Bastian Vass

Bastian Vass
Bass-teyan Vah-ss
Created by	Roan
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Gaidin
Affiliation	The Grey Tower
Nationality	Kandori
Attributes
Weapon Skills	Axe ✦✦✦ Sword ✦ Unarmed ✦
Masteries	Dual Wielding

Bastian Vass is a Kandori Gaidin of the Grey Tower.

Description

Tall in stature, Bastian has a blacksmith’s build, though he’s never worked a forge. He stands just over six feet tall with broad shoulders and not an ounce of fat to his frame. He has long, brown-black hair and a goatee that is showing signs of grey, even though his age would not otherwise seem to warrant it. He has an intensity about him aided by pale eyes that have had some mistake him for a wolfkin, though he does not commune with wolves. His pale eyes stand out against his dark complexion, making them that much more striking. His intense gaze is only aided by a scar he has through his left eyebrow that he received when he was unceremoniously tossed from the back of a horse.

Bastian tends to be quiet and reserved until he gets to know a person. He does have a sense of humor that comes through once he’s comfortable with those he is around. Those who don’t know him think him to be a hard man, and truth be told, he can be when the moment warrants it. Bastian is not one to seek attention from others, preferring not to be the center of attention. His stature sometimes makes it difficult to stick to the shadows, but it is where he is most comfortable. He comes across as standoff-ish by those who do not know him well. He has few friends because of his seemingly standoff nature, but those who take the time to get to know him will find themselves with a loyal friend.

Biography

Cadoc Vass was a sergeant with the Kandori guard where he was known to wield dual axes. His regiment was permanently dispatched to guard one of the outposts near the Blight border. It was at this outpost that Cadoc met Kanta, a woman who would ultimately become his wife and bear him an only son named Bastian Vass. Young Bastian was raised at the outpost and became a mascot for Cadoc’s regiment.

Little Bastian learned how to wield dual axes at an early age, thanks to his father. Those in Cadoc’s regiment helped teach the boy not only axes but unarmed as well. In return, Bastian would often fetch them items from the kitchens during the middle of their shifts.

Life near the Blight border was not a peaceful one. The outpost saw skirmishes with Trollocs and bandits at seemingly regular intervals. The civilians at the outpost knew well enough that when the alarm went up, they were to evacuate to the keep in the center of the outpost.

One afternoon, the alarm was sounded, and Bastian and Kanta joined the other civilians as they moved into the keep. A handful of guards joined them and closed and barricaded the doors. The doors would remain sealed until the all-clear signal was given.

It became very clear that the battle wasn’t an ordinary skirmish, but something much more intense. Those in the keep could hear the battle as it raged on outside. Most skirmishes lasted one or two hours, but this one carried on for several hours. At one point, someone outside tried to breach the doors to the keep. Just when it seemed like they might break through, the pounding on the door stopped.

Not long after the attempt to breach the keep doors, the all clear signal was given. As the civilians exited the keep, it became clear that most of the regiment hadn’t survived. Cadoc limped forward, his left arm hanging limp at his side. He was bloodied, battered and bruised, but he was alive.

Reinforcements were sent to the outpost and rebuilding started soon after the attack. Cadoc and his family were sent to Chachin so that he could heal. On his road to recovery, Cadoc decided he no longer wanted to be a part of the Kandori army. He and Kanta decided they’d want to get a parcel of land, build a cabin and live a simpler life.

The Vass family made their new dream a reality and built a cabin on the edge of a forest. They planted a vegetable patch in the clearing, and Cadoc hunted game for meat in the woods. He taught his son more about how to wield dual axes, along with how to handle a bow so that Bastian could help his father provide meat for their family.

It was a simple life, and relative to what Cadoc had lived, it was an easy one. Bastian learned how to navigate and survive in the wilderness. When he was a teenager, his mother was with child. The winter was particularly harsh, and his mother took ill. She went into labor prematurely, and Cadoc told Bastian to stay with her while he fetched the midwife.

Unfortunately, it took too long for his father and the midwife to arrive. Kanta and the baby died before they made it back to the cabin. Father and son grieved together. It took time to get used to life without Kanta, but Bastian adjusted as well as he could. His father, though, struggled. Grief for the loss of his life hit him hard, and he started to live his life at the bottom of a bottle.

By the time Bastian reached his 20th birthday, Cadoc died. To Bastian and Cadoc’s friends, he died of a broken heart. The young Vass buried his father next to his mother.

Bastian saw no need to move from the family cabin and continued living the simple life he learned from his parents. Several years passed, and the simple life suited Bastian quite well. He would have gladly stuck to it, but the Wheel weaves as it will, as they say.

The cabin he lived in was tucked away and off the beaten path. A group of bandits thought the cabin would make a great base of operations, and decided they would ‘take ownership’ and evict its current owner. Unfortunately for the bandits, they underestimated Bastian, and fortunately for Bastian, an Aes Sedai and her Warder happened to be passing through, and came upon the conflict.

By the time Miahala Sedai and Ravak Gaidin arrived, the cabin was in flames. Bastian suffered a stab wound to his shoulder, a wound the Aes Sedai healed. His skill with the axes caught the attention of the Gaidin.

While Bastian could have rebuilt the cabin, he took the sequence of events as a sign that it was time to move on. He’d seen how Ravak fought, and how he interacted with his Aes Sedai. The huntsman decided it seemed an honorable path and followed them back to the Tower to sign the roster to become a member of the Warder Yards.

Career History

• Drin (10 August 2017)
• Ji'val (11 May 2018)
• Gaidin (17 August 2018)