Nikodim

Nikodim

Name: Nikodim Alexei Markov

Gender: Male

Species: Khan (weretiger; a sub-tribe of the Bastet, or cat shapeshifters. His animal form is a white Siberian tiger.)

Ethnicity: Russian

Age: 32

Occupation: Weretiger, demon hunter

Pack Affiliation: The Desperados

Height: 6'4"

Build: Tall, pretty built but still long-limbed and dextrous

Hair: Shoulder-length, blond, straight
Eyes: Medium blue
Skin: Very fair
Tattoos/Piercings: None
Scars: None

Weapons: Carries two weapons primarily. One is an intricately decorated Makarov pistol (a family heirloom); the other is a sword made in the style of a Cossack kindjal, measuring over five feet in length (present in ref). The sword is a Khan-made grand klaive, designed to be used in the crinos form.
Other features: He has five forms in total: homid (human); sokto (near-human); crinos (tiger-human); chatro (sabertooth tiger); and feline (white tiger).
Clothing: His taste is about as subtle as your average symphonic metal band, which is to say... not at all. White laced-up poet shirt, tight black pants (leather is optional, but appreciated for how well it shows off the legs), knee-high black leather boots with heavy treads, long black leather coat with a white fur collar. Wears a lot of steel buttons, buckles and grommets (which give the appearance of silver, even though the Bastet, like the Garou, have a physical aversion to true silver).

Totem Spirit: Bennu Hemet, an avatar of Phoenix. After the ritual formation of the Desperados' pack, Lili's own totem spirit White Owl Woman is transfigured into Bennu Hemet or Phoenix Woman, an avatar of both Phoenix and Owl together. As Bennu Hemet she is the totem of the whole pack, and a herald of destruction, rebirth, and renewal.

Personality: Nikodim is a natural loner, trained from childhood to be independently capable and self-sufficient as a fighter. Having achieved a measure of success conducting solo and occasional Garou-assisted raids against the Wyrm-infested Pentex corporation, he prefers to ally with others for a short time and move on to whatever conflict appears most important, instrumental, or bloody. He's an astute observer of people and their mannerisms, and though he prefers not to get close to many, he nevertheless understands them very well. He's proud and often haughty, having come from a wealthy family with ties to to the Siberian Khan population dating back to the 1700s, and he can boast without exaggeration of an enviable lineage. He frequently exercises old-school gestures of respect and humility when traveling in the territory of others, and when spoken to by any shapeshifter of sufficient reputation and status, he will conduct himself with the utmost civility. However, when angry, he comes across as bigoted and arrogant, and he rarely extends the courtesy of manners to those who would use their position to control him. He has a tendency to butt heads with other people who have comparatively overdeveloped egos, although depending on the person and the context, he'll either laugh it off or, if they manage to offend him enough, hold a grudge about it forever. Although the Bastet are known as the "keepers of secrets" among the fera, Nikodim himself is straightforward and blunt when dealing with others simply because of his very solid sense of self-worth, and keeps very little mysterious on a personal level. In others, he admires bravery, honesty, reputation and resolve; he responds very poorly to bossiness and other displays of authoritarianism.

Relationships:
Pack Leader: Lili Leaps-Through-Darkness
Lili and her fledgling pack, the Desperados, rescued Nikodim from captivity while hunting a pack of Black Spiral Dancer werewolves. When Lili introduced herself afterward, he recognized her by reputation. Although initially put off by his overconfidence (an attribute she herself has in spades, although she finds it irritating in others) and prejudicial comments about the Garou, she allowed him to accompany her and her pack upon his request- but only on the condition of his apology and assurances of future politeness around her friends. After their rough introduction, she warmed to him quite quickly; she appreciates his curiosity and straightforwardness (as these, too, are traits she shares), and admires his ability to size people up and evaluate them without their noticing. Although she trusts her own judgment as a final say, she's never been reluctant to ask other people's opinions (even if she ends up deciding, whether correctly or not, that they're wrong), and Nikodim certainly has many of those. Overall, they consider each other worthy of respect, and if nothing else, lively conversation partners. They are also initially attracted to one another, although it never goes further than a crush; as Lili's relationship with Arran gets more serious, she rebuffs Nikodim's advances, and out of respect for her love of "the little wolf", he graciously backs off and indulges no awkwardness about it. Afterward, the two are like brother and sister.


Reference Images by me:

Real life ref:

Guest Art: