Zharis Ze'Zhoozia

Zharis Ze'Zhoozia (zhär’ĭs zə’zho̅o̅’zēa) is a Zaedyn adventurer who has spent many years wandering Aserra. He was once a mercenary in Thiskel, but after a violent tragedy, he decided to simply explore the world and avoid conflict as much as possible.

Physical Description

Rather handsome on his own, as is typical for most Zaedyn, Zharis’s sense of style pushes him into the territory of beautiful and androgynous. He wears his silver hair long, and when relaxing he allows it to fall about his face in gentle layers, sometimes falling over his left eye. However, when he is traveling, or anticipates conflict, he wears it pulled back tightly and bound back in a ponytail high on his crown, aided by a few inconspicuous silver hairpins to keep his bangs back. Zharis’s skin is very fair, which is typical of the phenotype of his region, but his eyes are a striking violet.

Barely taller than the average Zaedyn, Zharis does have a typical lean build. As a Sky Knight, he is toned with muscle, but it is hardly comparable to a human or some other races. His wingspan is on the higher end of the spectrum for Zaedyn, another trait which made him ideal for his chosen career. As typical of the Ideil Zaedyn, his wings are white.

Zharis’s armor is of fitted, lightweight deerskin leather. It includes a leather jacket with a high collar, and long sleeves that falls to the top of his belt. It is carefully crafted to be thick over the vitals where its protection is most needed, but thinner in other areas to allow for mobility. The sleeves are detached, laced to the shoulders around the top and sides, but unlaced at the armpits for the best range of motion for the arms. In the back, the jacket has openings for the wings that can be laced underneath the wings, but Zharis must have someone to assist him with this, and if he is traveling alone, he often leaves it hanging open in the back. His jacket has a stylistic tail that falls low on the thigh in the back, though the style is quite lost when unlaced. The entire jacket is carefully designed with fashionable cuts and tasteful embellishments.

Under his armor is an outfit consisting of a loose-fitting white silk poet’s shirt, and fitted breeches of a white cotton/silk blend with dark brown canvas panels on the outside of the thighs. He wears thigh-high boots that match his jacket, and dark brown cloth gloves to protect his hands from his weapons. Zharis carries with him some more casual and even beautiful outfits to wear when he is out of his gear.

Zharis’s weapons were standard issue from his training as a Sky Knight. He wields a Zaedyn longsword, which is a long, thin double-sided blade with a cross-guard hilt. The sword is lightweight compared to human blades, and the blade shines like silver, as though it’s never been used. While indeed rarely used, its fine quality is thanks partially to crafting and partially to the application of Air Elementalism in Zharis’s fighting style. The handle and cross-guard are decorated with soft white leather with silvered accents.

He also carries three javelins of carved white wood accented and enhanced with steel. They are carried strapped across his back, in between his wings. Though he rarely has a chance to use them; when he does, they are meant to be retrieved and reused as many times as possible, but they can be easily broken or lost. He carries a leather knapsack that holds extra clothing and the most basic of necessities.

Abilities and Personality

Zharis grew up in an ancient aerie with deeply established traditions. He received an enriched community education as a child and young adult, along with thorough training in his Air Elementalism. He is also an accomplished Sky Knight, skilled in the sword, throwing javelins, and the Air Elemental techniques that come with the station.

Zharis is typically a quiet and reserved individual, especially when it comes to his sexuality. He has received mixed reactions to his sexuality in the past, and he fears the more negative reactions, thus, he keeps that, and much of his life to himself. He is, however, readily talkative about his people and culture, happy to inform people about the Zaedyn when they are curious. He is not an especially social person, however, and he finds more comfort in a solitary lifestyle. He is neither a leader, nor a follower, but he will group with others when it is at an advantage for him. This may make it hard for him to make friends, but so many people approach him out of curiosity that it eases him into making connections. He isn’t too fond of how much he stands out, and he would prefer to be judged on his character alone, but he realizes he made the decision to enter the world and interact with other races, so this is something he simply must tolerate.

He is also a rather orderly and meticulous person. He keeps himself well-groomed, his clothes as impeccable as possible considering his transient lifestyle, and his belongings carefully packed and stowed away. One could say he is a perfectionist, but he isn’t exactly obsessed with orderliness, he merely finds it more practical to be well organized.

Despite the injustices he has suffered in his life and love, Zharis maintains a degree of optimism, always hoping for something better on the horizon. His desire to travel is fueled by his optimism. He hopes to find love again, but his desire is tempered by caution, a lesson learned from Idrael.

Background

Hailing from the Zaedyn aerie carved out of Mount Lorine in the Ideil Range, Zharis was born to parents Sexab and Zhoozia. He was the second born child in a family of four, but the only son. His older sister, Zixxi, preceded him by two years, followed by his two younger sisters, Isis and Varisa, two and three years younger, respectively.

As Sexab’s only son, his father felt a deep urge to have him follow in his footsteps. Sexab was a Sky Knight, the warrior and defender occupation of the Zaedyn, and he lives to serve their aerie and their people. Zhoozia had been the daughter of another Sky Knight, but she had no interest in any form of combat herself, and instead she chose to marry young and begin a family with Sexab.

Zixxi was always eager to please her father, and unlike her mother, she had a strong desire to be of great service to the community. At a young age, she expressed an interest to become a Sky Knight just like him, and of course, once she was old enough to begin training, they allowed her. However, it was Zharis that was the apple of his father’s eye. Zixxi worked hard to please their father, but it was always Zharis, in his lackadaisical way, that earned Sexab’s affection.

Young Zharis seemed to have little interest in his path in life, much to the chagrin of his ambitious older sister. He was always drawn more inward into figuring out himself while his father dragged him through training. From an early age, Zharis found himself admiring his male peers, whereas they were often trying to impress the girls their age. Zharis’s own interest in the opposite gender extended little further than the women of his family; his mother and sisters, aunts, cousins, and so on. He befriended some local girls when they took an interest in him, but he never reciprocated their affections in the way they were hoping. Instead, his efforts were directed toward his gender, to impressing the other boys and capturing their attention. As he matured, he found his desires becoming increasingly romantic for his male peers.

Zharis kept his interests a secret from his family, fearing disappointing his father. Zhoozia’s maternal instincts picked up on her son’s lingering looks at men and lack of interest in women, however. When he was fifteen, she quietly brought it up to him, and Zharis finally revealed his feelings. His mother was supportive and accepting, but she assured him that Sexab would not be. While the Zaedyn were a rather-open minded race, and Sexab himself didn’t take issue with homosexuality, he wanted his son to be like him. His hopes for Zharis were for him to become a Sky Knight, find a wife, and father many children, just like he had. For him to find out that his son wouldn’t fulfill those hopes would be heartbreaking. Zhoozia was well aware of how Sexab’s ideals bothered her older two children, and she acted as a mediator to keep the peace in the house. She encouraged Zharis to pursue his own interests, but not reveal much to his father until he was independent, to avoid conflict at home. It wouldn’t be an easy revelation for Sexab to take, but it would be easier on the family if Zharis lived on his own when he revealed the truth.

While the career goal of being a Sky Knight held just as much appeal as becoming a Windscout, or Airmason, or Priest of Zelan, Zharis was still willing to pursue the career. He continued to keep his interest in other men a secret, and when the subject of women came up with his father, Zharis indulged him with lies of how he thought a certain girl was pretty, but he assured Sexab that he would rather focus on his training rather than finding a wife right away. Sexab seemed content with that.

At fifteen, Zharis also began his official Sky Knight training with other young youths, including his sister Zixxi, whom their father had held back from training until Zharis was old enough to join with her. Bitter for being made to wait, Zixxi took out her anger on her brother whenever she had a chance. She often chose Zharis for her sparring partner, she teased him in front of their peers, but at least he was able to retire to the men’s barracks each night.

During Zharis’s time in training, one of his comrades was a young man named Idrael whom he had known since childhood. Idrael was his bunkmate, and with Zixxi’s relentless bullying, Idrael helped Zharis avoid her. Zharis already had an attraction to Idrael, but in the time they spent together, he found himself revealing his feelings to his friend, and Idrael reciprocated. The two pursued a romance in secret, avoiding their peers, and most importantly, Zixxi. However, while Zharis had deep feelings for Idrael, Idrael regarded the relationship as little more than an experiment. Zharis didn’t realize this until much later, but their secret rendezvous continued for two years until Zixxi tracked them down and discovered what they were up to.

Vindictively, Zixxi revealed the truth to their entire family at the dinner table one night, when the trainees were allowed a break from training to visit their families. Zharis was humiliated, and Sexab was just as devastated as Zhoozia warned he would be. Enraged, Sexab struck Zharis, and nearly disowned him, if not for Zhoozia’s intervention. Instead, Sexab only insisted that Zharis never return home, though Zhoozia assured Zharis that he would come to his senses in time. Zharis was forced to move into the barracks. His relationship with Idrael became public knowledge, and discomforted by this, Idrael ended their relationship. In the aftermath of her revelation, Zixxi became overwhelmed by guilt. She had been so blinded by her bitterness that she didn’t stop to realize what it would do to her brother. He was never the one to blame, it was their father who had placed Zharis on a pedestal and set his daughters below his son. Ashamed of her actions, Zixxi apologized to Zharis and dropped out of Sky Knight training, instead transferring to the Windscout guild.

Betrayed by his own sister, his father’s approval lost, and his lover distancing himself from him, Zharis drew inward. He focused entirely on his training, shut himself away from his peers, and avoided his family. His mother came to him on many occasions, but even she couldn’t bring him out of his shell. Zharis eventually completed his training, and was promoted to a supervised position as a Sky Knight at the age of twenty.

It was shortly afterward when Idrael, out of boredom and nostalgia, opened up communication again. The two spent time together reconnecting, until the old flame flared up again and Zharis gave back into his first love wholly. After years of seclusion and heartache, he finally found a peace again in his lover’s arms, but Idrael never truly reciprocated emotionally. Though Zharis’s sexuality was now out in the open, Idrael only publicly presented him as a “friend” and every romantic gesture was exchanged only in privacy. Zharis began to notice Idrael’s flaws, and recognize the same behaviors in the past, though he never dared speak a word of it to Idrael for fear of losing what little he had.

Unfortunately for him, Idrael slipped through his fingers after a few years of clandestine romance. The other man had lost interest and instead taken a liking to a young woman. He cut things off with Zharis officially, then began to court the woman instead. Two years later, they were married. Again, Zharis was alone.

For the next decade, he continued his duties as a Sky Knight. Occasionally he tried to reach out to other men, but none showed any interest in him. Some women attempted to seduce him, hoping that he might just have a little interest, but he had none. He gave up on his family. His mother’s visits became less frequent as she felt him pushing her away. His father made no attempts to reach out to him, even though Zhoozia suggested he might. Zixxi still avoided him out of shame, and his younger sisters were more interested in their own ambitions than connecting with their brother.

Sky Knights receive forty years of training, starting with basic training, followed by supervised, on-the-job training, which Zharis was receiving under another knight. Zharis was nearing the end of his training when Idrael approached him again. Reluctant to accept him back, even as a friend, Zharis kept himself reserved while Idrael expressed his woes of married life. His wife was expecting a child, but he felt the romance leaving their marriage. Feeling lost, he wanted to see if he could rekindle things with Zharis, maybe even leave his wife for a return to his first romance. Zharis, at first, kept himself at a distance, but with hours of conversation and a few drinks, he was seduced. He slipped away with Idrael for one more romp, but the next morning he woke to find that Idrael had made up his mind—he would go back to his wife.

More angry than heartbroken, Zharis could take no more. He forbid Idrael from ever speaking to him again, and in a year, once he completed his training, he packed up his belongings and decided to leave the aerie. He didn’t bother to say goodbye to anyone except the head of Lorine’s Sky Knights before he headed into the Itray Forest. So, fed up with the same heartache over and over, he felt he could find a better life elsewhere in the world, and perhaps a lover who craved the same devotion he did.

Zharis first traveled through the Idayn villages, but couldn’t bear to stay long in their uptight society. He moved on to some of the human nations in northern Thiskel where the people feared him or marveled at him. He was uncomfortable with their more extreme reactions, so he never stayed long. However, the more he saw of the world, the more it intrigued him. He had first considered finding other Zaedyn cities, but now he wanted to see what the world had to offer, despite some of the harsher welcomes he had. Aserra was a world populated by many peoples, and with one of those peoples, he could possibly find happiness.

Zharis began to look for more agreeable peoples, and in his travels, he crossed paths with a band of mercenaries—swords for hire. The mercenaries were of the principled sort, taking jobs that typically beneficial to society and morally on the right, such as guarding merchant caravans and ridding villages and roadways of troublesome highway men and bandits. The band was led by a charismatic fellow named Tynad Alori who met Zharis in a village and caught sight of the weapons he carried. Zharis was happy to engage Tynad in a conversation about where he came from and what he was trained to do. Tynad, in turn, offered Zharis an income and something to hone his skills on, to which he eagerly agreed. Being a part of the company allowed Zharis to continue his travels, and immerse himself in the cultures of other lands alongside human comrades to ease the transition.

The company was known as the “Alorians”, from their leader’s surname, and many of the younger mercenaries with troubled pasts had taken his surname as well, like adopted children. Zharis, on the other hand, didn’t feel quite as close as the other mercenaries. Even though they provided him with a foundation of sorts, he remained an outsider due to his race—and his sexual interests. Much like his youth at home, some of the female mercenaries tried their best to seduce Zharis to no avail. Perhaps if he had been able to take a lover amongst them, he would have felt more like a part of the family, but there were no men to share his interest until around seven years after he joined the Alorians. Perrod was a teenager when Tynad picked him up after Perrod tried to pick-pocket him. An orphan, Perrod was trying his best to survive in the big city, and Tynad gave him a better opportunity. He was quite fascinated with Zharis as soon as he joined the company, at first Zharis only assumed it was because he was Zaedyn, but when Perrod matured a bit, Zharis realized it was more than just curiosity for another race.

When he was seventeen, Perrod made his feelings known to Zharis. At first, Zharis was reluctant to reciprocate, due to spending so much time alone in the last few years, misgivings from his previous relationship with Idrael, and Perrod’s age, but Perrod was persistent, and finally wore Zharis down. The two pursued a relationship in secret, as Zharis was afraid to reveal his sexuality to the rest of the company, though he didn’t realize most of the company had figured out as much. After several months, their secret rendezvous were discovered by one of the female mercenaries who crossed paths with them, who then gossiped to other interested parties, and finally the news reached Tynad. Zharis was mortified, and Tynad was quite uncomfortable in dealing with the subject, but he spoke to Perrod and Zharis and decided that he had no problem with it. After all, many men and women had their own relationships within the company, and he didn’t feel it fair to bar two consenting adults from a romance as well.

For the next three years, Zharis and Perrod openly pursued a relationship, and often fought alongside each other on jobs, though with Perrod’s history as a thief, he often went on more inconspicuous jobs. It was one such job that was his downfall, however. The Alorians had been hired to flush out a particularly troublesome band of brigands near a major trade highway. Perrod and some of the other stealthier mercenaries were sent to scout the forests for the brigand camp, but after their scouting mission, Perrod didn’t return. The next day, his body was found crucified in the town square, gutted and his throat slit.

With this, the Alorians declared war on the brigands, and every single member was recalled to lead a full assault on the brigand stronghold that had been identified earlier. Zharis, fueled by his rage and heartbreak, slaughtered his way through the thieves with a ferocity he had never before displayed. Every single brigand was slain, and they were shown no mercy. Zharis himself took the leader and eviscerated him, exacting upon him the same punishment he had used on Perrod. If Zharis had it his way, every single member of that band would have been crucified as well, but there simply was not enough wood, nor time for the necessary effort.

In the aftermath, after his rage subsided, Zharis was terribly remorseful for his actions. Even though his intention was justice for his friend and lover, what he had done was no better than what his enemy had done. Zharis took his final payment from the mission and retired from the Alorians. He said farewell to Tynad and his friends, then set out to leave for Kalesten, seeking to put as much distance between himself and the violence he committed. He booked passage on a ship to Serdenaugh, and set forth into a new life.

Zharis wandered western Kalesten for a time, never lingering long in any place, until he reached Chawoven and decided to go north to the Gayntos mountains to find his people. On Mount Aldinal he found a Zaedyn aerie which happily took him in. Here, he took time to reconnect with his god. It took him many years to make peace with himself, and in that time he busied himself with the smithing of swords for Aldinal as an apprentice to a more experienced Airsmith. Zharis knew he wouldn’t stay here for the rest of his life, but he spent twenty-five years. Eventually, he became restless and wanted to see more of Kalesten, and perhaps find love again, somewhere other than a Zaedyn aerie. So, he packed up his belongings, bid farewell to the friends he had made, then set forth into the heartland again.

For the next five years, Zharis wandered, visiting some of the countries, focusing on learning about culture. He avoided conflict for the most part, afraid of the violence he was capable of, but he often makes a few coins by displaying his abilities for humans in the towns and cities he visits.