Anovid Kilnegar

Anovid Kilnegar is the young Necromancer haunted by the spirits of his past and his ancestors that was seen at the Grand Tournament of 2015. He is thought to be involved in the summoning of Sir Zeylin. Currently, he is a member of the Dark Monks and partner of Mina Frost.

Life
Anovid lived in the city of Haven throughout his life. His parents were a fairly middle class family that could afford to send him into education. The Kilnegar family was known to do magic in the past, or at least investigate rituals and incantations. While his parents abandoned any magical research that the family might have undertaken beforehand, it is thought that their previous involvement with Magic may have had something to do with the problems that began to emerge in the boy.

Initially, his claims that he was hearing voices and seeing figures was put down to his childish mind inventing imaginary friends to entertain himself with and his parents were largely unaware of this. His father was often busy with working as a scribe in the Citadel while his mother handled the day to day affairs of the house, even while he was home from school. Their lack of attention likely contributed and if they had paid more attention, then his path could have been diverted. However, no such relief came and Anovid was forced to put up with the voices of his ancestors who commented frequently, even while he was at school. He didn't know how else to communicate with them, so he would whisper responses to their words. The other people at school began to avoid him because he was strange and others bullied him. The voices in his head were supportive for the years leading up to his breakdown.

As time went on, his ancestors began to introduce him to their work which was revealed to be Necromancy. In secret, guided by their words, he would conduct rituals with animals to hone his craft and he soon learned to be able to control the spirits in his head to a certain degree. After being constantly harassed and bullied by the people at school, he began to ask for solutions to the problem. For the most part, they cautioned him not to do anything extreme. However, as they all grew older and more cruel, taking money and beating him if he refused because of his weak stature, he began to seek vengeance and was unwilling to suffer any longer. These dark thoughts opened the gate for the more sinister spirits to enter his mind.

Eventually, Anovid snapped. After a particularly bad day of being bullied, he sneaked out of his house at night to exact vengeance. Slaughtering prowling cats and other animals, he performed a deadly ritual that sent the spirits of his ancestors out like hunting hounds to claim his revenge. The dark spirits, spawned by his deteriorating mental state drove the other children to madness and eventually suicide, some within a night as their once secure minds could not handle the negative energies being poured directly into their minds. The twisted mind of Anovid watched in satisfaction as he was able to silence the harassing voices, but only for a time. Eventually, those spirits of the children he had led to their deaths joined his ancestors in his head. Their crying voices and begging for release was breaking Anovid apart so he had no choice but to find some help.

In the meantime, his parents began to offer their help as they could see that he was becoming moodier, angrier and erratic. They called in Priests, but he fled from them and nothing that they could do seemed to be able to calm the fury raging in Anovid's soul now. All failed, but one.

That one person was Cyrus, a local Necromancer in Haven. He began to teach Anovid about Necromancy and how to, to some extent, control the voice in his head. He was able to expunge the voices of his deceased bullies and buried them beneath the voices of ancestors. Occasionally, they broke through in his sleep, but for the most part Anovid was able to go without their wailing. Not even with Cyrus' help could he quell the voices of his ancestors who through whatever magic that they had practiced in their lifetime, were constantly present. Between Cyrus and those ancestors, his talent as a Necromancer grew. Indeed, his soul began to be consumed by the realm of the dead given how close to the edge of it he lived. Part of his soul, as a result of the dead spirits that haunted him, was always in the realm of the dead. This allowed him to walk partly in that realm, which he made good use of when trying to evade people, particularly his parents and whatever forces they brought to try and help him. He rejected the idea that anyone could help him now, so he eschewed all attempts.

He lived in this perpetual darkness until the undead invaded Haven. When his parents were killed in the attack, he was pained more than he could have ever expected by their loss, he was broken even further. His parents joined him in his mind and he could only beg for forgiveness. As for how he survived, by stepping between reality and the realm of the dead, he escaped all notice.

The Grand Tournament
Anovid re-emerged in the Grand Tournament of 2015 where he wreaked havoc on the event. He entered the tournament incidentally as a method of amusement and began to practice Necromancy in his hideout in a hollow beneath the stairs. Inside was a dead man which he used as a resource pool for his practices. Anovid met with Nymphadora, though the encounter ended in bloodshed and a vendetta against the woman. He came to the attention of Archmage Ezrabalus and Sabrina Kairn. He was offered a chance to join them in their plot after using the legendary lance of Sir Zeylin to summon the knight to ride again in the tournament for him. He also encountered Eloha Nightborn and attempted to dispatch her with his Necromancy.

During this time, he was able to defeat Kellan Sithwyr in combat and he became aware of the presence of the Dark Monks. He discovered that there was a powerful force present from Sabrina, namely the girl Mina Frost. He learned of her status as current Queen of the Dead and sought her out desperately. For the first time in his life, Anovid saw an opportunity to free himself of the voices that plagued him. He eventually infiltrated his way over to her and she released him and allied himself with the Dark Monks when he finally lost control of Sir Zeylin. Despite conflicts with Eloha because of the curse that he attacked her with, he was ultimately accepted and with their help, broke the anchor in Sir Zeylin's lance that tied him to the world.

After the tournament, Anovid left with the Dark Monks. At some point during this period afterwards, Anovid's romance with Mina began.

Present Day
Anovid has become a fully fledged member of the Dark Monks and accompanies Mina almost everywhere and is fiercely dedicated to her. His skills as both a fighter and Necromancer have increased significantly since the Tournament. He encountered the party of Cedric Gallows, Gaius Lestrade, Bartholomaus Steiner and Kevin Valentine (And later, their companion Ayla Vanderstone) during the Second Invasion of Haven where he arrived at the warehouse where they had defeated The Jailor too late to be of assistance and expressed some irritation at being unable to banish him personally. He was generally abrasive towards the group, thinking very little of them and being more focused on locating Mina and expressed extreme displeasure at the news of a Black Legionnaire being present.

Appearance
Anovid is average height for his age, standing at around 5"5. His hair is bleached white from his exposure to the undead and Necromancy, as well as the stress of his life in general. He is thin and his face appears rather gaunt. During the Grand Tournament he wore the clothes he fled home with, including a grey shirt with black trousers and some decent leather shoes. Once recruited into the Dark Monks, he donned a black robe and belt where he hangs the Necrotic Weapon he possesses. One of the most notable things about Anovid is the trademark killer smile that he delivers to anyone that he plans to kill. This was a common expression during the Grand Tournament and should anyone decide to target Mina, they will find themselves faced with the same expression.

As he grew older, he grew taller to around 5"9 as of the present day. His hair is still white and unkempt and he continues to wear his black robes, a stark contrast to Mina's black and white.

Personality
Anovid changed greatly after joining the Dark Monks. Before, he was wild and inconsistent. He had little regard for human life, save that of his own and was prone to violent tendencies. He did not have any concept of mercy or kindness. He was also despondent and often felt hopeless as a result of his inability to get rid of the troublesome voices of the ancestors that had haunted him for most of his life. Additionally, with the loss of his parents, his only direct family and his teacher Cyrus, there was nobody left who would be willing to help or save him. He found himself alone in the world with nowhere to go. Clearly however, he was not devoid of all emotion because upon discovering Mina he was able to find hope and became utterly devoted to her.

After meeting Mina and joining the Dark Monks, he has not lost his devotion. Indeed, it has become a devotion to the girl that he loves. Without the voices, he is not so tense and irritable. Instead, Anovid prefers to remain quiet and act as Mina's shadow. He speaks primarily to her and select members of the Dark Monks (Mostly Eloha and Luthius) and only speaks up generally when it concerns Mina and her protection. In private, he lets his weaker side through. Since he found himself pushed into loneliness by the haunting voices and distanced himself from his parents, he finds himself in need of someone to comfort him. Anovid is easily at his happiest when he and Mina can enjoy each other's company without the interruption of other people, the only time when he truly smiles.

When dealing with strangers, his attitude is highly cynical, sarcastic and generally unfriendly.

The marks left by the presence of his family have not entirely been lost and while generally his sanity is secure, in combat he still wears his insidious smile and enjoys the art of killing more so than most people, and takes particular pleasure in removing undead creatures.