Kristof Banik

Appearance
Kristoff was rugged but kind of handsome as a young man. Battle, age, and alcohol wore his body down though.

Personality
He sure was a party animal. Many suspect that his hard drinking habits were to drown the memories of the horrible battles with bandits and rabid beasts. To forget fallen friends and troops he had led and lost. Also to avoid his responsibilities at home.

He LOVED hearing stories from others about feats of courage and tales of heroism. He also appreciated the chance to recall his own tales and honor those friends of his who had fallen fighting beside him.

Background
Kristoff grew up in Howling Rise and wanted to be a Ranger. He would follow Rangers around and try to learn from them and imitate them. He was accepted to the Ranger school on his first try and graduated top of his class. It wasn't that he was superior at certain things, it was that he was good at almost everything and he was a superb leader that cared for his men and made wise decisions. As he made his way up the ranks due to his experiences and performance, these same things weighed heavily on him.

During this time he married and had two children, which were an absolute joy to him. He was eventually selected to serve on the Ranger council, because he knew the gravity of important decisions. He had been in several expeditions and battles with bandits and slavers. By this time he had taken to drinking to supress his demons. He covered this up with a newfound devotion to Hadryon.

The Cloaks
When Kristoff heard of Steven's trip from Fairwater to Howling Rise and the bandit attack where Steven was forced to pick up the blade to defend and kill to save lives...he felt pity for the new Ranger recruit. Years later, Kristoff remembered him when The Cloaks came to Howling Rise after freeing several hostages from a Bandit Gang. Kristoff really hit it off with Adrian the Cleric.

Death
Kristoff met his death a couple of years after the Battle of Kaldins while helping Aurelia and Steven Rogers hunt down and destroy an Arch Demon in the lower planes. He died heroically, with a smile on his face, covering thier escape. Steven carried his body back to Howling Rise, where he is buried. His former wife tries to remember the man she once loved...and is glad he has found peace.