Name: Ari Kjiksen
Nickname: Ri
Titles: Dragonborn
Species: Human
Home World: Vashela
Accent Sounds like: Norwegian
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Omnisexual
Height: 6'5"
Hair color: Brown
Eye color: Blue
Past
The dragons were not happy that mortals were readily being taught their magic--especially by one who had no right to do so. They believed such knowledge was reserved only for only the most privileged of mortals, and only a dragon could decide which mortal gained that right. Not surprising they decided that the high priest who had betrayed them should be punished. They just couldn't agree on what the punishment should be. Some wanted him to be killed--his soul devoured. Other believed simply striping him of his power--removing his voice--would suffice. Their disagreement rose until they began to shout amongst each other in attempt to make their will the one followed. It is unclear how exactly it happened, but during this shouting match the high priest was somehow transformed. He became a dragon in mortal form. The dragons were horrified by what they had done. It wasn't because they believed they had created an abomination or anything of that ilk, but rather because they saw the end of their reign
Dragons of Vashela could not be killed, at least not in the same manner as mortals. Unless slain by another dragon, they merely regain their physical form as if they had never been killed after some time. However, another dragon stops this process by absorbing the soul of any dragons he manages to kill. It is not just the soul that is absorbed, but any knowledge and power that a dragon might have gathered throughout his existence. Dragons don't readily go around killing each other. Among dragons a fight to the death only occurred with the vilest of insults. They knew while the high priest's soul had been transformed that his alliance had not shifted, and unless he was stopped what they feared would come to pass. Many believed that it would be easy to put an end to the high priest. He had only recently become a dragon, and they believed he needed time to adjust to his new state of being. They quickly discovered how wrong they were. The high priest acted as if he had not just gone through this great transformation. He did not go around slaughtering and absorbing the souls of many dragons, but also created crystals so his mortal allies could absorb the soul of any dragons they manage to kill.
It became clear that in order to save their species that they had to admit defeat. this was not an easy thing for them to accept, and there were some who believed they should fight until the bitter end, but they were convinced to give up the fight one way or another. Many dragons retreated to another plane of existence as they did not like the idea of living within a world where they were not in absolute control. A few, however, remained behind--hiding away in remote location. The reason behind their decision to remain varied. Some were curious about the new world the mortals were going to create. Others believed that if they waited long enough that opportunities to regain absolute control over Vashela will arise, and they were not wrong. Throughout the course of time, dragons have made several attempts to regain control over Vashela, but a hero with the soul of a dragon always rises up to stop them. Some believe that this hero--dragonborn as he became known--is the same high priest that had been transformed all those eons ago.
No one knows what happened to him after the dragons were defeated, and those who support this theory claim that he wonders until Vashela have need of him once again. They claim he doesn't just appear when dragons threaten their world, but he is influential behind every pivotal moment of Vashela's history since the dragon's reign of terror came to an end. Other believe that that high priest had perished somehow. Whether by choice or not is a matter of debate. Those dragonborns that appear throughout history are nothing more than Vashela's will to preserve itself. Others believe these dragonborns that appear throughout history are descendants of the high priest. Then there are those who believe that all the dragonborns since the first aren't true dragonborn. They know dragon magic, but they do not possess a dragon soul instead they keep a dragon from reforming because they possess one of the crystals the first dragonborn had created. They say that the first dragonborn had not made an appearance since mortals gained control over Vashela, and while they don't know exactly what happened to him, they don't believe he is dead.
Over the course of time, countless societies rose and fell. Some became forgotten in the mist of time. While others were transformed into something else. Stories of the bygone days shared a similar fate. In fact, many of these stories that are still told in whatever form are regarded as nothing more than fables. Most don't believe that the events within these stories actually took place, and those that knew the truth did nothing to enlighten the general population. At first, it was because their lack of knowledge did not harm them. They were unlikely to run into many of the creatures or characters depicted in these stories as their presences within the world have dwindle to such a point that they might as well be extinct. Then it became they enjoyed the power and privilege being in the know granted them. It was the latter that was behind the rise of the Empire--a kingdom that spread across the world of Vashela, forcing any society they come in contact with to submit to the Empire or be destroyed.
Stories say that The Empire as it is known now came to be thousands of years ago when another kingdom tried to kill all the people within the land that The Empire originated from. The reason behind this kingdom desire to kill all the people is unknown. Some claim this kingdom was The Empire of that age, and they shared The Empire's policy of you submit or you die. Others claim they weren't trying to kill the entire population, just enough to convince the others to submit. Yet, other claimed that they merely wanted the rich fertile lands that the natives occupied and used various tactics to remove them until they decided the best method was to eliminate them entirely. What is known was they didn't believe the people were any threat---an annoyance certainly, but they didn't have the power or means to stand up against their invaders. They had good reasons to believe this. The people who existed within these lands lived in scattered city-states that constantly fought amongst each other.
However, a savior with magic they had not seen before rose up and not only saved them from total annihilation but created the greatest empire the world had ever seen. Later, they learned this magic was not new but the ancient magic that dragons possessed. Stories of the days dragon ruled Vashela reentered the public imagination, and many believed that those who had attempted to eradicate theme had been minions of the dragons attempting to reclaim what they believed to be rightfully theirs. They believe that the first emperor and all his successors are the only thing that are standing between the dragons and their desire to reclaim Vashela. Whether, true or not, what is known is the magic that the first emperor used to save them is not one that everyone has access to. They say only those with certain blood can use this magic, and not surprising it is only the elite of The Empire. There are those who believe that the people are told this to keep them in line, and the fact The Empire is quick to silence anyone who voice such an opinion aloud only fuels this belief.
Over recent years, The Empire found its iron grip slipping. Those they have subjugated are turning back to the customs and beliefs they had before they became citizen of The Empire. The Empire is doing everything within it's power to keep itself from being torn apart, and many claim that the only thing that have kept The Empire from losing complete control is those who wish to pull away have not gathered the support they need to do so. They have gathered enough to make things difficult for The Empire, but they can gain control of their subjects if they play their cards right. The Empire responded by tightening their grip, and making even the slightest negative comment about The Empire--especially the emperor punishable by death,
This was the world that Ari was born into. His mother had come from the south---her people were renown warriors who have always clung tightly to their old ways despite being citizen of The Empire for centuries, and as such they are hit hard by The Empire recent endeavor to eliminate any customs and beliefs that didn't originate from them first. Some claim this is the reason their grip is slipping. They had allowed those they conquered to retain much of their old identities as long as they submitted to The Empire, and now they are trying to take that away the people are responding as if they are being conquered yet again. Other claim The Empire have never truly conquered them and their attempt at rebellion was all but certain, and the only way The Empire can eliminate any such desire is to eradicate any belief or custom they might have held before they became subjects of The Empire. Whatever, the truth his mother found herself becoming a slave as a direct result of the rising conflict.
The only thing was no one acknowledge that what she was. Slavery had been outlaw, but the deviously clever had found a way around such laws in the form of indentured servitude. Sometimes they convince people to sign contracts they could never work off within a lifetime. Other times the contract were legitimate, but they added on years for various reasons. His mother had signed onto indentured servitude to protect her brother. Their parents had died several years before, and her brother blamed The Empire for their death. He did everything he could to undermine their authority, but they were small petty things that The Empire mostly ignored that was until he joined a rebel group that was more than a small thorn within their side. This group wasn't only vocal about their desire to break away from The Empire, but might actually have the means to do so. The Empire knew they had to shut this group down quickly, and after considerable effort they found several of this rebel group's camps--enough that they believed destroyed them all would be permanently cripple this group.
They realized they might have been mistaken when none of the group's leader were found within these camps, but they still hoped they hit them hard enough that any future efforts were severally dampened. Everyone who was captured alive within these camps were charged with treason and sentence to death. When Ari's mother discovered that her brother was one of the accused, she immediately turned to the man in charge of her brother's sentencing and pleaded with him to overturn it. The man made a show of being sympathetic with her pleas but made it abundantly clear he could not overturn her brother's sentence even if he wished to--especially not without something that would lessen the blow of the backlash of such a decision. The emperor would not be happy that he let a traitor go unpunished, and the people would regard it as proof The Empire was losing it's control and this would encourage more to rebel. Ari's mother suggested she took her brother's place. They looked enough alike that no one would really question it if they switch places, but the General didn't want to kill an innocent for a guilty.
Eventually, they agreed that Ari's mother would sign onto the General's services as his indentured servant, and in exchange he would arrange that her brother escapes the cutting block. The General didn't keep his end of the bargain, and he arranged it so Ari's mother not only couldn't prove they had such an arrangement, but she had sold herself to the general for the rest of her life to pay off her own debts. The General quickly turned Ari's mother into a sex toy not only for his pleasure but for the pleasure any visiting dignitaries, and when she became pregnant with Ari it was unsurprising the identity of the father was unknown. The general was outraged by the news of Ari's mother pregnancy and saw her becoming pregnant as her directly defying him. He debated terminating the pregnancy, but for one reason or another decided to keep it. However, after she gave birth to Ari he made it so she would never have another child by removing her reproductive organs. Not only that he made it so she couldn't acknowledge Ari as her son, but eventually Ari discovered the truth. Perhaps, he always knew.
Ari's childhood was far from a happy one. It wasn't because he was beaten or abused in any physical manner. Instead, he was largely ignored and any attempt to gain any attention was dismissed. During his childhood there were only two beings that acknowledge his existence in any significant manner. The first was his mother who would often share him stories of their people as well as sneak him gifts from time to time. The second was the voice from a necklace he found. It didn't take him long to conclude that the voice was that of a goddess and that she for one reason or another chose him to be one of her disciples. He didn't know what pantheon she was connected to--just she didn't belong to any that currently had sway over the world. The only thing he knew was she recognized the power within him and helped him develop it. Eventually, the General discovered his connection to his mother and goddess, and he was clearly unhappy with both.
The General told Ari's mother that she went against his direct order by maintaining a relationship with his son, and as such had to be charged with treason. Ari attempted to convince the General to spare his mother's life, but The General responded to his attempts by telling him that he could be charged for the same crime for worshipping a false deity, but due to Ari's youth he was only going to have the artifact of his false goddess destroyed. The realization that once his mother was executed and the necklace was destroyed that he was going to be alone within the world didn't escape Ari, but despite his best effort he couldn't prevent either from happening. A deep hatred for the General and everything he represented took root inside of him, and he formulated a plan to bring him down. After a few years, he put that plan into action, and ended up killing everyone within The General's estate. He knew that it wasn't over there. His time spent within the shadows made the corruption around him crystal clear, and he needed to aim higher if he wished to change anything.
Present
It didn't take him long to conclude that the answer laid in destroying the emperor and everyone who was said to process dragon blood. He knew if they were no more that the entire system would have to be redone. However, he was captured when he was trying to sneak over the border. Those who captured him had no idea what he had done or what he intended to do. The only thing they knew was he was within the same area as a group of rebels they had captured and marked him as one of them, and as such he would share their fate. However, Ari and several of the rebels that had been captured would escape the cutting block when a dragon attacked. Everyone was shocked by the appearance of the dragon because they had thought they were mostly gone. There were stories of dragons' sightings, but never anywhere near major settlements. No one knew what this meant, but no one actively pondered this during the chaos of the attack.
Those who had been condemned to die knew this was their chance to escape and live to fight another day. They asked Ari to join them. He had already been accused of being a rebel he might as well make it official, but he refused. He didn't know the world they wished to create was the one he envisioned more than that he found himself being pulled towards the dragon for reasons he didn't know. Ari rushed towards the dragon believing he was running straight towards his doom, but instead of attacking Ari like it had done all the others who found themselves within its path the dragon stopped and spoke to Ari. The language the dragon spoke was not one Ari heard before, but he recognized it all the same. He knew what the dragon was saying even if he didn't understand a word. He felt it within his soul, and it was within that moment he realized that he was what those in charge of The Empire pretended to be.
He was a dragonborn, and while he didn't completely understand what that meant he now believed he knew exactly how he was going to rewrite the world. The first step was killing the dragon that stood before him. This task was not an easy one, in fact there were several times during the battle that he thought he was going to be the one to die, but he managed to pull through. Two things happened within that moment the first was everyone within the general area as well as some who were miles away realized what he was, and his goddess begun talking to him again. He doesn't know if she has always been there and chosen to remain silent until now or if unlocking his abilities as a dragonborn somehow opened their connection.
News of Ari being the dragonborn spread like wildfire, and wherever he goes there are people seeking his aid. He is more than happy to help them--especially if doing so leads him to a dragon whose soul he can absorb. He knows not everyone is happy with the idea of him being a dragonborn. It goes against everything they believe or what they wish for the world to believe. Many have attempted to rein Ari under their control---including those responsible for training the emperor and anyone else with dragon blood, but there is only one being whose will he submits to and that is his goddess. She has encouraged his plan to rewrite his world by absorbing the souls of as many dragons as he can and has even helped him locate a few. Over the eight months they have been reacquainted has learned more about her than the years they had spent together when he was a child, and this only strengthen his belief that she is the one he is meant to serve.
Face Portrayed by: Zander Bleck
