Sergei "Viper" Roth

Bio
In a former life, Sergei was a mercenary with a brutal reputation who decided to turn over a new leaf and go back to school as a "nontraditional student". He left everything in his merc life behind to attend RUGL, which completely, 100% explains why he is a fish out of water when it comes to appropriate behavior. No need for further questions.

Appearance
Sergei Roth's years of sellsword work have given him a bulky physique and quite a few impressive scars. His dirty blond hair, forming an early widow's peak, is closely cropped in the manner of one to whom style is irrelevant. Those who knew Sergei before a certain sword came into his life would say that he looks more haggard than usual, as if he has not been eating well, and disconcertingly, that he smiles much more readily. If he let anyone close enough, they would notice that his eyes are no longer grey, but an eerie bronze-veined black reminiscent of the large black star sapphire decorating his sword's hilt.

Personality
Sergei has an intense childlike curiosity for many things about the human experience, which is a bit odd for a human man of his age. Despite coaching from fellow Investigation Club members, he does not seem to fully grasp how to control the volume of his voice, and what distance it is appropriate to stand when attempting to befriend someone.

Background
Sergei "Viper" Roth was a ruthless mercenary who recently took a job to clear out an abandoned, overgrown temple of the creatures inhabiting it. After he and his company destroyed the lurking darkmantles, skeletons, and ghouls, Sergei took the opportunity to do a little treasure-hunting on his own: whatever the client didn't know about, they wouldn't miss.

He happened upon what appeared to be a typical—if a bit ornate—greatsword buried among some remains, but for the faint glow of a black star sapphire embedded in its hilt. As he reached to free it from the debris, he heard a strange, steely voice in his head, promising great power in exchange for a pact to destroy evil.

As the mercenary wrapped his hand around the hilt, a burst of golden energy arced up his arm from the gemstone, multiplying and surrounding him, and down the blade of the sword, illuminating hidden Celestial script. Instantly, he found himself no longer in control of his own body—which, to be fair, he had not asked for in the agreement.

Now, Wraithbane was in charge.

...

Hundreds of years before, the greatsword Wraithbane was forged by an Empyrean as a gift to her chosen champion, a fierce Aasimar warrior by the name of Rhialla, to aid her in her quest to destroy a cult infiltrating her country's government. The sword was not just a powerful magic weapon—it had a mind of its own and could communicate, albeit only telepathically with the woman for whom it had been created. Though she came close to eradicating the cult, Rhialla was ultimately betrayed by a son of her king, who had been compromised by the cult with promises of his father's throne. She was killed and raised as a corrupted undead servant in the service of the cult.

In her anguish and rage, the Empyrean imbued Wraithbane with the power of possession and commanded the sentient sword to destroy its former master. Before the cultists could react, it took over the body of the prince who had claimed it as a trophy and slew what was once Rhialla, then plunged itself into its own host's heart and threw him—and itself—into the collapsed catacombs of the temple so that the traitor could not be revived. Rhialla's allies stormed the cult headquarters and cut down the last remaining leaders, but they did not find the sword nor the corpse of the prince lying still in the rubble. Abandoned by its creator and its master, Wraithbane lay forgotten in the musty darkness of the catacombs.

...

After centuries of fitful sleep and calls for aid that no one could hear, surrounded by a seething infestation of undead that it was powerless to destroy, Wraithbane was furious and hungry for action. Wearing Sergei's skin, it clambered out of the temple ruins and followed the rest of the Crimson Fang company back to civilization to continue its pursuit of the eradication of evil.