Maksim Reznikov

Maksim is a Clan Roleplay character and a supporting character in the Odds Against You series. He's currently in the (ongoing) Russia Arc on a journey to find his sister, joined by Amilite Ceros.

Appearance
Maks stands tall at a height of 6'2 (187.96cm) and has quite a broad and muscular frame. His skin is a light peach tone, and his hair is shoulder-length black, usually messy and sometimes up in a bun. His face is rather serious looking, with sharp cheekbones and jawline, bushy eyebrows, and smallish eyes. His eyes are a unique reddish-pink shade, inherited as a signature trait of his family, and he has a few moles and small scars scattered around his face. He doesn't bother to shave, which is why he has some scruff on his face as well. He has a lion tattoo on his right arm that he's had since he was 16.

Being that he's from Russia, he typically dresses in very warm clothing. He's fond of long cloaks, sweaters, jackets, and snow boots. He always wears a golden bangle inscribed with his family's crest, and he also always carries a sword inscribed with his name, both long-standing traditions of the Reznikov family. The only other accessories he ever wears are occasionally rings and piercings in his ears.

Personality
Maks is generally a very serious person. He’s very dedicated to what he does and doesn’t like to waste time on distractions. Because he was born so long ago, he has trouble understanding some more modern concepts and inventions, although he tries his best to. Having witnessed and faced many things over his lifetime, hardly anything scares or even phases him anymore. He is strong-willed and incredibly courageous, both typical traits of the Reznikov family.

Maks is very family-oriented, and due to his upbringing, he’s a stickler for traditional family values. Growing up, he was taught to always be loyal and dedicated to his family, which is why he spent so many years searching for their killers. To this day, he still wears his family bangle and strives to make choices based on what he thinks would make them proud. Given his family were well-known vampire warriors for generations, he also was taught from a young age to fight for what’s right and to protect those in need. He’s spent the majority of his life traveling all around the world on different missions to help people, which he genuinely enjoys. Maks has always been very selfless, willing to put the needs of others over his own, even if he doesn’t know them well. He absolutely can not stand those who bully or harass others. In his mind, harassing or taking advantage of someone innocent or weaker than you is the most cowardly thing a person can do.

Despite his rather harsh and serious appearance, at his core, Maks is a very warm and loving person. When he forms a bond with someone, he quickly becomes very protective of them and will do essentially anything to keep them safe and happy. He’s wonderful with kids, and his biggest wish is to one day have a family of his own. He also has a soft spot for animals and nature, and particularly enjoys the rain.

Backstory
Maksim Nikolaevich Reznikov was born September 8th, 1842 in his family’s manor located on the outskirts of Dudinka, Russia. Being born into the Reznikov family, he was trained in combat from an early age by his father. The Reznikovs were all famously strong vampire warriors, and had been traveling all over the world fighting for justice for centuries, leading to Maks and his siblings skipping a lot of school to practice fighting with their father. Since his family made lots of money from their many conquests, Maks grew up very fortunate, in a large house with many luxuries other families of the time could not afford.

Being his parents’ youngest son, Maks was often teased by his older brothers as a kid, until he was strong enough to fight back against them. Maks was close with his parents and siblings, though he had a particularly special bond with his younger sister Katya. At 16 years old, Maks accompanied his dad and older siblings on a mission for the very first time, traveling to Africa with them to defeat a large winged lion that was terrorizing a nearby village. He was successful on his mission, and afterwards got a tattoo of a lion on his arm to commemorate his first victory. As a reward for completing his first mission successfully, his father gifted him a very special sword that could only be wielded by members of the Reznikov family.

A few years later, on a fateful summer day, Maks left his home on a trip into town to pick up some things. When he returned home, he saw his family’s manor had burned to the ground. He immediately ran to see if his family was alright, and was devastated to find all of their bodies inside the house. He noticed that it seemed they had all been killed before the manor had set fire, since they all seemed to have been stabbed to death. Maks eventually managed to extinguish the fire, and discovered that whoever had burned his home and killed his family had also taken everything of value from the manor’s vault.

Left with no home, no money, and no family, Maks spent years grieving all that he’d lost. He spent lots of time in the bar drowning his sorrows in alcohol. He wandered the mountains of Siberia, full of grief and anger, eventually finding a small abandoned shack in the mountains. He fixed the place up and started living there, far away from anyone else, too ashamed that he hadn’t been able to save his family to talk to anyone. More than anything, he blamed himself for their deaths, and he decided to start trying to find who had killed them and make them pay. For many many years, he found dead end after dead end, starting to believe he would never get his revenge. He discovered the people who killed his family had been a group of vampire hunters that had already tried to kill his father before, but he didn’t find anything after that.

As the years went by, Maks eventually gave up searching and moved on from what had happened. He instead started devoting his time to helping people, what he was raised to do. He traveled across the world, learning new things, meeting new people, and helping people in need, watching the world change around him. More than 150 years after his family’s deaths, Maks finally found a real lead to who had killed his family. He headed to New York in search of answers, wondering if he would finally be able to find the people he’d long given up searching for and bring them to justice.

Introduction
Maks leaves the bar where he was drinking and walks down the street, eventually coming across Rachel Abramson and her sister Leah. Introductions are exchanged, before Rachel convinces Maks to enter a nearby forest and explore with her. Maks follows her to a clearing, where she gets distracted by a fight happening between Petra Adams and Vasuki Andino, leaving him on his own off to the side. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, Maks stays back and watches quietly, until he sees Phoenix Pereira approaching him.

The two cautiously introduce themselves, then Maks asks if Phoe knows how to leave the forest, considering he doesn’t want to ask Rachel for help again. When Phoe questions why Maks wants to leave, Maks tells them he has to find someone and complete his mission, which he can’t do if he’s wandering aimlessly in the forest. Phoe agrees to lead him out, telling him not to walk in front of them if he wants to make it out alive, which confuses Maks, even more so when he realizes Phoe won’t look at him. Phoe refuses to answer Maks’s questions, saying that Maks wouldn’t understand why they can’t look at him, until Maks eventually wears them down and they decide to get it over with. Phoe looks Maks in the eyes and immediately starts crying, able to see Maks’s memories of what happened to his family. However, they also see and reveal that Maks’s brother-in-law is the one who ruined his family, that he came from a family that hated vampires and turned his sons against vampires as well. Maks is incredibly confused, since he never had a brother-in-law and thought none of his family survived the massacre, until realization passes over him, remembering his sister Katya’s body was never recovered. Phoe sympathizes with Maks, feeling his pain, and they say that although his brother-in-law can’t hurt him anymore, he has a nephew still alive that Phoe has actually met before. Phoe promises to protect Maks even if it meant risking their own life, declaring he’s a friend to them and they trust him.

Revenge Arc
Maks asks if Phoe knows where the people who killed his family are, and when Phoe says yes, Maks begs them to tell him so he can avenge his family. Phoe gives a description of someone, but stalls on giving Maks his name, worrying what Maks would do to his family if he found him. When Maks declares he’ll kill them all, since they all deserve to pay for what they did to him, Phoe refuses to tell him the name. Maks decides that if Phoe won’t tell him, he’ll just have to find out for himself, but Phoe advises him that revenge won’t solve anything and will only make things worse. Maks tries to explain how he wants to restore his family name to honor, but Phoe doesn’t listen to him. Realizing they won’t agree, Maks just tells Phoe to lead him out of the forest like they promised.

While walking, the two have a brief run-in with Phoe’s brother Peter Pereira, who mocks Phoe and bickers with them. Maks is confused, not used to seeing that level of sibling rivalry, and when he questions Phoe about it, they reply that they barely know Peter, since he was born after their parents went missing. Maks offers to help Phoe find their parents once he’s completed his mission, as payment for helping him, but Phoe rejects him, saying they don’t like help.

Eventually, Phoe confesses they believe their parents are missing because of them, because they left to find out what was wrong with Phoe and never returned. Maks offers Phoe sympathy and tells them it wasn’t their fault, although he realizes how hypocritical he sounds, since he still blames himself for his family’s deaths. Phoe starts unloading everything on their mind, and they eventually realize that their uncle must’ve lied to them about their parents being gone so he could raise them himself, since he could never have kids of his own. Seeing how distraught they are, Maks offers to find his own way out so they don’t have to lead him, but Phoe tells him it’s fine. They reveal that they’re part elf as well as part vampire, and remember their dad had the same pointed ears as they do. Maks compliments Phoe’s ears, calling them unique, and Phoe decides they don’t care what others think of them anymore. They cut their hair with their dagger to prove it and thank Maks for helping them come to terms with who they are, before hugging him. Maks is surprised, but hugs them back, declaring they’ve both learned a lot from each other.

The two spend some time climbing trees to try and look for the closest way out, and Phoe has an experience with the ghost of their sister Annette. When they get back down, Phoe starts trying to talk Maks out of getting revenge again, but Maks tries to stop another argument happening by explaining that he sees his family in dreams, and they tell him that avenging them by killing their murderers is the only way to bring them honor. Phoe eventually gives in and tells Maks he’s going to regret his choice, but Maks simply answers that he’ll deserve to live with that regret.

Phoe remarks that someone is nearby, and when Maks asks who, Phoe tells him that his name is “Mr. Viron”, the last name of a family of famous vampire hunters. When Maks hears this, it sparks recognition in him, realizing Phoe means that the Virons are the ones who killed his family. He immediately draws his sword and starts looking for the person, eventually coming face to face with Athen Viron. Maks knocks Athen to the ground and holds his sword against his throat, yelling angrily that he made a mistake coming here and will pay for what his family did to Maks’s, while Athen laughs, unbothered. Athen and Maks notice the similarities between each other, with Athen commenting Maks looks like his mother, and Maks demands Athen tell him what his mother’s name was after realizing Athen has the eyes of a Reznikov. When Athen reveals his mother was Katya, Maks’s anger quickly turns to confusion. He thinks Athen could be lying at first, but again remembers that Katya’s body was never recovered, and realizes it must be true. Athen tells Maks his mother didn’t know his father hated vampires when she married him, and also reveals his father is now dead, having been killed by Freyja Khaalida, while his mother disappeared years ago without a trace. He insists he isn’t responsible for his family’s actions, promising they’ll never touch Maks’s family again, and Maks finally lets Athen go. He tells Athen that if he ever sees his mother again, to tell her that her brother misses her, and Athen complies, calling Maks “Uncle Maks” before walking away.

Meeting Ami & Town Arc
After realizing Phoe has left as well, meaning he’s now alone in the forest, Maks sits down and puts his head in his hands. He reflects on how he spent a century searching for the Virons, yet in the end couldn’t bring himself to hurt Athen, meaning he no longer has a mission or any reason to be in the forest or in New York. He eventually sees someone in the distance and starts to approach them, in the hopes they might know a way out of the forest now that Phoe is gone. The person, Amilite Ceros, introduces herself, and after Maks explains his problem, she agrees to help him out.

The pair start talking about their lives with each other, including where they’re from, which leads to Ami sharing that she actually grew up in a small town in the forest, and is therefore very familiar with it. Ami also tells Maks about her 3-year-old triplets that were created through magic, and Maks is happy to listen, having always wanted children of his own someday. When he remarks how caring for triplets must be difficult, Ami agrees it can be, especially since her fiancée and the triplets’ other mother, Ashley Scott, passed away recently. Maks offers his condolences, to which Ami replies they knew she was going to die, although it happened sooner than expected. She apologizes for bringing it up, and Maks assures her it’s fine, since he knows what it’s like to lose someone. Ami and Maks each talk about their families, Maks explaining life with his 5 siblings, and Ami explaining she was close with her little sister, although her parents and older brother usually ignored her. Maks shares that he was also close with his little sister and tells Ami a bit about Katya, which leads to him explaining the day’s events, in which he found out Katya had a son and may be alive, unlike he’d previously thought. Ami suggests trying to find out what really happened to Katya and offers to help, even if it meant going all the way to Russia to search for her, and Maks accepts her offer, thanking her. Ami then points out where each direction of the forest leads, explaining how the fastest way out would likely be through the town where she grew up, and so they start walking in that direction.

Maks and Ami discuss supernaturals, leading Maks to reveal his real age as a vampire, and Ami to suggest he hide his vampirism, since the townspeople aren’t fond of vampires. She also tells Maks she’s a spellcaster, but rarely uses magic because her family is cursed, and because she’s hurt people she cares about with magic, whom she couldn’t save in the end. Maks empathizes with her, remembering his family, and he wonders aloud if he dishonored them by being unable to kill Athen. Ami admits she doesn’t know and has been asking herself the same question, revealing her family had actually murdered her boyfriend and tortured her, though she had no idea who’d done it until her sister told her. Although they’re both struggling, they find comfort in knowing they understand each other, considering they’ve never really been able to talk about these things before.

They eventually notice some lights in the distance, and Ami confirms it’s her hometown unenthusiastically, mentioning how she knows her way out because of all the times she tried to run away. When Maks asks about Ami’s dislike for the town, Ami clarifies the town is okay, but the people there don’t like her because of things she did when she was younger. Ami notices Maks’s sword and compliments it, leading Maks to explain how he got it and that each of his family members had one, meaning his is likely the only one still in existence, unless Katya is alive and still has hers. Ami reminds him there’s only one way to find out, and Maks thanks her again for helping him and promises to repay her, although Ami insists he doesn’t need to. Maks tries to think of where to begin the search for Katya once they leave the forest, deciding his hometown of Dudinka in Russia would be the best place to start. Ami reassures him they’ll succeed in their mission, and Maks agrees that even if they don’t find Katya alive, it’ll be good to figure out what really happened to her.

The Town
Maks and Ami approach the town, and Ami puts a cloaking spell on Maks’s sword so he won’t look as threatening. Ami pulls her hood up to cover herself, and Maks offers her reassurance, before the two of them finally walk into town. They head in the direction of Ami’s childhood home, thinking it’ll be safest. Maks again questions why the townspeople dislike Ami, considering he sees her as very likeable, and Ami says she wasn’t the nicest person when she was younger, and that people even considered her to be evil. Maks is sure that Ami has too good of a heart to be evil, and he tells her not to listen to the townspeople and trust him, since he’s good at figuring people out. Ami thanks him, and they officially become cute little friendos.

Ami and Maks reach Ami’s childhood home and head inside, where Ami gives Maks a brief tour, before starting to search for potentially useful items. Ami finds a spellbook written by her great-great-grandmother in French, and declares it has information that could be useful on their journey. This leads to conversation about languages, with Maks revealing he also knows French, and offering to someday teach Ami some of the many languages he knows. Shortly after, Ami pulls another book from a shelf, revealing a secret passage behind a bookcase. She and Maks head down the stairs by sliding down the railing (just cute friendo things), arriving in a room full of various magical items. Maks eventually notices a cauldron and asks if Ami knows of any useful potions, leading Ami to search through a book of recipes, recalling one for a luck potion. She realizes she’s missing a few ingredients, though she knows she can get them from the town’s apothecary, and Maks agrees to go with her back into town to get them.

Ami leads Maks into town, talking more about finding Katya on the way, and Maks mentions that Ami agreeing to go to Russia with him to find his sister is probably the nicest thing anyone’s done for him in years. Ami says she’s glad Maks trusts her enough to let her help, then tells him he deserves family and happiness, and Maks says the same of Ami. The two reach the apothecary, and when they enter, Ami excitedly goes to talk to the shop’s owner Mincey, whom she’s close with. Ami introduces Maks and Mincey, then requests the ingredients she needs, with Mincey immediately guessing that they’re for a luck potion. Maks tells Mincey a bit about their planned journey to Europe, and Mincey wishes them good luck, giving Ami the ingredients for free, along with a few extra things. Mincey tells Maks to protect Ami, before hugging her goodbye, and Maks thanks her, promising he will.

Maks and Ami leave with the ingredients and head back to Ami’s house. On their way, they discuss how they’ll get to Russia, eventually agreeing on taking a plane after Maks remembers Ami can hide weapons with magic. Ami remembers that her sister Christaline is taking care of her children, and she and Maks agree to meet with them before they leave for Russia, which would also allow Maks to meet Ami’s kids. He hopes he won’t scare them, considering his size, but Ami says she’s sure they will like him. They then reach the house and head back down the stairs, and Ami starts preparing the ingredients for the potion, suggesting they wait to drink it until they’re in a place more likely to be close to Katya. Ami asks if Maks is excited to return to Russia, and Maks admits he hasn’t been to his hometown in years because of the memories, but he’s determined to go back if it means finding Katya. Ami admits she’s never been on a plane before, and the only time she’s been close to going overseas was when her family planned a trip to France, although they had to cancel because her sister was too sick. This gives Maks an idea, and he promises to take Ami and her family to France someday as payment for her helping him find his sister. Ami bottles up the potion once she’s finished and packs them for the trip, then heads back upstairs with Maks to pack the rest of her things. She also magically sends a letter to Christa, telling her to meet them at a butterfly garden with the children, before leaving the house with Maks.

The Butterfly Garden
Maks and Ami head out of the town, agreeing to trust one another so their mission has a higher chance of success. Ami shows Maks a picture of the butterfly garden on the way to the airport where they’ll be meeting Christa and the kids, one that she herself used to go to often when she was a kid. She also tells him he won’t have to hide his sword from the kids, since they’re used to seeing her carry weapons and won’t be scared. The two finally leave the forest and start walking down the street, with Maks keeping a safe distance from all the cars, still not used to how the world has changed since he was young. He recalls how his hometown looked the last time he was there, although he acknowledges it’s probably changed greatly since then.

Approaching the gate to the butterfly garden, Maks expresses his excitement, assuring Ami she’s not dragging him here for no reason. They each straighten their appearances as they enter the garden, where Christa and the kids are already waiting, and Ami’s kids immediately rush to hug her. Christa also greets her, before exchanging introductions with Maks. Ami then introduces each of her children, Zeus, Nerissa, and Celestine to Maks, who kindly introduces himself as a friend of their mother’s. He shakes each of the kids’ hands and offers to be their friend, which makes them very happy, especially Celestine, who’s much shyer than her siblings. Meanwhile, Ami tells Christa about their plans to go to Russia and asks her to watch the triplets, with Maks adding that he’ll repay Christa as well if she helps them, and Christa agrees on the condition that Ami returns her dagger and writes to her while away. Maks thanks her, promising to protect Ami at all costs, and Christa also promises Ami she’ll protect her kids. Noticing the look on Celestine’s face after she mentions going away, Ami reassures her daughter and promises to bring her back a gift, before saying goodbye to all three children and hugging her sister goodbye as well. Maks also says goodbye to Christa and waves to the triplets, before he and Ami officially head off to the airport.

The Airport
Maks and Ami admit neither of them know exactly where the airport is, and so they walk in the general direction of the airport until they notice a group of people carrying luggage. They decide to follow the group discretely, considering they don’t blend in very well (or they look like “oddballs” as Ami puts it), and Ami also tells Maks that she has some solutions in case anyone tries to give them trouble, gesturing slyly to her bag. The airport soon comes into view, and Maks and Ami enter, luckily realizing that there are too many people in the airport for them to stand out all that much. They find the ticket counter and successfully buy two tickets to Moscow, with Maks insisting on paying for both tickets, before they head off in search of the gate.

Russia Arc
Many hours later, Maks and Ami land in Moscow and finally leave the airport, both tired, but still excited. Maks tells Ami there’s a car waiting to take them to Dudinka and leads her through the parking lot to a sleek limo with tinted windows. As they approach, a blonde man gets out of the driver’s seat, and Maks greets him warmly, introducing him to Ami as his old friend Pasha who’ll be driving them to Dudinka. Given it’s a long drive from Moscow to Dudinka, introductions are brief, and Maks and Ami both enter the car, with Pasha soon driving off down the road.

Maks and Ami get comfortable in the limo, and Ami then asks how Maks knows Pasha. Maks tells Ami he and Pasha have been good friends and business partners for a long time, and used to be romantic partners as well, which surprises Ami. She admits she hadn’t known Maks was queer and explains the term to him, and Maks admits he hadn’t known there was an English word for that which wasn’t said in a hateful way. Ami empathizes with him, since there were no words like that in her home either.

Wanting to lighten the topic, Maks notices it’s snowing outside and points it out to Ami. He asks if Ami has warm clothes and offers to buy her some if not, considering it’s even colder in Dudinka, plus Ami only has American money, but Ami assures him she has enough clothes and doesn’t want him to spend money on her. Maks then thinks for a moment and laughs, admitting to Ami he’d tried to think of a question to ask her, but it feels like he’s known her a long time, even though they only met recently. Ami shares his feelings, and the two of them eventually talk about their favorite colors, as they can’t think of anything else. They bring up nature as well, both admitting they feel at home in nature and spent much of their time outside as children. This leads to Maks talking about his childhood and how he and his siblings would train all the time growing up, both for fun and out of obligation due to family tradition. Ami questions if it ever got annoying having to train so much, and Maks admits it did sometimes, but he never argued with his parents, since he knew what they wanted from him. Ami knows what it’s like and says she’s sorry that Maks didn’t have a choice, and Maks in turn says he’s sorry Ami had to deal with it as well. They each think about their strict parents, and Maks tells Ami he’s sure she’s much better to her own children, given how much they seem to love her. Ami thanks him, also saying she’s sure Maks will be a good father whenever he has kids of his own. Maks looks out the car window, seeing it’s starting to get dark out, although he can still recognize the paths and says it shouldn’t be long before they arrive in Dudinka.

Sword Fighting
Maks was trained to wield a sword from the age of 14, and he received his personalized Reznikov sword when he was 16, as per tradition. By now, after nearly 2 centuries, he’s an extremely skilled swordsman. His sword is always his weapon of choice in battle, and in fact, he’s never lost a battle fought with his sword.

Physical Combat
As with sword fighting, Maks has been trained in physical combat since he was 14. He continues to practice every day, and his skills combined with his size make him an extremely intimidating opponent in a physical fight.

Languages
Maks has traveled all over the world, making him fluent in a total of 16 languages. These languages include Russian, German, Romanian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, English, Mandarin, Japanese, Mongolian, Italian, Greek, Swedish, Norwegian, Bulgarian, and Polish.

Supernatural Abilities
Maks is a born vampire, and was raised by a long-lasting family of vampires. Therefore, he’s extremely good at using and controlling his vampiric abilities, since he’s never known a life without them.

Trivia
-Maks's theme song is "Natural" by Imagine Dragons

-He has a fairly thick Russian accent whenever he speaks, so it can sometimes be hard to understand him

-He's an INFJ personality type

-His family, the Reznikovs, have been around for many centuries, with the earliest dating back to the 1200s (and until Maks's generation, all were pureblood vampires)

-In Russia, the tradition is for a child's middle name to be their father's name, but with "evich" added on the end for boys and "evna" added on the end for girls; this means Maks and all his brothers have the same middle name

-His favorite color is forest green

-He believes cutting his hair and shaving his beard are a waste of time, so he usually goes a while before doing either

-He loves the sound and smell of rain

-He hardly ever laughs and takes himself very seriously

-He never thought of being bi as a big deal, and just assumed that everyone was attracted to multiple genders until he was told otherwise

-When I originally made him, my plan was for him to either be evil or morally grey, but obviously that changed

-He was inspired somewhat by Aragorn from Lord of the Rings