__________________QUICK STATSName: Lost to history. He's mostly known in modern times as Rimefinger, Sovereign of Snowstorms and Symphonies, the Aurora Rider. No one alive remembers the name he bore before, and no records remain of it.
Age: Ancient. The earliest records of tales that might have featured him date back to thousands of years ago.
Gender: Overall accepted to be male, little evidence or speculation to the contrary
Species: His appearance matches in broad strokes what one might expect from a human, but only the ignorant would assume that he is one. There is a varying amount of evidence supporting theses of ice wraith, some sort of a snow spirit, a rare kind of Fae or something yet undescribed by scholars.
Ethnicity: Hard to say. Due to his pale skin and facial structure, most would assume that he hails from the the northern lands. As it is unknown whether his most agreed upon appearance is original, or just a product of shapeshifting or illusions, any discussion would require quite a lot of shaky assumptions.
Height: 5'8
Occupation: Would "folklore myth of unknown origins" count?
Residence: Gravenhall, best described as a synthesis of an glacial formation and a castle hewn entirely out of ice. It is located at the west wall of the Mistfloe glacier, deep to the north of Hyoite
__________________IN-DEPTH STUFFPhysical Description: Strangely, on this matter most sources are consistent. For all intents and purposes, he appears to be a pale, thin man - most probably it's only the way mortal eyes interpret his form. His fair hair surrounds his face in a soft halo, barely long enough for that. Beneath it hides a high forehead, its lower border demarcated by a pair of thin brows. Below lies a pair of pale blue eyes, framed by fair eyelashes. A thin nose divides his face, hanging over thin lips. His high cheekbones and subtle jawline keep the shape of his face somewhere between triangular and round. His slender neck is rarely seen, mostly hidden behind puffed up collar or a coil of shawls. Almost no other scrap of skin remains exposed; he dresses appropriately for the freezing temperatures, as if the cold weather could still affect him.
Strangely, his garments resemble more what a wealthy Serenian or Connlaothian would wear for the winter, rather than the more practical outfits sewn by the Hyoite natives. Visual and written depictions usually describe some kind of a long winter coat, reaching to the ground. The patterns and fabric vary, but no one has ever seen or described him wearing anything in colours other than shades of white and blue.
musicPersonality: The sources on the matter are highly irregular, so they should be taken with a grain of salt. The passage of time could also account for inconsistencies, explaining them as changes in character. Some tales describe him as a trickster character, fond of playing with any poor fool that entered his domain, visiting trials upon travelers and testing their virtues. In others, he is an undeniably helpful presence, willing to give directions and information to the mortals who come upon Gravenhall. There are a few mentions of him giving sanctuary to those in need, albeit only as a temporary arrangement - all beings capable of surviving the bitter cold of the north are too powerful to ever require such help.
Magic/Abilities: - Rimefinger: His touch can elicit a variety of effects connected to the low temperatures, from conserving provisions through inflicting frostbite, to completely freezing the target. His clothing seems to be immune, and there are accounts of interaction with magic that imply existence of ways around it. As evidenced by Tale of Three Hunters, fire magic seems to be an excellent counter to it, as he was unable to freeze a phoenix; several shield spells seem to nullify the effects as well.
- Sovereign of Snowstorms...: He seems to be able to effect Hyoite's weather in some way. Whenever he's depicted outside of Gravenhall, there is always a blizzard accompanying him. It is unknown whether it's voluntary, or just a side-effect. Several villages treat him like a spirit or god of a sorts, making offerings to gain his favour.
- ... and Symphonies: The hallways of Gravenhall are long and winding, their strange sloped walls and bizarre shapes make the gusts blowing through play a strange melody. He appears to be able to direct the air somehow, using the entire place as his instrument.
- Aurora Rider: His domain over Hyoite's skies is not limited to snowstorms and winds - he is also able to influence the northern lights, as if weaving its colours.
RelationshipsHistory: His first appearance that the scholars accept is dated for over a thousand years. It is an account by a group of explorers that took notice of a strange new ice formation west of Mistfloe. Their journey towards it yielded the first description of Gravenhall, a place that Aurora Rider seems to be tied to. While the only indication of his presence is a throwaway line about a strange figure seen on an inaccessible balcony, its identity can be safely assumed, as there was never any indication of anyone else living within Gravenhall.
What follows is several centuries of sightings - hunters reporting seeing a strange figure walking through the storms, skygazers describing an indistinct form weaving the aurora into eerie patterns, a few travelers bringing back tales of a spirit taking human form. The myth was slowly spreading - while in the majority of Hyoite it has failed to catch on, there were some small communities that accepted it as a part of their beliefs. Some offerings were made - and, as far as everyone knows, accepted.
While the villages in question believe that those offerings earned them the Rimefinger's favour, there is not enough correlation to prove that they were the cause behind his more frequent appearances in the centuries to come. Rather than remain a mysterious figure at a distance, the Aurora Rider chose to engage with people more directly. There is a surprising amount of accounts written by people who visited Gravenhall or came across him in the tundra. While in some cases they came out of such an encounter richer at least in experience, there are also reports of unlucky men tricked or deceived by him.
Character Limitations: He's less powerful than he appears to be. It's fine to move him if the situation calls for it (for example, if in my post he suggested to show your character the way to X, you can describe them going to X in yours). Minor physical handling is fine, especially if your character is protected from the cold.
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