Ran was a sworn brother of the underground Black Company mentioned briefly in Water Sleeps.
Like all members of the Company at the time of his mention, Ran worked diligently at a day job, and handled Company affairs during off-hours. He was a laborer for Banh Do Trang, their Nyueng Bao collaborator whose warehouse was the Company's secret headquarters. Ran was doing "donkey work" with Riverwalker there when they notified Sleepy that some of their shadow traps had been sprung.
Ran is not mentioned again in the Annals. It is likely he was part of one of the Company waves that secretly left Taglios, moved south, rendezvoused with the others, and crossed the Shadowgate.
Ran was almost certainly a veteran of the 5-year-long Kiaulune wars that occurred at the beginning of the 15-year-gap between She Is the Darkness and Water Sleeps. He was from the southern continent but it is not specified if he was Taglian, Jaicuri, a Shadowlander, or some another race.