Andrei Ransom

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Andrei Ransom, spouse of Maria and father of Marcus, was a little-known Pendragon of the Fourth Age. He is little celebrated outside Arindell as he did not travel often. However, within the city, he is considered a legend.

Early Life

Andrei was born a Craftsman and raised in their village outside Arindell. Although he showed great skill at forging metal, he began martial training, and pursued traditional rôles more as a study than a true discipline. As a youth, Andrei refused focus on any aspect of crafting, instead studying everything with great vigor, but never developing sizable skill in any area. He was considered a skilled smith by normal standards, but mediocre to poor among his own people. For this he spent many years estranged from his family.

As a young man, Andrei came to Valley Gale Keep to take The Trials. During this time, he had little contact with his people. This was not uncommon, because Craftsmen who left the village were often unwelcome. In A.Y. 4529, Andrei was anointed a Slayer Dragon. His return home to be fitted for Regalia was bittersweet, as family and friends still did not respect his lifestyle. Andrei surprised them all by assisting in the forging of his own weapons and armor.

Slayer Dragon and Pendragon

Andrei was extremely well-liked by the other Slayer Dragons even before his anointing. His knowledge of the making and design of magical weapons helped them improve their own equipment. His first act as Pendragon was to design all-new gear for his Slayer Dragons.

While the craftsmanship remained as high as ever, the general functionality and power of the crafted Slayer Dragon armor improved dramatically during Andrei's time. Before, craftsmen had little knowledge of how to use the weapons they made, while Slayer Dragons and the First File had no understanding of how they were created. Andrei bridged that gap.

He wrote numerous manuals and textbooks, and changed the Slayer Dragon training to include craftsmanship, giving future Slayer Dragons sufficient understanding to properly instruct the Craftsmen in their needs.

Death

Andrei was mortally wounded in battle, and died shortly after passing the sword to his successor (Gabriel Rikart), whom he had personally trained and groomed for the rôle. A great deal of public outcry surrounded Andrei's death, as it was thought he died for a lack of skill in combat; but the Slayer Dragons who fought beside Andrei maintained that his defeat was by no lack of skill, but by overwhelming odds. The outcry died away quickly, and Andrei was buried with full honors in the Valley of Sleeping Dragons.

Marriage

Little is known of Maria Ransom; but she too was of Craft stock, and married him in defiance of his family (though probably not of hers). It is likely that she was 'contracted' to him before he left for Valley Gale Keep, and followed him later to sate the contract. (In the Fourth Age, marriages among Craftsmen were most-often contractual, wherein one betrothéd was 'contracted to' the other, who often had no say therein, at or without the behest of their families). Their son Marcus was born a few years after their marriage; probably c. 4538.

See Also: