Berig     Created on Saturday, 13 May 2006 20:30  
  *Rubi  
  It cannot be completely certain, even in Rubi's memory, where exactly he was born. He remembers great violence and unimaginable cruelty - it was during the great war between three feuding families that Rubi's families were slaughtered, leaving him in solitude and shaping the person he was to become. Who was he exactly, he wondered? Who did he belong to? Without a family, Rubi was his own man and learned survivalist skills and became proficient with the blade.
As a small child, Rubi was a wanderer, panhandling for pennies and accepting bread hand-outs from passerbyers. He became familiar with the geographic region of Han, and for entertainment he often stood on the hillside, watching the rituals and entertainment of various tribes in the area. Rubi longed for a family, longed for a place to call home. He had heard of wars -- of victories and of defeat; of tragedy and heartbreak. Rubi heard that at times of peril, these families would band together, unified as one determined to overcome whatever hardships would come their way.
Rubi may have never realized it, but it was probably sheer luck that he grew up alone, because it allowed him, at the age of 12, to be revered throughout the lands as one of the most skillful swordsmiths known. He won many compeitions, including one against the great Monru, a known warlord at the time. He amassed great wealth and relative fame, at least relative to the fact he was a mere 12 years old.
The Dante family of Han formally adopted Rubi at the age of 18, after witnessing a brutal bloodbath in which Rubi viciously slaughtered three bandits who were attempting to kidnap some children. The mother of the children wept as she embraced Rubi, and the crowd applauded. Among the crowd was a member of the Dante family -- and they believe that Rubi possessed the traits, determination, compeitiveness and determination as well as the fact that Rubi could be an asset to the family.
When Rubi was formally inducted into the Dante tribe he overcome with emotion - it had been a rocky journey and he had finally found a family and a home. Rubi, now an old and wise man, continues to overcome enemies in battle and lead the Dantes into victory. Once alone, now revered -- Rubi has solidified a place in the Dante legacy for himself, his children and grandchildren.. a legacy that will surely be alive for generations to come.