Kharkov Darkstone

Kharkov Darkstone was a Nord vampire in the service of the Bloodlet Throne coven. He was one of the few vampires known to have been turned by Vengar Vivarian. He was an accomplished swordsman, though he lacked in arcane skills. He was a loyal and dedicated member of the coven, though prone to cruelty. He was like Vengar in that he enjoyed the fight almost as much as he enjoyed the victory. He was also proven to be a competent commander, leading troops to victory during the covens assault on the mortal world, and later against Volkihar vampires. He was rewarded for this by being given castle Volkihar, and maintained it as a bastion of the Bloodlet throne.

Early Years 171-201
Born in a small settlement in Hjaalmarch, near the border with the Reach. Kharkovs parents were merchants, living off the mudcrabs that dwelt on the banks of rivers, and in the swamps. He was destined to become a crabber himself, until a group of Companions came through the area. Kharkov was immediately enamored with the weapons and armour of the mercenaries.

He left his home behind once he was in his early twenties, determined to become a mercenary. He trained under several skilled swordsmen, and became an excellent swordsman, capable of defeating most enemies. Though he was denied entry to the Companions, he created his own mercenary group, known as Darkstone Marauders. The Marauders went about clearing bandit bases and other troubles, for a price. The marauders were made up of warriors and a few mages, and had access to better weapons and armour than bandits and lone thugs.

Mercenary days 4E 200-4E 201
The group was well known throughout Hjaalmarch hold, although the Companions were furious that the marauders were 'stealing' their business. Rumours began to spring up, stating the marauders were actually bandits, raiding the nearby countryside. Soldiers from several holds banded together and attacked the mercenary base. Though Kharkovs men were no amateurs, they were still overwhelmed in the first hour of the attack, and executed as bandits.

Kharkov managed to escape the assault, fighting his way free, and heading east. While laying low in a roadside tavern, he was discovered by Vengar Vivarian. The Altmer vampire prompted Kharkov to tell him of his problems, and learned about the end of the marauders. After hearing the tale, Vengar offered Darkstone a place in the Bloodlet throne coven, and the former mercenary accepted.

The civil war
Throughout most of the civil war, Kharkov was in the Bloodlet throne, though he was conspicuously absent from the fortress when the prisoners led by Derek Starsong, broke out. Despite his skill with a sword, Kharkov was still no match for Lucius Draconus in a fair fight. Something that Lucius frequently reminded him of. He resented the Imperial vampire because of this, though the two never came into serious conflict.

When Salthar Vivarian decided it was time for the coven to reveal itself, Kharkov was chosen to lead a large contingent of vampires and other undead into Hjaalmarch. Though he was initially displeased,he was mollified when Vivarian explained his plan to use the hold as a staging point for an assault on Solitude. Darkstone lead a large army towards the swampy hold, though instead of taking an overland route, Darkstone lead his forced underground, therefore avoiding attention of both Imperial and Stormcloak troops. The march took the force into a large Falmer hive, located underneath Cold Rock Pass.

Rather than going around the hive, and taking more time, Kharkov instead lead the force straight into the heart of the hive. The shambling zombies and ghouls that made up the vanguard of the force were cut down, by cunning traps and vicious Falmer. Kharkov soon turned the tide of the battle, leading his fellow vampires and the rest of the undead contingent to victory, slaughtering the Falmer defenders.

Kharkovs troops emerged near the unwalled city of Morthal, and promptly slaughtered the defenders.They later engaged and defeated a small relief force sent from Solitude. Darkstone eventually marched to reinforce Lucius Draconus' and Salthar Vivarians armies near Karthspire, and arrived during the battle of Karthspire. After Salthar Vivarians apparent death, Kharkovs forces proceeded to retreat towards Hjaalmarch.

After the war
After the war, Kharkov remained hidden in Hjaalmarch, rather than joining the surviving, ranking members of the coven in the Bloodlet throne. His forces preyed on adventurers wandering the swamps, On one of his visits to the town of Morthal, he heard of a black ship arriving in Solitude, and a single coach leaving the docks shortly after the ship burst into flames.He rode for the Bloodlet throne, arriving to witness Salthars return.

The Volkihar
"Don't look so surprised."- Kharkov Darkstone to Orthjolf, before engaging the latter in a duel.

When Salthar Vivarian learnt of the prophecy the Tyranny of the Sun, he became determined to stop Harkon and his coven of Volkihar vampires from completing it. To this end, he offered to send a group of vampires to castle Volkihar to free up Harkons own vampires to search for the elder scrolls. Kharkov and a small group of other vampires were chosen for the task.

Upon learning that Harkons agents had secured the services of a Moth priest, and a trio of Elder scrolls, Salthar ordered Kharkov and his men to eliminate the priest. As they were doing so, one of Kharkovs men overheard the priest mentioned he had been blinded by the first reading of a scroll.

When Salthar alerted the Dawnguard of the location of castle Volkihar, Kharkov volunteered his forces to guard the docks at the northern end of the castle. In reality, they planned to sabotage the boats there, keeping one for themselves. Once the boats had been sabotaged, and the Bloodlet throne vampires were preparing to depart, Orthjolf, one of Harkons chief advisors appeared, and was outraged at Kharkovs' betrayal. The two dueled with Darkstone emerging victorious.

After the Dawnguard had killed or routed every Volkihar vampire, Salthar Vivarian arrived on the island. He personally destroyed the altar of Molag Bal, and as a reward for a job well done, appointed Kharkov the commander of the castle. He was tasked with eliminating any surviving death hounds and vampires.

Commander of castle Volkihar
Kharkov loyally carried out his task, using the garrison under his command to hunt and kill the remaining vampires and death hounds. He then set about repairing the damage done during the battle. The garrison also set about scouting for usable boats, seeing as all but one had been destroyed during the battle. The entrance to the Soul Cairn was declared to be strictly off limits.

By 4E 204, castle Volkihar was a bastion of the Bloodlet throne, prepared to hold off any attack. When the Blight war was winding to a close in 4E 209, the castle was besieged by a small force of Corpsers and Slayers. Rather than wait for reinforcements, Kharkov lead a sortie, killing the Blight commander, and scattering the besieging forces. In 4E 212, the castle was once again besieged by the cult of Molag Bal.

Personality and traits
Kharkov was proven to be a loyal and trustworthy member of the Bloodlet throne. He was also an impulsive and fearless warrior, leading his forces into conflict without hesitation. He was proven to be cruel as well, enjoying inflicting pain on his enemies, like when he came across the Falmer near Cold Rock Pass. Like most of the coven, he held a hatred for the vampires of Molag Bal, referring to Orthjolf and the rest of the Volkihar coven as 'abominations'. Despite his hatred for the Volkihar coven, he was cunning enough to keep his men in line and pretend to be their allies for several weeks, though he admitted to being relieved when the coven was destroyed.

Abilities
Chill- Mortals near Kharkov felt an unnatural chill.

Quell- Kharkov had the ability to diminish, or outright extinguish most flames.

Shadow form- Kharkov could dissolve into a mass of shadows at will.

Swordsmanship- Kharkov trained with the sword from a young age, and because of this was a very skilled swordsman. He preferred a straightforward style, with diagonal and horizontal slashes. Though he was an accomplished fighter, he never managed to surpass Lucius Draconus in a fair fight.

Possessions
Ebony sword- A double edged ebony straight sword. His weapon of choice, and not much different from the standard ebony weapons, save for the fact that it was perfectly straight, rather than slightly curved.

Armour- Like most members of the Bloodlet throne coven, Kharkov wore a mixture of ebony plate and chainmail.

Physical appearance
Kharkov was of average height, not being as tall as Lucius Draconus or Duros Kaast, both former humans. His hair was pitch black, and of medium length, ending at the base of his skull. He had pale blue eyes, that were flecked with crimson. He had an average nose, and broad cheekbones. He had no tattoos, but his arms and torso were marked with scars. He was well muscled from his life as a mercenary.