nu-Eden: Sundered Skies
//Rayner Garritsen
Rayner Garritsen
"I've seen what's out there. You don't want to."
▸Backstory
Rayner Garritsen is a veteran operative of nERF and the father of Quentin Garritsen. Codename Vinculum, Rayner is a Cosmic/Dark-type Recon — a long-range reconnaissance specialist whose dual typing grants him unparalleled spatial awareness and the ability to operate in environments that would drive lesser agents mad.
Formerly an quantum engineer who crafted orbital weaponry for the Directorate, Rayner defected after seeing his creations devastate entire city arcs. He now uses the same spatial awareness that once designed weapons of mass destruction to map escape routes, identify threats, and guide his son through territories that exist beyond the conventional boundaries of nu-Eden's mapped space.
▸Personality
Rayner has seen what's out there. He's not being dramatic. He's being clinical. His Cosmic/Dark typing grants him perception that extends beyond the visible spectrum and into the spatial anomalies that ring nu-Eden's borders — zones where reality thins, where the Dark is not metaphorical, and where intelligence gathering becomes an existential risk.
His codename — Vinculum, meaning "bond" or "chain" — describes his function precisely: he is the link between what is known and what lies beyond. Every reconnaissance report Rayner files is a translation exercise, converting the incomprehensible into something operational commanders can act on without losing their minds.
As a Recon specialist, Rayner operates alone more than any other Old Guard member. This isn't preference — it's necessity. The environments he scouts can't support full teams. His Dark secondary keeps him functional in conditions that would overwhelm conventional perception: no light, no landmarks, no reference points. Rayner navigates by cosmic awareness and spatial intuition, which is either the highest expression of the Recon class or the most elaborate form of controlled insanity in nERF's roster.
His relationship with Quentin is shaped by distance — both geographic and psychological. Rayner spends long periods in deep reconnaissance, returning with intelligence that justifies the absence but never fully compensates for it. Quentin grew up with a father-shaped gap in his life that was periodically filled by a man who smelled like void-space and spoke in coordinates.
▸Appearance
Rayner is inspired by Sho Minamimoto (The World Ends With You), while his glasses come from Venjent, Nexo's favorite music producer. The design is built around the concept of a cosmic cartographer.
- ▪Hair: Dark blonde, unkempt — Rayner's hair has the permanently windswept quality of someone who spent too much time in low-gravity environments and never fully readjusted
- ▪Eyes: Grey-blue, with a faint luminous quality in low light — a side effect of Cosmic typing that Rayner doesn't discuss. He sees in spectra that don't have names.
- ▪Build: Lean, rangy, long-limbed — built for spatial environments where mass is a liability. Rayner moves with the careful precision of someone accustomed to microgravity.
- ▪Outfit: Long reconnaissance coat over insulated fatigues — designed for extreme environmental conditions. Genesce insignia. Multiple sensor packages integrated into the coat's lining.
- ▪Color Palette: Deep space indigo, void black, starfield silver — the palette of the spaces between mapped things
- ▪Distinguishing feature: The eyes. In dim conditions, Rayner's eyes emit a faint cosmic luminescence. It's unsettling. He knows this.
▸Relationships
| Character | Relation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Quentin Garritsen | Son | Genesce operative. The son who grew up waiting for his father to come back from beyond the map's edge. Quentin's competence is partly a response to Rayner's absence — if you can't have your father, be good enough that he notices when he returns. |
| Takumi Satoru | Genesce colleague | Light/Arcane and Cosmic/Dark — illumination and void. Takumi maps what can be seen; Rayner maps what can't. Together they give Genesce complete spatial awareness across every spectrum. |
| Uzuki Kazetani | Genesce colleague | Rayner returns from reconnaissance wounded in ways that don't show on medical scans. Uzuki's Triage healing addresses the visible damage. The invisible damage, Rayner keeps. |
| Damon McGuire-Sun | Old Guard comrade | Damon trusts Rayner's reconnaissance intelligence absolutely — the man who has seen what's out there has no reason to lie about it, and every reason to understate it. |
▸Abilities
Passive — Void Sight
Rayner can see through walls and detect hidden enemies within a large radius. He also reveals stealthed units and marks priority targets for his team.
Tactical (1) — Shadow Bind
Fires a dark energy tether that binds an enemy, preventing them from moving while dealing damage over time and revealing their position to allies.
Core (2) — Cosmic Flare
Launches a projectile that explodes into a field of cosmic energy. Enemies in the field take damage and have reduced vision, while allies gain enhanced sight.
Special (3) — Dimensional Rift
Creates a temporary portal that Rayner can teleport through. The portal leaves behind a damaging void zone that pulls enemies toward its center.
Ultimate (4) — Nebula Veil
Summons a cosmic storm that engulfs the battlefield. Enemies are blinded and take damage from falling stars, while Rayner gains perfect awareness of all enemy positions and can teleport freely.
▸Trivia
- ▪Design origin: Based on Reinhardt Wilhelm from Overwatch — the concept of a powerful veteran figure reimagined through a cosmic/reconnaissance lens rather than melee tanking.
- ▪Name origin: "Rayner" evokes light (ray) despite his Dark typing — another cosmic irony. "Garritsen" is from Martin Garrix, a Dutch DJ known for high-energy electronic music that fits Rayner's fast-paced, high-stakes reconnaissance style.
- ▪Former identity: Earlier versions list him as Robert Garritsen, codename "Perihelion" — the closest approach of an orbiting body to the star it circles. The evolution from Perihelion to Vinculum tracks his shift from proximity to connection.
▸Goals
- ▪Map what lies beyond — the uncharted spaces around nu-Eden contain threats and opportunities that no other operative can assess. Rayner's reconnaissance is the resistance's only window into what's coming from beyond the borders.
- ▪Be present for Quentin — the perpetual tension between duty and fatherhood. Every reconnaissance mission takes Rayner further from his son. Every intelligence report he brings back justifies the absence. The math never balances.
- ▪Translate the incomprehensible — Rayner sees things in the Cosmic/Dark spectrum that don't have vocabulary. His mission is to convert these perceptions into something commanders can act on — to be the vinculum between the known and the impossible.