Loch Rainer

Ser Loch Rainer was a former member of the Order of Adavarion. Frequently referenced though never seen, Loch had a profound effect on his son Robin, both in his childhood and as an adult.

History
Brought to Kyravelle at the age of four, Loch's childhood was spent absorbing his mother's tales of her life as a slave in the mage court in Syrganos. These stories had a profound effect on his views of magic and its evils. His mother's escape from captivity was a sign to him; Loch's knew what his destiny would be. To this end, he joined the military at only fifteen, falsifying his age to earn a spot in the ranks. A few years of service qualified him for the Academy, and no more had he graduated than he volunteered for the capture squads. He quickly made a name for himself in the Order, attaining the rank of sergeant, and often filled in for his squad's lieutenant. Everything was going to plan. Then, on a covert mission to Corvite Havishath, he met Ilvana. And all of it came crashing down, as he found himself challenging his every belief--by falling in love with a witch.

Later Life
Loch's time in the Order left him deeply scarred, and when his growing instability lost him his commission, those scars began to fester. He turned to drinking in excess, to the persistent disappointment of his wife and son. Then, as if by magic, Ilvana's stabilizing presence was gone, leaving Loch to care for his now-mutilated son alone. Harrowed by hallucinations and thoughts of persecution, the once proud Order hero was left to hide at the bottom of a liquor bottle, a habit he never recovered from.

Personality
Loch was a man of extremes, and everything he felt, he felt strongly. With a poor temper and an inferiority complex a mile wide, he was prone to posturing, and when his limited intellect failed to win an argument, he'd often turn to use of his fists. Fighting was the only thing Loch excelled at that didn't involve a bottle. (And sometimes, it did.) For all his faults, Loch was genuine in his beliefs. He was deeply religious, and used his devotion as a counterbalance to moderate his temper, and to manage his building mental issues when he could. In private, Loch was habitually stiff and even awkward, but wryly funny when he finally relaxed--something he found difficult, having spent so much of his life in a uniform. And the people he loved, he loved entirely, willing in his prime to sacrifice anything for them...and in the case of his wife, even his life-long career.

His fraying mental state late in life--its causes unknown--erased many of his winning qualities, leaving only the worst of him to come out. In spite of this, Loch was Rainer's hero, the boy having grown up watching him come home in full colors, often with stories of grand adventure and good deeds done. He was everything his son ever wanted to be, and in the same breath, everything he feared becoming.

The Unnamed Story
Loch appears in the story only in the form of a fractured headstone, his life having ended years ago due to his excesses. Standing in front of his grave is the lowest point in the story for Rainer, who finds it littered with liquor bottles left by the locals, who knew his ill father all too well. Having spent much of the journey questioning Rainer's upbringing, the Party is eerily quiet as they stand around all that remains of the would-be knight's family. Not a word is spoken between them. After putting the abused grave to rights, Rainer returns something he once took from it, to the shock of his friends; even Reece is surprised. Afterward, no one questions him. It is clear that he is grappling with something painful, and that something needs no words.