Dharrai Jovak
A minstrel, a messenger.
Dharrai Jovak
There's nothing more beautiful than a night spent staring at Heaven from the Downshore. That's what I used to think at least. But after you've seen what I've seen, in your short, pathetic life, Heaven is only the beginning.
I had no fantastic life, nor was I meant for much. I was a slave since birth. Just like every other kid my age, I never knew my family. I was fostered by Ezekiel and Micah, two fine dragonborne, who treated me with nothing but kindness and respect. On my seventh year, I was taken away by the Hegemony. I was shackled by
the wrists, ankles, and neck with other boys and girls in my town who were of age, and we were marched off to the capital for sale or slaughter. I got the lucky end of that bargain, bought up by a rich despot near the Downshore. It was the least probable position; basically the lap of luxury. It was an estate filled with other children of all ages, the master's preference.
He had a thing for children... He was not all there in his wee cranium, and I think he fancied himself one of us, rather than a proper wellborn. He played with us like a child, he ate with us as a child, told secrets to us as a child. His father - a cruel, old man, with a penchant for children in a different light - clearly disapproved, but it was out of his purview. We were slaves, obviously, and we had obligations in both our ability and our bodies. But who could argue with being one of the most posh slaves in The Shade? We were dressed in fine tunics, we were given proper sandals, and each was expected to last the year. We were fed twice per day, and thrice is we put on sweet faces. We could travel anywhere on the estate so long as we had no work to be done. It was Heaven, almost.
I spent much of my time on the beach. I told fantastic stories to the children of great gods that lingered above just beyond the boundary. Eventually, it became hard to keep all the stories together, so I turned them into songs which were easier to remember. The master loved them, beckoning me to sing. And his father loved them too. They gave me a mandolin, and started taking me around on their formal visits around Downshore, as their minstrel. I saw how beautiful the land could be, and also how horrible. I learned how lucky my position ones as a slave: not brutalized, not raped, not slain for laughs. Yes, seeing other slaves from other masters, that put things into perspective. It taught me that the beauty of far away was infinitely more gorgeous than the ugly of here.
So I prayed every night from then on to anyone who would hear it. In song and rhyme I begged any god on this poor world to take me to Heaven and away from this foolishness.
But I was spoiled. The master and his father had a complicated relationship. The children loved the master, of course, and if he sought out their romance, we rarely would discount him. But the father had to force us, usually by chaining us down to a table or bed. Master's father was stricken with envy and perversion. One night master called myself and two others to his chambers. His father wanted us instead. They argued, and argued, until master's father lost his temper. His father drug him into the bedroom... was he to have incest then? We knew not what to do, but we were too curious and had been given orders, so we waited. The door opened and we saw master. His skull had been broken in with a glass ashtray, his brains leaking out. We were all horrified, most notably because master's father was now staring at us. We ran, but he was fast. He threw Don off the railing, and he twitched on the marble below. He knocked Y'thran along the head, and then pummeled him. I knew I would be next, so I threw myself through the windows upon the yard, and ran to the beach.
I begged, pleaded, for anyone to save me. I saw the other children gathering around, watching, knowing that any interruption of my fate would be their own head next. All as the master's father walked down the yard. I wanted to go to Heaven, and chanted it all the way until I felt the man's hands string around my neck. He asked me if I had any last words. I just kept repeating that I wanted to go to Heaven. And he laughed. "I'll eat the meat off your ribs, boy. I'll cook you right up to make sure your life doesn't go to waste."
I heard the screams, but didn't know why. I just closed my eyes and accepted everything. I tumbled to the muddy sand, and I just crawled toward the water. I didn't want to see myself die. Then I heard the crunch, and then the roar.
I looked upon a beastly dragon, scales as black as my hair, hefting weight upon its middle, and shimmering, eyes as red as my skin. The lower half of master's father was spit several yards away. I just kept chanting; I had surely already pissed myself. But it spoke straight to me. "So you want to go to Heaven?" I knew not what to say, so I just said yes. "Then I have a proposition."
There's nothing more beautiful than a night spent staring at Heaven. Well, now I know that's not true. Heaven is so beautiful. Now I live in Heaven, and beauty doesn't describe it. Fields of green, blue skies, and the stars are so close you can almost touch them. I still have my duty to fulfill. But I am with friends. They didn't trust me of course, but we share a common goal. One that will let everyone go to Heaven. What more can one ask for than that?
Physical Description
Facial Features
Long black hair.
Identifying Characteristics
Red, smooth, curved horns.
Mental characteristics
Gender Identity
Agender
Sexuality
Pansexual
Education
Musical (self-taught).
Employment
Crusader
Failures & Embarrassments
Slavery
Mental Trauma
Many different manners of abuse.
Morality & Philosophy
Being yourself leads to survival.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Complete his divine quest.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Religious Views
Social Aptitude
Extremely charismatic and aloof.
Alignment
Chaotic Neutral
Species
Year of Birth
1727 CE
303 Years old
Circumstances of Birth
Born as a slave.
Children
Gender
Non-Binary
Eyes
Yellow
Hair
Black
Height
6'1"
Weight
150 lbs
Aligned Organization
Comments