This fanfiction article, Ro'nin, was written by Actene. Please do not edit this fiction without the writer's permission. |
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- "You know how the hinge-heads are known as this race of proud, honorable warriors? Yeah, they got that way by kicking all the guys like him off the planet."
- ―Simon-G294 regarding Ro'nin
Ro'nin, formerly known as Roh 'Visag, was a Sangheili mercenary who was active after the end of the Human-Covenant War. A fearsome fighter, he was looked down upon by most other Sangheili and was believed to have actually been exiled by his brethren for killing his own uncle prior to becoming a mercenary. Known as "the Jiralhanae Sangheili" by other Sangheili due to their belief that many of his habits and tendencies were beneath their species' honor, Ro'nin was ironically the son of one of the greatest Sangheili blademasters of that period. He tended to shrug off the disdain of his peers with cold indifference and often derided Sangheili culture as arrogant and superficial. Ro'nin's only companion was the Jiralhanae warrior Kenpachus, who worked as his partner over the course of their mercenary careers.
Biography[]
"Into Everything"[]
The Sangheili who would become Ro'nin was born under the name of Roh' Visag as the second child of his mother, Benta 'Visag. As a member of the prestigious Visag bloodline, the young Roh grew up in a luxurious keep famous for both its school of bladecraft, headed by Kaidon and blademaster Roni 'Visag, and its courtesan school, of which Benta was one of the chief instructors. With his mother often busy with her students, a young Roh was often left in the care of his elder sister Iah. Spirited from an early age, Roh enjoyed causing trouble for his sister by frequently wandering off and sneaking into keep affairs that were off limits to youngsters. He soon gained a reputation for being particularly tricky at finding new ways in and out of the keep's youth dormitories, prompting Iah to spend more time watching after him even as she took part in her own studies. In order to placate her hyperactive brother, Iah would often distract him by giving her readings and assignments from her own studies. Though Sangheili males were usually discouraged from crossing over the societal boundaries separating males ahnd females, Roh took an interest in matters usually delegated to future keep mistresses like his sister. He was particularly fascinated by the financial realities that governed day to day affairs on Sanghelios. When the other male youths learned of their playmate's unusual hobby, they took to teasing him relentlessly; nevertheless, Roh refused to simply forsake the interests his sister had introduced him to.
In order to placate worries that Benta 'Visag's first son was a misguided troublemaker, one of Roh's uncles stepped in to ease Iah's burden and take Roh under his wing. Oon 'Visag, a warrior with a distinguished service career in the Covenant military, took to overseeing Roh's training. The respected veteran oversaw much of the keep's youth instruction, but he made a point of taking time to personally tutor Roh and put him on the path to becoming a successful warrior. Oon recognized that Roh was highly intelligent and a quick learner, qualities he felt would give him great potential if properly nurtured.
Mental Report[]
- "A prime example of the despicable criminal elements that have sprung up in the aftermath of the Schism and the Fallen insurgency, he is nonetheless a cunning and deadly warrior. What he lacks in honor he makes up for with ruthless efficiency in combat. He has no desire to restore his lost honor; indeed, I believe he finds the very thought of it repulsive."
- ―Excerpt Fira 'Demal's report on his excursion to Famul regarding Ro'nin
Ro'nin's actions are defined by his ruthless and calculating nature. Having once diligently studied the Sangheili warrior ethos regarding one's duty to uphold the honor of both keep and bloodline, his fall from grace has been suitably extreme. He now sees the values so integral to his people's culture as being empty, hollow things that cannot stand up to either the hardships of the galaxy or the hypocrisy of modern Sangheili society. Without any system of beliefs to put his faith in, Ro'nin only finds meaning in his own interests, which are generally concerned with money. This greed will sometimes lead the otherwise clever Ro'nin into making dangerously hasty decisions that he would otherwise shy away from.
While his rejection of honor has not made him any less of a warrior, Ro'nin sees no point in giving his life for any cause and will not hesitate to flee if outmatched. Though as skilled with a blade as any Sangheili warrior, he engages in close combat only when absolutely necessary, preferring to let his partner Kenpachus charge into combat while he fights from the rear with weapons that range from traditional plasma-based ammunition to human projectile firearms. When not backed up by his fearsome companion, Ro'nin will often hire expendable muscle to act as a distraction while he stalks his targets, striking from unexpected angles and working his prey into traps and ambushes.
During his time on the frontier, Ro'nin has developed a fierce rivalry with fellow mercenary Simon-G294, better known as "Stray." The outcast Sangheili and the traitor Spartan share much in common, though neither cares to admit it, and each has cheated the other out of many a paycheck in their endless struggles to get by in an unforgiving galaxy.
Trivia[]
- Since there is no known name within the Sangheili language resembling Ro'nin's, many who know of him hypothesize that he discarded his birth name after being exiled and selected the human term "ronin" when he was forging a new identity as a mercenary.
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† Deceased