Rakhmon was found abandoned at an orphanage door in the city of Taganrog in the shadwo of Taiga as a baby. No relatives having been found, he was raised in a paupers orphanage/workhouse (see 'Oliver Twist' for details on this particular establishment). From an early age he was the best of the children there at avoiding work and doing and getting what he wanted. He grew up wild and not particularly respectful of authority (though intelligent enough to usually keep this to himself), leading the main gang of children in the workhouse. At the age of ten he led an escape from the orphanage into the rookeries of Taganrog. This was the first time he killed someone. One of the proctors of the orphanage, a sadistic, brutal man, discovered them as they were leaving, and tried to stop them. Rakhmon held him off while the others escaped, and in the scuffle the proctor and Rakhmon both underestimated Rakhmon's strength, so that Rakhmon accidentally killed him before fleeing. Although this killing did haunt him at the time, since then Rakhmon has grown accustomed to performing acts others might consider unpleasant or brutal.
Though life on the streets was harder than in the orphanage, it was at least free and Rakhmon soon adapted, fitting into the criminal fraternity and working his way up in the criminal world, from unknown street gang member by a combination of sheer skill and selectively applied brute force.
By the age of sixteen Rakhmon was the best thief, pickpocket and burglar anyone had ever seen. He was even starting to lead raids on the armoured trains and convoys which travelled outside the city. This led to problems with his fellow criminals, and, nearly, his death. Seeking further advantages over his fellow criminals, Rakhmon eventually managed to locate one of the mythical shapeshifters within the forest surrounding the city, and persuade him to teach him.
Revitalised by his new abilities, Rakhmon was able to reach the very top of Taganrog's criminal hierarchy by the age of twenty-four. Realising that the real power still lay with the upper classes, not criminals, regardless of how rich he became (and by now he was rich) he decided to become one of them. He used his money to buy himself into the gentry (a not entirely unheard of process) and rewrite his past into something more . acceptable. He learned to mingle with the highest levels of Taigan society while retaining links with its lowest. To assist in this he established a country estate some way from Taganrog, a centre for many of his illegal activities. His private army, though not large, was the best trained that he knew of. He expanded his holdings, investing his money in wider and wider areas of the Taigan economy.
Then he had an unfortunate run of bad luck; a bad harvest, increased dinosaur attacks, rival criminals, and an incipient war between Taganrog and, Kozelec, its nearest neighbour conspired to depress the value of his holdings. Also a new Taganrog ruler (who was also responsible, in part, for the incipient war) cracked down on crime and corruption. Rakhmon retreated to his estate in the hope of riding out the storm, but the bad luck continued. His facade of nobility was pierced and he was forced to flee both Taganrog, and his estates, losing everything he had worked so hard for apart from what he was able to pick up before running.
Eventually he was able to reach the city of Serpuhov. He knew he could rebuild his life and his empire in time, but failure and powerlessness did not make him happy. He felt the walls of his world closing in.
Meanwhile, in the Courts of Chaos, Erzebet Chanicut, Rakhmons half-sister, had learnt of Rakhmons existence through some papers left by her (and Rakhmon's) mother, Irene upon her death. A strong-willed woman, taken to travelling Shadow alone, apparently Irene had meet and become a lover of Eric. She had borne Rakhmon in secret, off in shadow, after which Eric had taken the baby off to an unknown location. A later note, apparently from Eric himself, revealed Rakhmon's location in Shadow.
Irenes husband, and Erzebets father, was a man named Thomas. He was a large, hot tempered, brutal man, a warrior, and a minor noble of House Xorcsis. He was betrothed to Irene in a political marriage - Chanicutt wanted something (neither Rakhmon nor Erzebet know what) from Xorcsis, and the marriage of Thomas to Irene and into Chanicutt was the result, partial payment for whatever it was Chanicutt wanted. He and Irene did not ever really get on; this was one reason why Irene spent time out in Shadow, leading to her meeting with Eric. This also explains why she never told anyone in the Courts about Rakhmon, and why she let Eric hide him in Shadow after his birth.
Even after the death of Thomas, which occurred in battle during the Black Road/Patternfall War, possibly at the hands of one of the elder Amberites (Julian, perhaps, though the exact details are more than a little murkey) when Erzebet was quite young, Irene still never found the right time to tell Erzebet about her 'fling' with Eric, and so it was left to her will to tell the tale.
After reading the will, determined to find her half-brother, Erzebet had reached out with the Logrus, 'fishing' for Rakhmon. Eventually, shortly after Rakhmon reached Serpuhov, she succeeded and he was grabbed and reeled in to Chaos to gain his inheritance.
Although initially more than a little surprised, and hostile, after the situation was explained to him Rakhmon soon adapted. He was pleased to find that he did have a family after all, and grateful to them, and Erzebet especially, for rescuing him and taking him in. He was taught full mastery of shapeshifting (what he had learned on Taiga being by no means complete); assayed the Logrus, and mingled with the nobility of Chaos. He learnt a lot, and fitted into the Courts quite well.
Erzebet is a few years younger than Rakhmon (who is subjectively about 35). Like her mother she is strong willed and beautiful, but unlike Irene she has managed to avoid being married off - so far. She is very loyal to House Chanicut, and loved Irene deeply. She was responsible for teaching Rakhmon a lot of what he knows about the Courts, as well as aiding his fully learning the intricacies of Shapeshifting and the Logrus thanks to her own fairly extensive knowledge of these subjects.
Some time after assaying the Logrus he returned to Taiga. It hadn't changed, but he had - he saw the bigger picture now and could not return to his old life, not that he particularly regrets its loss, now.
Then King Swayville surprised him by announcing that he was adopting him, making Rakhmon his fifth son. He further announced that he was sending him, immediately, to Amber as a member of the Embassy Staff, with the position of junior protocol officer. His title as Prince, however, would give him some interesting leverage. Rakhmon was rendered speechless (if not for very long) by the news of his adoption. But he's not about to object! As for going to Amber immediately, he has no objections - he never had a real family before, after all, and is curious to meet the other half of his ancestors.
The Courts were in an uproar about this. At the same time that they consider his new status, they comment on how interesting it is that he was being exported. He is the only son of Swayville with an official diplomatic posting, even if it's relatively minor.
House Chanicutt family sees his formal 'adoption' by Swayville as a major endorsement of the House, and it puts Rakhmon in competition, more or less, with Swayville's four natural sons: Timon (The oldest. A fairly serious type, he is head of the Swayville house guard and a high ranking member of the Courts military establishment. He is an accomplished warrior and shapeshifter. Tall, muscular and athletic. Cool in demeanour), Antonius (The second oldest, is a somewhat reclusive mage with a Ways of his own. Despite his reclusive ways he seems to be privy to the affairs of many of the higher ranking lords of Chaos. Tall, thin, looks older than he really is), Neville (The second youngest, and of Swayvilles four sons takes after his father the most, acting as Swayvilles chamberlain, for the moment, and generally considered to be destined for higher office in the future), and Jacobo (The youngest, is something of a disappointment. Something of a rebel, he is one of the steam-punk set, and has only the minimum possible to do with his brothers. He gives the impression that he sees Rakhmons adoption as some kind of personal slight).
He intends not to show Chanicut up if he can avoid it, and hopefully avoid letting any of Swayvilles natural sons get an advantage over him .
Psyche : 10 Logrus : 45
Strength : Amber Shape Shifting : 35
Endurance : 8 Zero Stuff : 0
Warfare : 20 Court Friend : 2
- not sure which court that would be!
Total Points : (10 + 0 + 8 + 20) + 45 + 35 + 0 + 2 = 120
Go to the Page describing the Logrus in the Game.