User blog comment:Urbancommando77/Co-op Ancient Tourney/@comment-4552610-20130626035835

Afanasi Rastalin
Heritage: Usseran (Russian)

Lifespan: 1600 to 1680 (Started training at 12 and began combat at 18)

Afanasi Rastalin is a member of Zimnyaya okhrannik (translated as The Winter's Guard), a group of elite knights who resides in Ussera (7th Seas equivalent to Russia). Made up of nomad families, the Winter's Guard live in the wilderness, constantly fighting and training since they were young. Afanasi is a proud member of this elite force and fights for his Land and his People.

Close Range: Shashka Saber
 * The Winter Guard love to use this weapon as it is very strong, very fast and very sharp, allowing it to slice through armor and flesh alike.

Mid Range: Kontos Lance
 * This powerful lance is very strong and capable of spearing through multiple targets. It is best on horseback

Long Range: Composite Bow
 * The Winter Guard are to be masters in their bows as with their lances and sword. They are very accurate and can fire off horse.

Explosive: Explosive Arrows
 * Afanasi's travels has given him the secrets of explosives. He is not able to craft small explosives that can be attacked to his arrows to deal deadly damage.

Special: Bear Spear
 * While not as used as their lance, the Winter Guard have mastered the way of the bear spear. With the right footing and placmant on the ground, a Winter Guardsman is able to halt a charging war-horse and bring it down. It is also very effective against very heavily armored warriors.

Armor: Steel Armor, Chainmail, Steel Helmet, Steel Shield
 * This is the typical uniform of the Winter Guard when in battle. It provides incredible protection and are able to move around better than most knights.

Mount: Medium Armored War Horse
 * The Winter Guard use very strong war horses that are just as well armored as themselves. Afanasi has a strong connection with his stead and will not let him die, or at least not in vain.

Strengths:
 * Training of the Winter Guard: As a member of the Winter Guard,
 * Trained since Childhood
 * Years of Experience,
 * Peak Condition
 * Immense Courage
 * Balanced Diet
 * Tactically Diverse

Weaknesses:
 * Lesser Sophistication: He is not as fancy or as sophisticated as the Knights of Eisen (Germany) or Montaigne (France). This may make him hard to work with when teamed up with more sophisticated allies.
 * "Good-Guy Knight": Afanasi, as with the rest of the Winter Guard, are not very brutal and will not mistreat their enemies (whether captured or in battle). This makes them have a lesser level of brutality compared to others.