The Dahaka (Dahāka, Persian: اژی دهاک)
Guardian of Time
Azhi Dahāka / The Snake Shoulder (a.k.a. Zahhāk {ضحّاک})
Azhi Dahaka, Zahhak the snake shoulder or simply "The Dahaka" is a being that is older than time, Though he was created much later. He is the "son" of Ahriman, and was created as a way to maintain order in all forms, However, The timestream decided to make him it's guardian. And so, After being born, He had been sent to the birth of time. He now exists in every moment of time all at once, And he has omniscient knowledge of anyone who defiles the timeline, Able to instantly teleport to their location to deal with the threat. The Dahaka has many abilities, One of which is assuming the form of an elderly human man, To spy on or lure it's victims. When he assumes this form, He'll go by the name "Zahhak" and pose as a snake charmer/wiseman. {All mentions of appearance in the sidebar will have the Dahaka's true form listed and the human form in brackets} More abilities of the guardian include (but are not limited to): Shooting shadowy tendrils from any part of his body and even from the environment, Short-range teleportation (After already arriving to the threat), Time Manipulation, Otherworldly Strength and Durability, And the ability to drain life. As a bonus, When the Dahaka is near, People in the vicinity have reported lack of sound and everything around them appearing dull and lifeless, As if the beast drains the very color from the world around it. Luckily, As long as you never mess with the timeline, You'll never see this guy even once in your entire lifespan. But on the off chance you get an opportunity to do so, Don't take it. Whether it's for traveling purposes or to cheat your fated death, The Dahaka will chase you to the ends of the earth to make sure you are erased.
Divine Domains
Time, Fate and Dark. Good choice for Void or Fateweaver Warlocks as well.
Physical Description
Body Features
His physical body is far bigger, stronger and heavier than any known living being, Excluding a few. He is very bulky and muscular, along with his shadowy appearence, Gives him a hulking silhouette. The Dahaka's body is made of this silvery shadow-like material, Much like Ahriman and his demons, With whisps of shadow emanating off of him at all times. His body is covered in these metallic "tattoos" and markings, Along with having large claws and giant horns shaped like an infinity symbol.
Contrasting with his true form, His human form is a frail, skinny old man wearing ancient street merchant-esque clothing and a snake wrapped around his neck. These clothes and even the snake are parts of him, Being formed from his body when shifting.
Facial Features
Now, Despite the Dahaka talking a decent amount, He does not actually have a mouth, Instead he just has a flat surface where his mouth should be. This, Combined with the glowing eyes, Metallic looking horns and patterns makes his head look like a magical helmet of some kind.
In human form, He has a very old and wrinkled face with extremely noticable crow's feet, With his long beard and unkempt white hair. (Think of a middle-eastern Shifu type dude)
Identifying Characteristics
Often his eyes and horns are the most noticable thing on him, But in his human form, He'll often have a snake wrapped around his neck like a scarf and a very long white beard that goes down to the chest.
Mental characteristics
Taboos
Breaking the timeline in any way, shape or form.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Protect Time at all costs, No matter what may stand in the way.
Social
Social Aptitude
While The Dahaka does not converse with others while in his true form, He often likes taunting his victims and boasting about his abilities, Though this is still fairly rare.
While in his human form he'll converse like any other person, But sometimes the way he speaks can be a little dramatic or cryptic, Signaling something is off.
Mannerisms
The Dahaka does not walk in a normal way, Instead, It will appear that he is walking very slow, While occationally teleporting short distances to catch up to it's victims. It also does not speak in a manner anyone would be able to understand, As every single word that comes out, Comes out backwards instead. (For example: If the Dahaka would say something like "There is no escape!", To anyone else, It would sound like "Epacse on si ereht!")
And it goes without saying, But while in his human form he speaks and moves like any normal person, If maybe a little unusual looking or sounding.
Timesreach
Now, With everything written in this article, You would expect that The Dahaka would take great pains to make sure Timesreach is destroyed. And you would be right. However, A long time ago, The city had figured out a way to counteract Zahhak's goals, Forming a magical barrier that prevents the creature from entering or harming the city.
Due to this barrier, But also due to the Dahaka's constant need to eliminate threats to the timeline, He'll often be standing just outside the barrier most days, Waiting for a drop in defenses. Because of the way the city works, You'll only be able to see him when you are already inside the city, Just standing and waiting. The only time he'll leave is to go stop a readily available rulebreaker that he'll quickly take care of.
Divine Classification
Primordial
Alignment
Lawful Neutral
Current Status
Protecting The Timeline
Age
??? {87}
Date of Birth
Unknown
Birthplace
The Abyss
Children
Pronouns
He/They/It
Sex
N/A {Male}
Gender
N/A {Man}
Presentation
Masculine
Eyes
Glowing, Silvery-Blue Sheen {Hazel}
Hair
N/A {Long white, unkempt hair and beard}
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Dark, Silvery, Shadow-like {Tan and Weathered}
Height
12'4", 3.76 meters {5'2", 1.57 meters}
Weight
3122lbs, 1416kg {143lbs, 64kg}
