Prince Rurik

General
Born in: Drascir Age: 32

Prince Rurik, firstborn son of King Adelbern, is the heir to the throne of Ascalon. He is both very charismatic and very optimistic. The prince commands the Ascalon Vanguard, an elite fighting force that is under his direct control. Prince Rurik is very passionate about defending his country and would do anything to save its people from the oppression of the Charr. Unfortunately, he and his father do not see eye to eye on many matters including the matter of how to deal with the Charr invasion. Since the Searing, this gap between them has gotten wider... The father wanting to dig-in and defend even more, and the son becoming more eager and determined to confront the Charr.

Rurik lost his betrothed, Lady Althea, to the Charr invasion. Some in Ascalon whisper that it has made him more reckless and vengeful.

In the Nolani Academy mission, Rurik has a final fight with his father King Adelbern over the defense of Rin against the Charr. Adelbern expels his son from Ascalon for disobedience. Rurik urges all citizens of Ascalon to abandon the country and to flee to Kryta. Rurik then leads the trek of refugees across the Shiverpeak Mountains. At the end of the Frost Gate mission, Rurik is killed by Dagnar Stonepate while holding off the Stone Summit. Somehow, the Lich Lord finds and reanimates his corpse and undead Prince Rurik makes a dreadful return in the Hell's Precipice mission where players finally defeat him and, at his request, give his soul peace.

Quests given

 * Pre-Searing
 * Charr at the Gate
 * Charr in the Catacombs

Quests involved in

 * Pre-Searing
 * Vatlaaw Doomtooth
 * Charr at the Gate

Location

 * Pre-Searing Ascalon
 * Ascalon City
 * Lakeside County (during the quests Charr at the Gate and A Gift for Althea)
 * Post-Searing
 * Ascalon
 * Ruins of Surmia (Mission)
 * Nolani Academy (Mission)
 * Northern Shiverpeaks
 * Borlis Pass (Mission)
 * The Frost Gate (Mission)

Skills used

 * (elite)
 * (Nolani Academy)
 * (level 20)
 * (Ruins of Surmia)
 * (Nolani Academy)
 * (level 20)
 * (Ruins of Surmia)

Evaluation
Players would sometimes refer to Prince Rurik as "Captain Suicide", after his habit of charging into large numbers of enemies while at low health. This was later fixed in several AI updates.

Quotes
During battle:
 * "Are you as ugly on the inside?"
 * "Back to the Rift with you, hellion!"
 * "Does that hurt, beast? Good!"
 * "Don't mess with Ascalon!"
 * "Fear is for the weak!"
 * "For Ascalon!"
 * "I am Rurik, Crown Prince of Ascalon, and you are about to die!"
 * "I am the cleaver, brought down upon the heads of the infidels!"
 * "I sentence you to death, scum!"
 * "I shall cut your throat and take your head as a trophy, vermin."
 * "I will dance on your corpse, fiend!"
 * "I would kill all of your kind, beast, if given but a single chance."
 * "In the name of King Aldebern [sic], I smite thee!"
 * "It sickens me to share the same air with these foul creatures."
 * "Lead through actions, not words!"
 * "May your guts provide sustenance for the worms!"
 * "Meet my blade!"
 * "My wrath will be swift, my retribution horrible!"
 * "Take this!"
 * "Taste steel you beast!"
 * "The enemies of Ascalon must suffer!"
 * "This is my kingdom, beast. Get your own."
 * "Torment and misery to those who oppose us!"
 * "Try eating this!"
 * "You are a pox on Ascalon, and I am the cure!"
 * "You've messed with the wrong prince."
 * "Your days of fouling this land are over, vermin!"
 * "Victory or martyrdom!"

When his health drops below 50%:
 * "Argh, these fiends are eating me alive!"
 * "Help!"
 * "I need healing!"
 * "My friends, I could use some assistance here!"
 * "To me! To me! Your prince is in danger!"

Trivia

 * Rurik's name means 'famous ruler' in Old Norse. Prince Rurik may be named after Prince Rurik of Novogorod, the first Varangian ruler of Kievan Rus', and the founder of Russia's first royal dynasty. Ascalon was even called 'Kiev' in some old beta screenshots.
 * The voice actor for Prince Rurik, Robin Atkin Downes, is the same voice actor for The Prince in Prince of Persia, Warrior Within, Captain Price in Call of Duty & Call of Duty United Offensive, and the High Prophet of Regret in the Halo games. He is also the voice actor for Zhed Shadowhoof. He also appeared on-screen in his recurring role as the telepath Byron in the TV series Babylon 5.
 * The greatest NPC in the game IMO.