Oleksandra Tometchko/Introduction

 As the Soviet Union was crumbling to pieces, a young Ukrainian boy followed his father northeast towards St. Petersburg from Odessa. When the KGB was giving way to the FSB, a young Vasily Tometchko was entering army service. He earned himself distinction in a rifle company, became an intelligence officer, and swiftly discovered himself wrapped up in a Labyrinth of the St. Petersburg Guardians of the Veil. His awakening on the Path to Arcadia was an unexpected surprise, and an asset soon became an ally.

 For over 20 years, Vasily served Russia in the vain hope that his homeland of Ukraine would benefit from the work he did. Under the Shadowname of Yaroslav the Wise he shepherded the formation of a new consilium as one of its first Councilors, and eventually abdicated his post to resume his work as a Susceptor. East of the Danube, he earned the sort of reputation Guardians rarely achieve; egalitarian, conscientious, and patient. The latter an even rarer trait among Acanthus.

 But when the Russian army annexed the Crimea and backed right wing paramilitary separatists in Donbas and Donetsk, Vasily's dual loyalties came into conflict. With the blessing of his Epopt, he traveled to Ukraine to-- officially --confront and contend with a pylon of Seers of the Throne who had been operating with impunity in the war torn region. With the help of his cadre, the Firebirds, he was able to dismantle the Pylon member by member. Much of the violence in the east of the country ceased, and his Epopt attempted to recall him.

 But seeing the writing on the wall and realizing he had cast the dice, he fled west. Through Europe, from Consilium to Consilium, moving from cover to cover, masque to masque, until at last he stepped off a gangway in New York and caught the Amtrak to Philadelphia.

 He speaks the language like a student of the language, rather than a frequent speaker. He finds American optimism and familiarity grating, and the culture largely repellent. But at least no one is asking him to spy on his own people. Well. Not those people, anyway.