Aleksander Sokol
From Changeling Venue
| Seeming | Fairest Bright One / Shadow Soul |
|---|---|
| Court | Summer Court ••••• |
| Freehold | Edinburgh |
| Player | Rob Collins |
Contents |
I'll neither hold nor stay me hand
But fight to win a better day,
Over the hills and far away.
Overview
Alias(es): The Iron Knight, The Knight of the Thistle, The Burning Falcon
Real Name: Aleksander Sokol
Age: 37
Concept: The Knight Eternal
Entitlement: None.
Physical description: 5'10", bald and heavily built.
Relevant Mechanics: None
Motley: The Order of the Iron Thistle
Character Information
Known History
Basic Timeline:
1970 – Born on the 5th of July, to Peter and Victoria Androvich in the city of Leningrad, Russia.
1984 - Taken on August the 12th while exploring a ‘military site’ marked off limits by the NKVD (now the KGB).
1987 – Returned on November 13th, in the same iron-wire ringed forest he left. He finds and kills his girlfriends fetch, becoming somewhat unstable in the process.
1988 – Joins the Court of the Sun in Leningrad, acting as a Knight and enforcer for the court. Aleksander comes increasingly unstable has he suppresses half his nature out of a desire not to live in the shadows. He does however become an exemplar of the Court.
1991 – Meets Aoife in Leningrad.
1992 – Moves to UK/Edinburgh with family following the full collapse of the remains of the iron curtain, and the USSR.
1992 – Joins the long standing motley of Scottish knights and soldiers, the Order of the Iron Thistle.
1992 – Meets Jacob exiting the Hedge, and the two go on to become firm friends. After the initial fight.
1993 – Mentored by the forthright and brutal General Bonesmasher, Aleksander overcomes his shame and disgust at half his nature, and leaves the Court of Day, instead honing his hatred for his Keeper, and joins the Court of Summer.
1996 – General Bonesmasher dies in combat against the raiding clans, Aleksander is promoted to Grand Master of the Order by general acclaim.
1997 – At the turning of the seasons, Aleksander manifests the Challenge of the Iron Spear in single combat with raiding clan chieftain who insulted the Queen of Spring, and is crowned King of Summer two hours later.
2001 – Evie Greene and Aleksander launch a joint mission to the nearer raiding clans in order to share food and trade goods with them. The mission goes badly wrong when reivers attack the meeting place, at least one member of Aleksander’s motley is killed, and Aleksander is saved by Victor.
2003 – Major reiver incursion across the Borders. The Hedge becomes almost impossible to travel, and the Order suffers heavy losses working with the raiding clans to deal with the problem. The issue is never truly resolved, almost as suddenly as they attacked, the reivers vanish.
2006 – Aleksander meets Aline coming out of the Hedge in July, on Blackford Hill in Edinburgh.
Current Activities:
Merit Details:
Background:
A tall, powerfully built Fairest with unblinking, falcon’s eyes and a smattering of feathers across his shoulders. The King of Summer is rarely seen unarmed, and has never to anyone’s knowledge been seen in hedgespun raiment, viewing it as an unneeded frippery for a knight. Even his plate mail armour is mundane, reputedly forged for him by his ‘old friend’ Galtharion.
A former member of the slavic Day Court, Aleksander joined the Summer Court shortly after his arrival in Scotland fifteen years ago, and soon rose to prominence as a member of that court under the then Grand Master of his motley – the ogre known as General Bonesmasher. Upon the untimely death of Bonesmasher in battle with the raiding clans, Aleksander assumed command of the motley, and a year later manifested the crown of summer in 1997. He has ruled as King of Summer ever since.
Aleksander’s personality can be summed up in three words: Russian Faerie Knight. Much like the gemstone, he has a capacity for terrible beauty both in darkness and in light, and often seems unable or unwilling to distinguish between the two when angry or emotionally troubled. Proud, stubborn, unyielding and honorable, he is also exceedingly vain and looks down on the majority of humans and Lost who do not meet his expectations.
He is rarely seem in conflict or in the Hedge without his warhorse, Bandersnatch, a fae steed of cheerful foul temper he reputedly escaped from Arcadia on.
Motley
Allies
Zenica - What draws these two together is... fairly obvious actually. However the Dancers relationship with the Lord of Summer seems to be more than superficial attraction. How deep their friendship really lies remains to be seen.
Enemies
Character Inspirations
- King Leonidas (300)
- General Maximus (Gladiator)
- Rath Roiben Rye (Tithe)
- Briareos Hecatonchires (Appleseed)
- Tony Stark (Iron Man)
Soundtrack
- The Soviet National Anthem (The Red Army Choir)
- Hail to the King (Dreamevil)
- Leningrad (The Leningrad Cowboys)
- My Immortal (Gregorian)
- Beer For My Horses (Toby Keith)
- Dive for you (Boom Boom Satellites)
Quotes
- "Perhaps I would get on better with the King of Summer if he didn't keep looking at me as if he wanted to eat me..." - Graceful Aline
- "Hail to the King, Baby!" - Steampunk
- "One part Summer, One part Iron. Add a lance (and hedgebeasty-horse to flavour) and the intensity of the sun, then add a sprinkle of Badass. Thats about half of the recipe to make an Aleksander Sokol" - Steampunk again, considerably more drunk this time.
- "This is only based on one of those first impression kinda things, but this Lord of Summer seems to be the real deal. A good old fashioned Summer Courtier who knows his job and does it well. I hope the Edinburgh Freehold realises how lucky they are." - Brawlin' Bram
- "He's what I look up to, what I want to become. Except - and I know this sounds silly, Court of Wrath and everything - maybe less angry." - Arthur MacAodh
- {translated} "Now, there's one Knight who can carry me off to his castle any time he likes." - Zenica
- "I am somewhat afraid that he is not someone who takes shades of grey into account..." - Cormac the Poet
- "Mr Sokol is quite the inspiration. I did not think until I met him that the Gentry could be opposed, but this man would give even Them nightmares." - Professor Henry Slogar
- "I saw him blush! He's lovely.. He was really nice to me and not half as scary as I thought he would be!" - Reeva
- "The Summer King is a man who gets things done and that for the most part is a good thing. Plus he pays well." - Danny Axon
- "Now there's a real man..." - Bishop Grey just after they finished dancing together at the Inverness Winter Formal, all aglow from Bright One light.
- "Ice and fire never sit well together, but Aleksander is as true a devotee to Summer as you are likely to find. I can't say his Iron Knights sit well with me, but I'm happy knowing the North and the Raiding Clans are dealt with by him. As a Warleader, I'll bow to him, but I hope he remembers to live as well." - Carin
- "I owe Lord Summer my life, there are those who misunderstand our relationship one way or another but I do not care. I understand his worth and what he means to me, what others believe is irrelevant." - Graceful Aline
- "Aleksander? Honorable, courageous, and an exemplar of our Court. To have him at your back is to share the field with the light of the sun." - Aoife
- "I suppose he's a good man in his way. Honest, brave, stalwart, and all them other things you expect from a King of Summer. Can't say I like him though. Got no time for war and no need of knights." - Charlie Tyrrell
- "Far more than he appears...he's an interesting one, and clearly dedicated, honourable and more honest than some. Plus he was kind enough not to object when the seating arrangements became...cramped. Not the stuffy sort of Monarch!" - Aria
- "Was really angry recruit. Then good boss. Best for who he had talk to me when I told him I wanted to change. He's still very angry, though." - Obadiah
- "Understands how to trade blow for blow and drink after." - Rea
- "Apparently he speaks for his whole Court in order to declare me not a friend of it, which I find to be a sign of grand delusions. Perhaps just the tip of the iceberg of his insanity?" - Orpheus Bane
- "When you place a heavy burden upon your promises, you should be more cautious as to what you promise, and to who." - Cormac the Poet
- "Anyone who gives so much of themselves to anger is a danger to themselves and everyone around them." - Hoffman
