Callum Grant

"'As I understand it, you come from another world. And you just so happen to deliver yourself to my doorstep, possibly unintentional, merely on the grounds that you wish to seek out a worthwhile business venture.' - Callum, to Celaena"Callum Grant is a callous and calculative man, albeit one with the burning soul of a dragon within him. As the sole owner of the PMC group, Yggdrasil, Callum roams from dimension to dimension, taking his company with him. While his intentions appear to be pure, his mysterious demeanor leaves it impossible to determine the truth. Most recently, Callum has appeared in Avashesh, taking residence up in Neo Haven.

Of Dragons and Men
Callum was born in an alternate universe, where humanity co-existed with mythical monsters like dragons and minotaurs. Prejudice was commonplace and such monsters were often treated as second-class citizens. This had a tendency of creating violent situations, where entire cities could crumble in the blink of an eye. Humanity was arrogant and foolhardy, believing it to be the cause of destructive creatures, rather than their own bigotry. Callum spent his early childhood in the city of Irvere, watching as conflicts escalated further and further. It was eventual, that the battles would reach a boiling point, and the war would not go in humanity's favor.

As the army of monsters laid siege to Irvere, Callum was caught beneath rubble and nearly killed. His parents died right then and there, bones broken beneath the weight of the mansion crumbling atop of them. It was only through the pity of an invading dragon, Kuhllan, that Callum was able to continue living. In the hands of the mystic dragon Kuhllan, Callum watched Irvere burn to the ground, knowing his life would never truly be the same. Part of him harbored hatred for the monsters, as they had stolen his childhood and his parents away from him. The other half, only believed it was justice. It was only revenge. The civilizations of man did not linger much longer, as the armies of monster saw them dismantled.

Years passed on; Callum grew older and wiser. He saw the world in a fresh set of eyes, and he knew that nothing was ever black or white. Callum grew more reserved in these years, stealing away into the night on extensive journeys. Mostly, he scavenged for supplies in what became to be known as the Collapse for mankind. Monsters had taken over almost everywhere, and a new world order was established. During one of his trips into the decaying cities, Callum happened upon an old library that greedily guarded dusty old tomes. Many of them broke at his touch, brittle from the fires of revolution. One of these tomes was surprisingly intact, perhaps kept so through magical wards. The tome depicted something called the Rite of Succession; an ancient ritual devised by court wizards and powerful mages, used to steal a dragon's soul and bind it to their own. This, of course, required one to kill a dragon, an uncommon occurrence during the Pre-Collapse time period. Callum saw an opportunity to make something better of himself. He hurried away from the old library, tome beneath his arm.

Many nights trudged on as Callum studied the ritual in earnest. All that was required was a weapon of any variety, coated in special ingredients meant to stimulate the soul transference. A magic crystal was to be carried on the person conducting the ritual, so the soul could be directed properly. Finding the necessary items was no small task; Callum often found himself pillaging old vaults and stashes left behind after the Collapse. After finally collecting everything he needed, Callum conducted the ritual. Applying the reagents to a spear, Callum impaled Kuhllan through the stomach, while the dragon slumbered. The ritual worked, killing the dragon instantly as its soul was forcibly ripped from the body. Instantly, Callum felt overwhelmed with a burning sensation, as the crystal that dangled from his neck burned white hot. It left a nasty burn on his chest, but Callum walked away from it feeling stronger. He no longer felt as if he was himself, but someone new. Feeling that there was nothing left for him in this world, Callum put his new powers to use and tore open a rip in space with the blood-coated spear. With that, he disappeared from his homeland, thus beginning the winding tale of Callum Grant, the Dragon.

Conquest
With the ability to hop between different dimensions, Callum began making a name for himself. Adjusting to life outside of his primitive homeland, Callum embraced it and founded Yggdrasil, a private military company with an ever diversifying portfolio when it came to research and technological advancement. Over the next several years, Callum moved around and took his company with him, hiring on individuals with diverse backgrounds and histories, all in the name of spreading his influence as far and wide as he could manage. After 14 years, Callum had managed to establish Yggdrasil branches in 4 different locations, and expand his company to well over 300,000 members. He even managed to return to his homeland, seizing back control from the roaming monster clans who had established rule in his absence. Given that he had wholly embraced technology, robotic drones and ballistic weaponry proved to be fatal to the still primitive and backward-living monsters.

On one of his various travels, Callum eventually found himself in the isles of Avashesh. His sudden arrival in the Spiral Isles was no secret; a tower seemed to appear out of nowhere, seemingly overnight. Callum has announced himself as CEO of Yggdrasil; a company who's sole purpose is to provide better living standards through clean energy and other methods. While most have been welcoming of Callum's sudden appearance, it is still too early to say the truth. Callum immediate set up a new location for his company, founding the Spiral Isles branch of Yggdrasil, with Neo Haven as his base of operations.

A Tale of Fire and Storm
Months after his time in the Spiral Isles, Callum was forced into confrontation with his first true threat: the techno priest of the Clockwork Trinity, Arrox. Having been shot by his former researcher, Callum was in no position to fight, but did so anyway. The Fire and the Storm clashed in Yggdrasil's upper offices, tearing off a sizable chunk of the building in the process. Callum was forced to assume his dragon armor, though the fight would not last much longer than that. Knowing the extent of his injuries, Callum surrendered and left himself at the mercy of Arrox. The techno priest decided to spare him, seeing Callum as a worthy adversary. Arrox had departed after that instance, leaving Callum alone with his thoughts.

Days later, Arrox returned to Callum's company, this time with a proposition. He demanded a robotic frame, and promised that Arrox and his machine cult would leave Callum's business be. Callum was initially hesitant to accept such demands, but he had little choice in the matter; there were other matters he needed to deal with, and Arrox was wasting his time. He allowed Arrox to leave with a machine frame, only so Callum could tend with another meeting of his own. This particular meeting put him with Celaena; a rather mysterious woman who came with a business opportunity. She came with the promise of a partnership, though her intentions were vague, at best. Callum was intrigued by the offer, though he remained understandably wary of her. All he could gather was her lack of interest in the Spiral Isles, as she subtly suggested he relocate to Rubidia. Callum accepted the deal, but he asked something of her first. Due to his suspicions with Arrox and his machine cult, Callum asked that Celaena and her associates investigate what was going on with them. She agreed, and promptly departed.

Call of the Queen
Callum returned to Neo Haven after weeks away, only to discover that his building had been ravaged by a mystery assailant. The entire Yggdrasil Building was under police quarantine now; the employees weren't allowed on the premises, and the building was cordoned off with police tape. Tearing away the tape, Callum cased the empty lobby to see how much trouble had actually been caused. The culprit never made it past the lobby, though it would still cost Callum millions. Rather than remaining idle to dwell on the situation, Callum headed up towards his office; he took the stairs, as the building power was non-operational. After nine flights of stairs, he arrived in his office, only to find it occupied by someone else.

It was Leona, one of Celaena's associates. She spoke of a message she had received from her leader, after the woman in question had been missing since her most recent activities in Rubidia. She spoke as though Callum was to receive the same letter, though having been away from Neo Haven for a week, it was likely that he missed it. Leona would go on to explain the nature of the letter, and how it was a poem of some kind; she couldn't make sense of it, believing it to just be an unknown poem with no real purpose, and that her master was toying with her. Being the hospitable soul he was, Callum offered drinks, and assistance..The two did not seem to get along very well; snide comments were frequent as they tried to discern the meaning of the riddle. Perhaps it was just conflicting natures, after all such things. The letter had read: ''Let the clouds guide you, it holds the Hell together like sinew. Follow the siren's song, and you'll steer no wrong. Follow the star-born stag, to a world with an unknown flag. The hunt awaits, meet Nudd at the gates. - Bring the Dragon with you. Pulvis et umbra sumus." ''Leona had assumed that Callum was the dragon in question, as there weren't many people known as Dragon in the Isles. Callum offered a few possible solutions, after which they both realized that neither of them knew much of anything. It was then that Callum remembered his old life, back in his homeland; sirens were creatures who lured sailors to their death with a song. The riddle suggested that they follow the Siren's Song, though he knew of none. It was the best lead they had, so they decided to follow up on it. Callum decided to take to Cascadia, the largest port city in the Spiral Isles, and see if any sailors knew anything about sirens. The two reluctantly teamed up, knowing they were both involved in this hunt for the queen.

Callum would arrive hours before Leona, and took the time to interrogate the sailors of the port town. Many spoke of old tales of sirens, but most of them were drunken bastards and Callum couldn't rely on their accounts. This caused him to be a bit abrasive in his interrogation techniques, much to Leona’s disapproval upon her arrival. The two discovered little in this venture, though Leona had happened upon a discovery that might point them into the right direction. Her ship was state of the art, unlike anything that the Isles had to offer. Callum was quite surprised in seeing it, secretly wishing that he possessed even a fraction of this technology. His amazement was furthered when a hologram appeared, curtly calling Leona “my daughter”. Callum could only guess what the implications were; perhaps some space-age AI meant to emulate a fallen father figure, or a digitized consciousness meant to preserve a mind without a body. Whichever it was, Leona had happened upon star data that wasn’t charted before. It was a star cluster; a stag constellation, specifically. She was almost certain that it was new, but that was impossible. Stars couldn’t just make themselves overnight, and especially not form brand new constellations. Callum was skeptical, but it seemed to accurately match Celaena’s riddle. According to data collected by Leona’s father, the constellation seemed to hover somewhere above the Land of Drakes or the Emerald Isle; with little other options, they went with the latter. Given that Land of Drakes technically belonged to Rubidia, and Emerald Isle was an independent nation, it lended credence to the possibility that it was the “world with an unknown flag” that Celaena had mentioned in her riddle.

They had both assumed they would see sirens when they arrived near the Emerald Isle, but saw nothing. Callum was notably discouraged, beginning to believe that the whole journey was a wasted effort, with time he wouldn’t get back. Their hope was restored when a foghorn blared; it was a loud noise, sometimes used to snap sailors out of a siren’s trance. A flash briefly blinded the two; a lighthouse was upon the shore. They were nearing the coast of the Emerald Isle. Callum maintained his somewhat irritated demeanor, not liking how they had to parade about the Isles in search of this fabled ending. When Leona asked what they should do once they docked, he remarked the last part of the riddle; “Find Nudd.” Upon reaching the lighthouse, they did indeed find Nudd, and he was not what they had expected. The man was a behemoth of a person, exuding an aura that was overpowering; it caused nausea in both Leona and Callum. Despite this, the man had confirmed himself to be Nudd; more specifically, his full name of Gwyn ap Nudd. He cited the vague directions of the riddle as necessary precautions; few were allowed on the Isle, as the Sirens kept unwanted parties away. With no further questions, Callum promptly told Nudd to take them to the queen. He obliged, opening a hidden compartment in the lighthouse which led into what appeared to be a hospital corridor.

Arrival in Annwn
The hallway seemed to be lined with men of similar stature and attire to Gwyn; wolf pelts and tattoos covered their bodies, with a firm musculature on display. They seemed to wear a uniform of some sort, almost like a military unit. Given their imposing stature and the dreadful aura Gwyn emitted, Callum was unable to think otherwise. Gwyn’s words, explaining how the queen would waive usual procedures, suggested the corridor was a customs checkpoint. To where, Callum had no idea. There was only one thing expected of them; upon a nearby table were syringes, containing a blue liquid. Gwyn explained that they had microscopic trackers within them; Leona was skeptical to believe this, but Callum quickly elaborated on the existence of nanomachines, which is what it appeared to be. Seeing how this was the only real obstacle left before him, Callum saw no point in wasting time. Rolling up his sleeve, he plunged the needle through his arm and injected the tracker into his bloodstream. Much like their first meeting, Callum was largely skeptical of Celaena’s intentions; she was purposely secretive, and the elaborate steps required to get here were somewhat suspicious. Callum had contingencies in place, should things have gone awry. He was actively thinking about them, whenever not speaking.

Tossing the empty syringe back onto the table, he rolled down his sleeve and prepared to proceed. Leona was more reluctant, eventually forced to take the tracker by Gwyn. With that out of the way, they were granted passage into Annwn. What it was, Callum had no expectations of. Needless to say, he was still blown away. It was an entire city hidden in the mountain, untouched by time. Every surface seemed to shimmer like diamonds, immaculate and without even a single flaw. It was the quintessence of perfection; or, as close as one could manage to achieve. Just seeing it made Callum want to explore, as he felt his childlike enthusiasm return for even one second. It quickly faded as he remembered why he was here; business, and nothing else. His trance was broken when another figure approached, though this one out of thin air. It appeared to be another member of Celaena’s organization, though a lot more… verbose. Callum actually felt uncomfortable when the woman, Candle, tried to flirt with him. More so because his personal space was being invaded, as she had seemed to appear out of nowhere in the blink of an eye. After Candle offered an extensive welcome, the group was back on their way towards the castle, far to the back of the city.

Callum had become more comfortable now; he attributed it to the fresh air, almost uncanny in how pure it was. It really had seemed like they stepped into a whole new world, though whispers reminded him that they were still in the Isles. They were vile whispers, launching hateful phrases their way. Callum noted that they weren’t directed towards him; passing citizens were vilifying Gwyn of all people. Callum couldn’t help but wonder what it meant, though Candle was quick to explain that Gwyn belonged to the Wild Hunt; a group that served as defenders of the throne. That, and they kidnap infants from their mothers. Upon finally reaching the castle, Candle and Leona rushed ahead to enter. Callum adopted a more proud stride to scale the long stairway towards the throne room. Once they had all reached there, it was clear that it was the end of the journey. The throne was flanked by two men, both giants; Gwyn, and someone Callum didn’t recognize. Of course, the throne was occupied by the queen. Callum, in his somewhat social awkwardness, couldn’t say much but mention how they had finally met again. It was there that Celaena formally welcomed both Leona and Callum to Annwn.

After a short while, Callum was to accompany Celaena into the depths of the castle, where he would soon learn the truth about this mystery woman. She titled herself the Queen of Assassins, leader of a shadow group. As it seemed, Celaena required Callum's help to assist Annwfyn; a military contract for a military contractor. Callum would assist in the nation's defense, while also providing the technological expertise his company was known for. In return, he would have access to Annwfyn's resources, including precious metals that couldn't be found elsewhere. Always intrigued with potential ventures, Callum couldn't disagree that the deal was promising. With that, a deal was struck; Yggdrasil would align themselves with Annwfyn, and both sides would benefit. After Celaena was called away on business, Callum met with another member of her shadowy cabal; Don Mo. The two talked business and personal troubles, with Callum eventually revealing the reason why he had taken the deal. Callum said his fond farewells soon after, returning to the Spiral Isles to take care of unfinished business and finalize the deal. Little did he know, Annwfyn would soon call upon him yet again.

Callum
Callum is of average build and height, often described with having a "void-like expression", alluding to his calm and calculating persona. His hair is darker in color, framed around his brown eyes; the hairstyle is shaped in a particular fashion, causing individual hairs to jut out at the back of his head. He values appearance above most things, and is rarely seen out of form-fitting suits, usually dark in color. Though one may not see it under normal circumstances, Callum carries several scars across his upper back and biceps, most notable from claw marks. Likely taken during the monster siege of Irvere, Callum still wears them to remind him of his past, and how far he has come since being a frightened little child. More notable, there is a diamond-shaped burn scar right on his sternum, which was taken when he preformed the Rite of Succession. His appearance is of a man in his early 30's, though due to stealing away Kuhllan's powers, it is ultimately unknown if Callum physically ages anymore. As dragons have incredibly long lifespans, Callum may have extended his own by using the Rite of Succession.

Mystic Regalia
In donning the Mystic Regalia, Callum takes on the aspect of Kullhan in a more humanoid appearance. Callum's skin becomes covered in ultra-thick dragon scales, lightweight and able to deflect most elements and turn away most blades. His arms and legs become covered in thick red scales; plated and layered especially around his shoulders and thighs. His chest, stomach, inner thighs and calves are covered in similar scales, though grey and less armored than the rest of his body. His dragon armor is very angular; the scales around his chest reach an apex right at the center. His feet are now two-toed; they resemble dragon-like talons, perfect for gaining footholds in otherwise slippery or impassible terrain. Angled horns surround his face, rising from the side and directing backwards; spires of the same nature rise from his clavicle, with two more just below his shoulder blades. Lastly, a row of menacing fangs covers where his mouth would normally be; whether it's an actual mouth, or just for display, is ultimately unknown. It is worthy of note that given his connection with the mystic power, Callum is able to cover any part of his body in the Regalia, at any time.

Personality
At surface level, Callum is a calm and calculated individual, possessing a higher than normal intellect and a particular aptitude for learning. In the day to day, Callum shows himself to be a capable leader and has already established Yggdrasil to be a formidable company, across multiple dimensions. He conducts most of his encounters with a particular level of professionalism, believing anything can be a potential business opportunity. He attempts to treat everyone he meets with kindness, for the very same reason. Despite this, he does not tolerate hostility very well. He is known for being incredibly violent when it comes to self-defense situations, borderline sociopathic in how he treats targets of his ire. For those who he tolerates, Callum treats with some degree of respect; he shows loyalty towards those who ally with him, though he finds trouble identifying with other humans, likely due to being apathetic to their plights, and his own tragic backstory.

Given what he is, Callum has an unusual fixation of dragon-related paraphernalia, whether it be weapons, armor, scales or bones. He tends to acquire them whenever he can, and has been known to make rather lofty deals to procure such objects for his personal collection.

Abilities
Callum is a shrewd and capable businessman, with extensive knowledge in corporate dealings; this translates into a incredible amount of charisma and leadership skills. Despite this, he has limited knowledge about the actual type of work his company deals with, preferring to handle deals and broker partnerships rather than be hands-on. Beyond his business sense, Callum is somewhat normal for a human being, though one at near peak fitness.

Callum's abilities as Dragonborn are extensive; his primary talent is the ability to morph body parts to mimic those of a dragon. This includes growing talons, covering particular parts of his skin in dragon scales, sprouting wings or using an internal flame organ to spew fire from his mouth. As his natural physiology has been altered, the fire doesn't harm him. Callum can don the Mystic Regalia to fully veil himself in a suit of dragon scales, making him impervious to most conventional attacks. As they are bound to his soul, Callum can also call upon an arsenal of weapons, of which he has three currently: the Mystic Flames, a pair of flaming curved swords, and the Waking Earth, a mighty greatsword.

Kuhllan
Despite being the source of his parents' death, Kuhllan ended up being a father figure of sorts to young Callum. The dragon helped the boy live through the rest of his childhood, teaching him things that he would have never known, considering his lack of parents. Regardless, Callum still held a deep resentment for the dragon, as he saw it being nothing more than that which had destroyed his life. Though, Kuhllan did open Callum's eyes to a truth he would have never known otherwise; the universe would only answer to power, and nothing else. After months of searching, Callum used something called the Rite of Succession to steal away Kuhllan's power, killing the dragon in the process.

Edgar Clancy Vulkain
Having served as the family butler since he was a child, Vulkain always conducted himself as Callum's parental guardian while his parents were away. Since their death, Vulkain blames himself for it, and now looks after Callum after locating him following his capture at the hands of the dragon Kuhllan. Vulkain has the utmost loyalty towards Callum; his insistence on caring mimics that of a parental figure, much to Callum's chagrin. Despite Callum's annoyance, he values Vulkain's company and respects him as a close friend.

Celaena Sardothien
While their initial meeting was completely unintentional, Callum finds himself oddly interested in Celaena. Her odd mannerisms and genuine curiosity about him leave Callum intrigued about the woman, especially since he knows so little about her. He finds himself staring often, as if attempting to understand her better, or hoping to obtain knowledge he cannot learn through speaking with her. The two have entered a business relationship, partnering Celaena's mysterious organization with Callum's Yggdrasil. Though he's wary of her intentions, he still feels compelled to assist her, since Callum knows he'll benefit from it.

Leona Volpe
The relationship between Callum and Volpe is more akin to arguing siblings rather than anything else. The two tend to resort to name-calling and other rude insults when around each other, as their intellects and varied personalities clash. In the rare occasion that they're able to cooperate, the two work surprisingly well together, having been able to decipher a cryptic riddle that earned them entry into the mysterious Emerald Isles. Together, they may have a shared capacity for great achievements; if they can manage to get along long enough, that is.