Darazen's background
Darazen literally means "Son of Dara and Zen" in Navarene dialect, and never was there a more knowledgeable sage than Zen, a professor at the Asaranti University in Navarene's second largest city, and it's capital, Charmonde. Asaranti University is renowned as one of the greatest scholarly institutions in the Steadfast, so for Zen to be acknowledged as the wisest of men, then that is praise indeed. Darazen is similarly gifted, a highly intellectual nano with the ability to communicate telepathically, a rare ability even at the university. Dara, his mother, is popular in the community, but lives in the shadow of her more eminent husband.
His father expected much of him, making him study instead of play, and seemingly piling on more homework than other kids at the university. This really annoyed Darazen. It seemed that the harder he worked to impress his father, the less rewards he received. There seemed to be no relief, no way to escape the monotony of study. He did learn a lot though, particularly specializing in creatures of the Ninth World, using his skills as a telepath to learn more than the average student might. It is amazing what little clues lie in the surface thoughts of every living being. But his ability to study waned, really waned, as his willingness to please his father turned to rebellion.
Eventually, on a dark dreary night, Darazen left the university without saying any goodbyes. He simply packed up and left, carrying little possessions, and jingling just a few shins. By chance he saved a merchant and his slaves from a highjacking on a road to nowhere, stepping forward and mind blasting the thugs. The merchant was an employee of the Company, and the rest, as they say, is history. Darazen was hired by the company as an academic, tasked with seeking knowledge to expand and strengthen the Company's influence. And so, somehow he finds himself confronting mudmen, not quite what he expected would happen on this particular journey...
Darazen's appearance
Darazen is tall and slender, with a wiry athletic frame. His head is clean shaven, or maybe it is naturally so, and he wears large gold loop earrings. His skin is dark as night, but in contrast his eyes are azure blue blazing with intelligence. A blue gem stone is curiously embedded in the center of his forehead, the color of which exactly matches his eyes. He wears dark green robes adorned with apparently random slashings of finely made golden cord and rope that binds the robe tightly to his body, revealing a youthful, well shaped masculine form. He carries a light grey backpack allowing both hands to be free, and his belt has slots to sheath small weapons and cyphers.
Darazen's City of Origin
The second largest city in Navarene and the kingdom’s capitol, Charmonde is a place of great beauty and art – and great inequality. From it’s marble statues and columns to the soaring, arched bridges which cross the Jerribost river, connecting the city’s north and south sides, there is little in Charmonde which has not been built or crafted with exquisite care and detail, most often by the hands of slaves.
The city is home to Queen Armalu of the Navarene, who lives in the Empiternal House, a palace built on the city’s highest hill that has earned the nickname the House of a Thousand Slaves, due to the rumoured number of slaves the Queen keeps there.
Not far from the palace is the Asaranti University, renowned as one of the greatest scholarly institutions in the Steadfast.
Lacking city walls, Charmonde is defended by four fortresses, capable of creating a sonic barrier between them that will cause severe pain and convulsions for anyone who tries to pass through it – if it doesn’t kill them first. It’s said that these barriers have grown weaker in recent times and that the Aeon Priests don’t know how to make them strong again, though how anyone knows any of this is a mystery, since no one can recall the barriers ever being activated in the past.
Last edited March 4, 2015 3:14 pm