Heroes in fairy tales are usually pointed out early on, someone points at them, someone names them, or something simply waits for them to grow up.
In Bylina, nothing was waiting for Kestrel. The world did not stop for him, and it would have gone on just fine without him. He is someone who was simply born into a difficult place, trying to live honestly, and discovering that doing so is often harder than having a grand mission.
Kestrel wants something simple: to become a real bogatyr, like his father was. The problem is that bogatyrs aren’t trained, they’re born, and as far as anyone can tell, he has not inherited the strength that made his family a legend.
He’s kind, straightforward, and a little naïve. By no means is he weak; he is just painfully human in a world that doesn’t reward that very often.
What defines him isn’t power, but his stubbornness and refusal to give in. His favorite phrase is simply: “I’ll help, I won’t abandon you.” We think that this truly captures who Kestrel is.
As for how he lives, Kestrel does not live for a grand end goal, he lives for the process of living, helping where he can, surviving however is needed, and trying not to die stupidly or disappear forever into the Thrice-Ninth Kingdom.
We intentionally do not give you a huge backstory to Kestrel, from the very start, he is just someone you happen to take control of. However, as you play Bylina, you will quickly be able to get a good picture of who he is through his choices and through his diary, where he records his thoughts after the events have ended.
After the first hour of playing Bylina, Kestrel should not feel like a legendary hero at all. We want him to feel like someone that you've met before, an energetic, but helpful person. Someone who would help an old woman cross the road, feed a stray cat, and then jump into danger to protect someone, because turning their back on it would feel worse.
That's it for our short introduction to the main character, Kestrel. He's not the chosen one, but we can say that he is the willing one. You'll need to play Bylina to get to know him more!
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