I N F O

[reznikolai]

FIRST IMPRESSIONS vision Nikolai looks the part of a fairytale prince, complete with golden hair, sharp jawline, and broad shoulders. He carries himself with an easy pride and natural grace. Although his carriage is upright he does not come across as stiff. Nikolai favors "nicer" clothing: button-up shirts, structured jackets, slacks, polished boots. He is never without his leather gloves. sound Nikolai speaks in a smooth tenor, the sort of voice that can persuade, or assure, or inspire — whatever purpose he sets his words to. Skilled in keeping his emotions locked out of his expression and voice alike, he speaks evenly in most situations. After he has transformed back from his monster form, his voice becomes raspy. scent He smells most often of soap and leather. On special occasions, he'll dab on cologne.

PERSONALITY It would be easy to mistake Nikolai for an arrogant and flippant royal, as this is the persona he most often puts on. He does not shy away from boasting, although he would argue it isn’t boasting if one is simply telling the truth. Facetious and difficult to ruffle, while at the same time a little too happy to ruffle others’ feathers, he often comes across as one who takes little seriously. He strives to appear always in control of himself and his emotions, hiding any flaws or insecurities behind a polished exterior. However, this urbane veneer hides a much harder edge. Nikolai is, above all, someone capable of taking up many different mantles and wearing many different masks. He has developed the habit of carefully shifting his personality according to what others want from him — or rather, what he wants from them. Being only the second son, and weighed down further by rumors that he is in fact a bastard, Nikolai has had to meticulously craft his reputation since adolescence in order to fulfill his ambition of gaining the throne. Everything he does is calculated. For example, he chose to join the regular infantry and fight alongside commoners rather than accept the rank of officer by virtue of his noble blood. In doing so, he secured the respect and trust of military officials as well as the common ranks. Furthermore, he shows compassion by remembering personal details of the men he served with, thus setting himself up as a prince who cares for his people. In this way, he is both ruthlessly single-minded while simultaneously capable of minding dozens of different “pieces” to a plan. It is as if he sees everything laid out before him on a chessboard. He is not only a schemer, but also a dreamer. He wants to be king not for the title and power, but because he wants to fix Ravka. Nikolai loves his country deeply and believes his people deserve better than his predecessors — such as his father, who enjoyed throwing lavish banquets and doing as he pleased, but cared little for running the country in a way that benefitted anybody outside of the elite circles. He takes seriously the role of king, serving his country from the throne rather than forcing his country to serve him simply because he sits on the throne. He understands the duties of a king as well as the limits, such as when he tells his father that even the king is not above the law. So loyal is he to his duties that he willingly sacrifices his personal life for the sake of what Ravka needs. As the sort of person who believes most anything is possible if one applies himself rigorously enough, Nikolai likes to remind people that when they say impossible, they most often mean improbable. These are words he lives by. If it is for the sake of improving Ravka and her people, there is nothing he won’t at least consider. His curiosity and inventive spirit have led him to develop (with the skills and expertise of the Grisha who work for him) a wide array of aircrafts, ships, and weapons. He is bold in the risks he takes, fearing the shame that accompanies a lack of effort more so than fearing failure itself. By nature, Nikolai is a problem-solver. This is one of the factors lending to his eminent leadership skills. Even under duress, or especially under duress, he is capable of making sound decisions. Of course, he plans ahead as much as possible too, often developing multiple backup plans in the event that something goes wrong. Wearing the mantle of leadership with ease, he is the sort of man that others readily look up to, because he projects confidence and decisiveness. He finds it difficult to rest while a problem remains unresolved. For example, he works tirelessly to find some way to suppress the dark magic that the Darkling planted in him, so that he does not bring harm to his people. Despite his seemingly endless ego, Nikolai does harbor a small well of insecurities. Although he usually hides it, he is bothered by the fact that he is not truly his father’s son, not only for political reasons but for personal ones as well. He is also aware that he is ambitious to a fault, and questions what he would be willing to do to gain and then maintain the throne. When Alina points out that the way he constantly shifts personalities is creepy, he seems taken aback and in that moment becomes less sure of himself. In a way, he has been wearing various masks for so long that even he doesn’t quite know who the true Nikolai is. However, he would never let that stop him.

ABILITIES Nikolai is thoroughly ordinary as far as abilities go. Having fought in the infantry, he knows his way around a gun and probably a saber. He is also a skilled gunsmith and shipwright, with expertise extending into explosives, general weaponry, aircrafts, and submarines. One less thoroughly ordinary thing about him, however, is that he is infected with dark magic, which causes him to involuntarily transform into a monster with wings, fangs, and claws. While in this form, he becomes mindless and bloodthirsty. His monster form possesses superhuman strength and speed as well. His condition had returned to normal at the end of Ravka’s civil war (in Ruin and Rising), when the Darkling was supposedly killed, but two years later he finds the dark magic taking over again at night. At his canon point, he has begun training with Elizaveta to summon the monster at will and retain control of his mind while transformed. He has managed to do this once, with some difficulty.