang mountain range toward the haunted forest. After many days of stumbling and combating frostbite Radovan collapsed by a heart tree. Radovan firmly believed that the old gods would protect him as he was a staunch believer in them. Through his many question he had accumulated much knowledge about them. The old gods would decide his fate that day Radovan told himself as he lay.

To Radovan’s surprise he woke up the next morning the blizzard had subsided. He stared into the face quite a long time trying to discern anything from the wind around him and the rustle of the leaves. Before leaving he thanked the old gods in a silent prayer (regardless of how much they actually played a role in this scenario). He followed the Milkwater river north into the frost fang mountain range. While walking through the Frostfang’s he had a shocking encounter. Below him in the valley he spotted Giants and their mammoth’s walking through the mountains. Radovan’s curiosity bested him as he went to get a closer look. The giants were truly gigantic living up to their names standing over 10 feet tall. It was Radovan’s first time seeing such beings and gazed upon them for a very long time. He made sure to leave when they got too close to the tree he was behind.

Later on in the same year much fighting occurred and many died including Radovan’s family. The grief struck him hard. Even with all of the great knowledge he possessed through trial in error of medicine he could not save those he cared about. Remembering the south from long ago he decided he would travel below the wall and hopefully remove himself from such reckless hate that surrounded the ice river clans. Once again his curiosity, aided by his grief, bested logic.

South of the Wall
Adjusting to life south of the wall was troublesome as much of the world was unknown and he had no inkling of how to speak the tongue of the kneelers. Much of the first year was spent observing commoners. Picking up bits and pieces of the tongue where he could. One day as the year was drawing to a close he was walking down a path and he noticed a cart toppled over withseveral men picking through it. When he walked over to the cart the mean pulled out their weapons and yelled at him. Not fully understanding them he stopped grabbing his staff in a defensive position. The men rushed Radovan but they posed no threat to the warrior. He also took one of the men’s swords. He noticed a man that did not fight with the others. Dressed in bright colors he clutched a knife at his side. Radovan immediately tried to help him rushing around gathering what he could. After a week of care the man was entirely better. Radovan had sparring conversations with the man during them using simple phrases he picked up. The man stated he was a traveling merchant and offered Radovan a position as a guard.

For the next 4 years Radovan traveled with the merchant who taught him much of the language and how to read and write. He also learned how aspects of the civilized world works like money for example. Ever since Radovan learned how to read he would always have a book in his hands seemingly obsessed with learning more and more. After learning much from the merchant and travelling to faraway places all over Westeros he left the man when they got to the city known as Oldtown. The citadel intrigued him but becoming a Maester would mean giving up too much freedom. Even if he couldn’t study at the citadel he stayed in Oldtown for a year learning as much as he could about modern medicine. However, something else interested him a topic known as magic. It was hardly ever brought up and almost always eluded him when it was but he was interested. Even after all the years spent with the merchant the obvious cultural difference where still obvious. Radovan had gotten only a little better at faking customs.

Even after spending so much time in the south Radovan still had an accent. Having an old tongue accent was almost entirely foreign so far south allowing his true identity to be hidden. Travel led him up north to the capital known as King’s Landing. While Radovan disliked the south greatly for their blasphemous worship of ‘the seven’ and complete disregard for the old gods King’s landing epitomized all of it. Yet, the city held many curious things and curiosity was always the downfall of Radovan.

War and Essos
Radovan really walked into recruitment in the war not necessarily wanting to fight for something he did not believe in but when he saw the great dragon that the kneelers king rode he was immediately fascinated wanting desperately to see it in action. Radovan only participated in the war briefly as his ship he was on sunk in a storm. While swimming aimlessly silently pleading to the old gods after some time he his land. After much walking on the rocky island he figured out he was in a place called the step stones. He got into many scuffles with ruffians known as pirates but Radovan’s skill far outweighed theirs save a few. Eventually, after several months, he got passage to the mainland known as Essos.

He travelled Essos for nearly a decade and learned much about medicine and the foreign land about him. Even more importantly he learned more about what this magic was as it was far more frequent in Essos. However he possesed no talent for it. He had been many places and asked many questions. Not every place spoke Westerosi so communication was at times difficult but he got by.

Return to Westeros
In the ninth moon of 407 A.C. he returned to Westeros at Kings landing. He had learned as much as he thought he could about magic and besides he was exhausted of the foreign land. He desired to be on Westeros once again. Perhaps someday soon he would return North of the wall but that idea almost scares him.

Return to the Wall
After finding a dragon egg and failing to hatch it Radovan turned North, to his homeland. Initially he decided that he should return to his clansmen. His welcome was not met with any great feasts or any spectacular events. The various tribes of the Ice-Rivers scorned Radovan but a small subsect did not and he became a part of the clan once again. Radovan and those who accepted him were frequently sent on scouting missions into the dreary far north. Eventually, after two years, Radovan became fed up with this nonsense. He challenged the current cheiftain of the sub-clan to a duel to the death which was hard fought but Radovan was surprisingly skilled with a blade. The fight ended with the other chieftains head being lopped off.

War in the West: In the East
In the beginning of the year 410 the other sub divisions of the Ice-Rivers, the cannibals, began infighting and eating the other Ice river clan members. While a little of this is relatively normal the extent that it was happening was not. Radovan needed to retaliate. A blood price needed to be paid. While the cannibals went off to support the Winterblood's Radovan began to plant seeds of distrust and grains of knowledge in the clansfolk. It took nearly a year but Radovan was finally ready to launch a full scale assault on the other sections of the Ice River's. To their surprise many of their own men turned against them. However, the fighting went on for a very long time. Without the help of Hadr, son of Ekill Crowsbane, the fighting might have gone on indefinitely.

Chieftain of the Ice-Rivers
After nearly four more years of fighting, battling, arguing, punching, kicking, and spitting in 415 A.C. Radovan became the undisputed leader of the Ice-River clans. Life after this calmed down. Occasionally Radovan brushed swords with the eastern giants but he spoke to them first if he could. Not always could he dissuade the irritable giants away from violence but he certainly tried. Radovan did not outlaw cannibalism necessarily but he did state that killing a live person to eat them is to be met with death. If the person is already dead or slain in battle only then can they be eaten. Even this, however, is heavily discouraged.

In some way shape or form Radovan is indebted to Hadr and his men and by extension Ekill Crowsbane; The man who styled himself as King of the free folk. Radovan had no qualms with the man and actually found him to be a relatively good person but due to the distance of their tribes he has had little interaction with him. If Radovan had to surmise a guess he would say Ekill and he are on the same page as allies. Radovan valued his autonomy but he also revered Ekkill. Radovan has no desire to rock the boat. After all he does have many other pursuits to be looking out for. For example, his dragon egg. Whenever he had spare time Radovan would write about it or study his notes. Sometimes he would sacrifice animals to it. While the next few years were relatively stable Radovan continued to educate his tribesmen with various tidbits of knowledge. Eventually they had a longhouse built for Radovan. Various other wooden house were built as well and trees were planted. Not all took but some hardy ones are growing.

Recent Events:
Radovan and several Ice-River Clansmen are at Ekkill Crowsbanes feast among other chieftains.