Nico Mavari-Helcarte: aka Nick Blackwood, Nicky B., 'Boss', and a dozen other nicknames and aliases. Nico was originally a horse-trader and trainer on Malakath, after the wars with the Kahns took most of his family and what was rightfully his throne as the Lord of Rochan. He settled in the high country of the Nayar with his wife and young son, dealing in horses. Like his brother Arun who was named after the Malkathian wolves (aruna), his totem animal was the wolf. Merlinus got him off of Malakath when things heated up with the Kahns. If he hadn't, Nico would most likely be dead. Rama Kahn's father Ramyan had kidnapped Nico's beautiful wife Kilyah when Damon was perhaps five winters old. Ramyan raped her and then proceded to carve up her pretty face and send her back to Nico as a warning. Nearly eight months later, Kilyah died giving birth to Ramyan's spawn. To say that Nico burned with hatred for the Kahns was an understatement. They had despoiled the one thing he loved more than life itself and in the end killed her. Merlinus sent Nico to Terra originally - to some backwater town in Texas - thinking he'd fit in rather well there. He did for a time but then there was some trouble. Nico didn't start it. It just seemed to follow him like a black cloud. Merlinus then transfered him to Ikas-7, an artificial world where there lived several different hominid races. Again, trouble found Nico in the form of Willy Darq. Darq didn't like it when Nico started cutting in on his black market smuggling business. Nico picked up and moved himself and his mates to Partha-10, another artificial world and soon found himself hounded by bounty-hunters. Somehow - and no one was sure how - Rama Kahn was hiring them to track him down and dispose of him. There was no 'dead or alive' clause. Rama just wanted him dead. Once again he moved on, and again, and again. Sometimes Nico wished Merlinus would have left him to his fate, because this life was getting old and wearing him down. Nico trusted no one anymore and this made it even worse. Now he was on Shamas6 and had his own club. Darq had shown up tonight to tell him there was a fat titanium shipment docking day after next and would he be interested in splitting the profits? Nico smelled a rat and a trap, bigtime. He declined and had his bouncer, Mr. Clean, escort his former nemesis out the door. Nico reached for his phone and dialed a code that was only to be used in dire straits. No one would answer, but the signal would be traced through closed channels. He would dial the numbers again in two GC hours, when he'd gotten himself to a place where no one would see him get picked up. There'd be a small, strange untraceable blip on the world's radar scanners and that would be that. He'd left everything behind so many times, he felt truly alone and in a black funk. Things had to change, soon because he was in serious danger of becoming the sort of person he didn't like. ***** The painting on the wall to your right is from 1999. This was my original Nico. Sorry about the quality of it, but it was painted with iridescent acrylics which do not photograph well because of the refraction of the micaceous paints. Now, he's a morph :) Even better. I'm still working on him, but he's done for the most part. The 'dragon-blooded' age more slowly than other Malkathians. Nico is about 45-46 years old here. Damon is about 24 years old. No one is really certain how long either of them will live. The dragons themselves are hundreds of years old. ***** Thank you for dropping by, for your views, comments and faves my dears! May you have a fabulous Friday! Saw some pretty amazing images today - thank you!! Ray