Zaan

(Link to FR here)

Devotion. Though lacking in basic wisdom and forethought, Zaan is simply overflowing with blind devotion. If Zaan was as intelligent as he is devoted, he would reign like a king over all of Sornieth. Fortunately, devotion is where his strengths end, and he is content to live his life as one of Sosdothur's "favored followers". He tries to be “cool” and “edgy” to impress Sosdothur and the other cult members, but in reality he’s a soft-hearted man who’d rather spend his time coloring with hatchlings than learning about necromancy. Zaan may not be the brightest, but what he lacks in foresight he more than makes up for with eager excitability, and always tries his very best at anything asked of him. It is jokingly suggested that he is the dragon embodiment of a bumble bee - determined to do his job, but prone to bump into things or get stuck and end up needing help.

Zaan was born to a nest of triplets, but it quickly became apparent that he would be the only one to follow in his parents’ footsteps and remain in the Tavern. He and his sisters are on casual speaking terms, but it is mostly spent making fun of each other’s chosen lifestyle. In particular, he feels Zadanik is foolish for wanting to become a Light dragon, and doesn’t understand why Zora would want to live out in the woods with a bunch of boring science nerds.

While his sisters traveled to Nature and Light, Zaan trained as an assassin with his father Zahkrii and learned other combat strategies from his mother Agvokun. Zaan is determined to become a master assassin like his father, but his heart is simply not in contract killing. It quickly became apparent to his parents that he was not really cut out for being an assassin, prone to talking loudly when he was supposed to be sneaking and constantly falling for easy traps, but he still caught the eye of one of Zahkrii’s other apprentices - Sosdothur.

When she met him she was newly becoming interested in necromancy, and her sinister charisma quickly won Zaan over. He had never had someone so eager to command him, to demand his devotion and loyalty so openly, and having her intense affection and attention made him happier than he had ever been. Unfortunately, it was not long after her ambition drove her to amass a cult devoted to her and the creation of a sentient Emperor that her true intentions became clear. Though even Zaan will admit he went into their relationship thinking it would be quite shallow, he became more fond of her than he intended and it was painfully obvious she did not return his feelings in the same way. Still, he tried more and more to become closer with her, but by then the only time she paid attention to him was when she was degrading his latest attempts to impress her - not that he really minded the harsh words, as long as they were from her.

For years, Sosdothur had theorized that the trick to becoming a sentient Emperor must lie in the blood of breeds other than Imperials. With Krasnovaar's necromancy, Sosdothur's own Light magic, and a hopelessly enamored Zaan, they are still adamantly trying to create a hybrid of Imperials and Skydancers. They thought they had succeeded with Zaan and Sosdothur’s child Dez, but the young Skydancer seems to be more of a trickster spirit than a potential Emperor. Still, Sosdothur and Krasnovaar persist with their experiments, and Zaan is just happy to be along for the ride - even if it means he has to endure painful experiments and spend time with Viidost, who terrifies him like nothing else.

Viidost, Sosdothur’s closest consort and deputy in running the cult, has little time to care for her hatchlings, so Zaan spends the majority of his time with each brood and teaches them everything he knows about being a great assassin - which, sadly, isn't much. Instead, he usually spends his days playing games with them and keeping them safe from the more dangerous members of the cult - and Sosdothur’s experiments. When he isn’t doing required “cult things”, Zaan spends his time in the nursery with Mulhaan playing with other hatchlings too. They enjoy beating him at games and puzzles, and Zaan likes being around dragons that have a similar understanding of the world as he does.

For the longest time Zaan was besotted by Sosdothur’s commanding presence and enthralling charisma, and allowed her to treat him however cruelly she wanted, but after years of watching her twist into something even more gruesome than she was, he is starting to see that he doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment. Fortunately, Zaan has made a lot of friends outside of Sosdothur - few aren’t charmed by his simple excitement and eager smile. It’s rare that he’s seen walking around the Tavern without a grin on his face, and even then he always manages a soft smile if someone looks his way.

He is close with few of the other cult members, as most of them find his lack of interest in necromancy appalling, but he spends a lot of time with Nil when the two of them are required to attend Sosdothur’s rituals. Nil is content to talk with Zaan about whatever inane thing comes to the Skydancer’s mind, and in return Zaan makes sure the Imperial doesn’t wander off to dangerous places by mistake. Recently Zaan has grown close with Sosdothur’s brother Muroc, having caught his eye during a visit back to the Sunbeam Ruins. Muroc has his own sordid history with cults, but as far as Zaan is concerned he seems genuine when he says he wants to change. Muroc is rather fond of Zaan’s eager affections, and appreciates his simple honesty. Though they both know they will have to suffer Sosdothur’s wrath when she inevitably finds out about their relationship, Zaan and Muroc are prepared to suffer any consequence if it means they can have these precious few moments of bliss.