Aza approaches most new meetings with a flair of roguish charm and confident friendliness. He has no insecurities when it comes to initiating a new introduction and his manner appears easy and open and jovial. For the very astute, you might notice an assessing glint in his gaze, as he's highly observant and is often gauging reactions and other details in the person he's interacting with.

Appearance-wise, the first thing immediately noticeable about him is his massive black feathered wings. As an Aurain, they grow from his shoulder blades and tuck in at around the same height as his head. His wingspan as an adult stretches over twelve feet in width when fully extended and can fully support his weight in flight. He's got a muscular build but he's not bulky, instead having a lithe, honed form and sporting various scars on his skin - most of them old and somewhat faded now but a few are particularly nasty looking.

Also etched into his skin is a strange sort of tattoo, one that those with an affinity for magic might sense a spell woven into the very essence of its being. Its shape is that of a black dragon that twines itself along his spine to where its head is curled in a warning snarl against the back of his left shoulder. Although often, Aza keeps this hidden beneath his clothing, preferring it not to be common knowledge.

The tattoo itself is a glamour spell of sorts, one that initiates an illusion that looks and feels real when it is in place. It drastically changes his appearance although the one noticeable thing that remains the same is his black-feathered wings at his back. In addition, however, he takes on a far more draconic appearance himself, his normal red eyes bleeding to an eerie green glow that mimics the same hue of his storm magic. Dark horns spiral up from atop his head and dark scales scatter along his skin. His eyes slit, serpent-like, his nails turn claw-like and his teeth sharpen into a pair of piercing fangs. He has an aura of violence about him in this form, his eyes far colder and sharper than any expression he sports when in his normal Aurain form. This form isn't for pretty show or whimsical fantasy - it practically screams brutal violence and savage rage. Should you be unlucky enough to number among his enemies, this is the form Aza would arrive in for a fight, despite being perfectly capable in his natural appearance.

▶ SAPPHIRE

The fourth Cardinal Gem to form and the youngest before the arrival of Malachite. They are associated with water and known as the god of virtue. Their symbol is a water drop. They are seen as a loyal, steadfast companion to all the people of Noctium. Those who are bonded to Sapphire tend to be friendly, personable people and do well in social situations. Red flags just look like flags though when you wear rose-colored glasses so they also tend to be victims of manipulation and can use very black and white thinking when it comes to others.

▶ BEHAVIOR

⬤ Seductive.
⬤ Affectionate.
⬤ Warmhearted.
⬤ Lacking inhibitions.

▶ ABILITIES

⬤ Water and ice magic (ranges from hydrokinesis to freezing water). Offers a resistance to cold.
⬤ Waterbreath. Sapphires can breathe underwater as well as grant this ability to others through a kiss.
⬤ Healing touch. Able to invigorate fatigue or seal wounds via Synchrony.

▶ NAGA

Serpentine race of shapeshifters who could disguise themselves using magic. Most had 4 to 6 arms and preferred wet environments, and were adept in a variety of weapons, from swords to bows to shields. They were fierce and devoted protectors and tend to be associated with bodies of water.

⬤ Half-serpent with an affinity for swimming and staying near bodies of water.
⬤ Snake tail (either one or two).
⬤ Hind fins that resemble wings.
⬤ Have up to 4 or 6 arms.
⬤ Forked tongues.
⬤ Reptilian scales, eyes, nose, claws, and fangs (venomous; bites can cause paralysis, pain, or pleasure between 1 to 12 hours depending on pressure/intent of the bite).

CONTENT WARNING!
POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING CONTENT.
Aza's past contains mentions of violence, abuse (child + adult), murder/near genocide, slavery, and generally very dark and not pleasant times. If any of these topics are upsetting for you, please stop reading here.

CHILDHOOD
➝ Born the third child to a pair of Aurain in the kingdom of Zephyr. His father was part of the military forces and his elder brother was already in the early stages of training to join as well. His mother ran the household and raised her four offspring - two boys and two girls, the youngest girl being 3 years younger than Aza. As a typical middle child, Aza spent much of his time off on his own or with the other children his age, often getting into mischief whenever possible.

➝ From an early age, Aza showed an affinity for storm magic - a very rare branch of magic, especially because of its volatile nature. While manifestations in most young children were often instigated by emotional outbursts, Aza's were doubly so, causing all sorts of strange weather phenomena and outbreaks in and around the family home.

➝ When Aza was 11, his island was invaded by the human country of Dene. The attack was sudden and devastating, the unexpected and extreme consequences of failed negotiations. The Aurain were taken by complete surprise and though they fought to defend their people, they were overwhelmed by the enemy forces. Especially when word of the death of their monarchs spread through the fighting people. Most of the citizens were captured and enslaved and loaded onto Dene's fleet of ships. His last sight of his family was being torn away from his mother and sisters as they were loaded onto a separate ship. He has no idea what became of them. He doesn't know if his father or brother survived the fighting. Aza never saw or heard from any of them ever again.

➝ Aza is transported in the galley of the ship back to the capital of Dene, where he's sold off with many others to a buyer who loads him back onboard a different ship - this one much larger, its hold filled to the brim with slaves of all shapes and sizes, hailing from all corners of the world. There are races Aza's never even heard of before, many of them speaking in tongues he can't understand. There's only a handful of Aurain among them, and none that he knew from home. He spends weeks in the hold of the ship as it travels on choppy seas around the southern tip of the continent and then up the western coast. Not everyone survives the journey but Aza is one of the 'fortunate' few.

THE FIGHTING PITS
➝ The ship docks in the port city of Suralis, far on the western coast, a city Aza had never even heard of until he was herded off the boat and into glaring sunlight and hot humid air. What he learns of his new home is an abrupt departure from the life he'd known. Suralis is an independent city-state with a bloody history but its present is now rooted in the trade and profit of one thing - the fighting pits. Known far and wide for the bloodsports and vicious entertainments to be found here, Suralis offers shows unlike any found in any other corner of the world - due mostly to the sect of Transformation Mages collected by the Princeps who rules the city. Offered here are fights between horrifying monsters and fantastically altered warriors, the glamour and illusion of its stable of fighters all designed and changed to be the ultimate spectacle and draw to the unique matches.

➝ Aza and his fellow countrymen are the first Aurain to ever be brought to the fighting pits and the Princeps takes special delight in their acquisition. It's here that Aza first learns of the old, near-forgotten lore that Aurain were once believed to be descended of dragonkind. And it's to this end that the Princeps sets her newest prizes to be 'altered' by her mages. It's not a permanent transformation but a glamour etched into the flesh to anchor it in place. A rune-spelled collar controls the shift between Aurain and their more 'draconian' forms, ones that are unique to each that survives the lengthy - and painful - process. Aza's own are scales and horns as black as his feathered wings and his eyes bleed to the same eerie green hue of his storm magic. Claw-like nails, slit serpentine eyes, and pointed fangs are also part of the overall effect. The rest of his body is honed by the Dominus of the Pits, the master over all the fights and the fighters within. It doesn't matter that he's a child - he's exposed to the same harsh training regime as every other slave here.

➝ He enters his first fight in the pits at 14.

➝ He makes his first kill at 16.

➝ Most of the fighters in the pits assume they will die on those sands - it is known by all of them that one day their end might come from the hand of the person training beside them or dining across the crude wooden table at dinner. There are few friendships within the stables, only occasional alliances that rarely end well for anyone. But Aza has no intention of bleeding out on those sands and while he's honed into a brutal fighter, one of the stars of the arena as he grows into his 20's, he turns his always-clever mind to the one thing few of them dare to even contemplate - escape. Oh, he's seen more than his fair share of attempts in his years here now - all of which ended with blood spilled on the sands much earlier than it would have been otherwise, their heads mounted on the spikes over the gates as a warning and a reminder. But he's patient. And what's more, he's a survivor and he's lasted long enough within the stables to start gaining a reputation of his own among the fighters enslaved beside him. His trustworthiness, his resourcefulness... his sheer stubbornness. What he plots and plans he reveals to almost none except for a trio of fellow fighters - one of the few Aurain remaining that had survived that journey with him all those years ago, and two humans, one younger, one even older than he, a grizzled old warrior who was rumored to just be too damn ornery to die. They are the only ones among them who he trusts with his whispered plots and plans, and between the four of them, they spend months - nearly a year - carefully and discreetly setting those plots in motion. Waiting for the perfect opportunity.

➝ It comes in the middle of a drunken revelry of a holiday in Suralis. There is, of course, a week-long tournament of fight after fight in the arena, the sands stained red with so much spilled blood. The spectators are drunk, or high, or both, and even many of the guards have indulged where they should not have - perhaps encouraged on here and there where they might have needed a subtle nudge. It ends with a fire that rages through the arena, the surrounding city, and even as far as the Princep's manor itself. In the chaos, there is a revolt as the fighters break free of the stables. There is fighting in the streets, and for once the citizens of the violent city get a taste of what they have wrought as their savage fighters turn their blades upon them.

➝ A handful of the fighters take no part in the revolt, however. They have other aims, and Aza leads those he trusted to include at the last moment out of the city and down the coast, taking advantage of the chaos to slip away while the city burns in their wake. Many of the escapees go their separate ways, heading to other cities, to ports, to long-lost homes, but a loyal few remain with Aza and plot their next move. Many of them have no homes to return to and Aza is among them, certain there is nothing left for him in whatever ruins of Zephyr remain. After 12 years in the fighting pits, he hones his blade to a different purpose.

OFF TO SEA
➝ They work together for a time, selling their skills where they can to gather gold. They keep their presence quiet and hidden, always traveling further away from Suralis, always wary of being recognized. They keep their altered forms hidden away, for they are far too recognizable even here, although Aza, as an Aurain, stands out even still.

➝ And that is how they come to find the Silvertide. It's a merchant ship looking to replenish its crew - and as the captain partakes in often questionable trade, he's less worried about what his crew looks like and more with what they can do. As Aza and his companions are all diligent and skilled, they find an unlikely place among his men. Seeing the potential in them, Captain Raleem takes his newest sailors under his wing, so to speak (he's a human, for all that he boisterously makes this joke to his now-two Aurain crewmen) and for Aza it's one of the brightest times in his life.

➝ It's profitable, as well. The captain's arrangement for trade of illicit cargo pays off for all who share in his bounty. By age 28, Aza has stockpiled enough of his own fortune to commission a ship similar to the Silvertide. He calls her the Huntress and sets out in a partnership with his old captain, taking many of his old companions on as his new crew, the fighters that had banded together still remaining loyal and close-knit. While Aza's ship maintains the same brand of commerce as their sister ship, the Huntress also has another purpose. True to her name, Aza and his crew often use their time in ports to keep an ear to the pulse of the slave trade that flourishes along western and southern coasts, traveling farther and wider as opportunities present themselves. When in port, they play the part of merchants, but out on the seas, they hunt down the ships carrying far more precious cargo, relieving the slavers of their captives and sending them and their ships to the bottom of the sea to keep word of their existence from spreading.

➝ But it gains them infamy in its own way, and Aza uses that, too, to their advantage. The wild tales that grow speak of a demon captain of the seas, terrible in his appearance and brutal in his rage. At last those old transformations from their time in the pits - long under their own control now - have come to play a purpose once more, hiding their true identity while still letting their fearsome legend grow.