Statistics
Name: Cazar
Nickname: Aza
Species: Wingless Arbordragon
Neo Species: Darigan Draik
Age: 87
Gender: Male
Personality:
Reserved, but very firm in his beliefs, ideals, and decisions. He is fiercely loyal to any that has earned his respect, but he also recognizes when one
abuses that loyalty. He has strong opinions, knows when to announce them, and can make important, life-changing decisions almost instantly. He sometimes can
overburden himself, however, and finds it difficult to manage those burdens. He feels the need to pay back those who help him, but tends to overly do so.
Though he is somewhat closed off, he is easy to relate to and easy to like.
Likes:
Loyalty
Honesty
Strength
Combat
Kindness
Open minds
Trust
Freedom
Equality
Dislikes:
Dishonesty
Disloyalty
Self weakness
Entrapment
War
Cruelty
Bloodshed
Greed
Excessive pride
In Depth
As said before, Cazar is extremely reserved about his own feelings. He unconsciously feels that he can't risk another incident of broken trust such as the
one with his previous lord - yet somehow he always manages to put himself into situations where these things may happen. He is fiercely loyal and believes in
his ideals unconditionally, which is probably what interferes with his caution in trusting others. He will defend his beliefs or people important to him with
his very life, and he would not die with regrets. He is usually a great judge of character since his past misgivings, and he can spot a villain or a fraud
quite easily. As in the case with Casaenova, he does not trust him to make good decisions, but he knows that Nova still has the ability to do so. Therefore,
while he proceeds with caution around the undead dragon, he does not dismiss him and send him away.
Aza is extremely lithe and agile, making up for his lack of wings in his ability to swiftly scale large objects such as trees and mountains. He has intense
natural instincts, becoming a fierce warrior or hunter as needed. When angered, on such rare occurrences, he has a sort of blood lust about him, snarling in
a predatory manner. When he is put into a situation where he needs to act upon instinct, he is described as "feral." He still has his morals and sense of
judgment, but he is swift to rely on instinct in the face of danger.
Though he is a warrior, that does not mean he spends all of his time fighting or waiting to do so. He actually finds pleasure in dabbling in various
activities. He has come to enjoy reading and crafting weapons, and he has experimented with art and poetry. He also secretly enjoys how Illydir is like a
child who insists upon dressing him up in some way, usually by winding jewelry (amongst other things) around his horns or in his hair. He does not say it,
but he likes to be connected with others. Aza has also made a habit of climbing - he likes to be atop trees or hills or mountains, as it is the closest to
flying he will ever experience.
Appearance
In the wild, they say that bright colors are meant to ward of any enemies or predators by telling them that this prey is too dangerous to be messed with.
This is the concept I had in mind while designing Cazar's quad (dragon) form, and he is no exception to the saying. Though bright colors may not be practical
for a darigan, I feel that the concept matches the feel that the old darigan images were trying to portray - dangerous and feral. What could be more
dangerous than the only creatures who flaunt themselves rather than camouflaging to escape? These creatures tell you with their colors that they can hold
their own before you try to mess with them.
Aza is lithe and built for speed. His quad form is about the size of a smaller horse, but much more dangerous. His colors send a warning that some may not
heed, as he can be swifter and stronger than his enemies. His claws are his primary weapon, though his spiked tail can also deal some heavy damage. His horns
are sharper than they appear, but he does not often use them in combat.
His human form is far less colorful than his dragon form, but the little peeks of color you see on him can sometimes speak for themselves. He is tall and
lean, and his hair is often styled by Illydir. His skin is a light grey, his hair a darker shade, but his eyes provide a stark contrast to his face by being
bright blue and surrounded by the blue and yellow markings apparent in his dragon form. He keeps the horns, ears, tail, feet, and claws of his dragon form,
and also has scales in the customary dragon-human form areas such as around his eyes, down the back of his neck and across his shoulder span.
Companion
Otherwise known as a petpet. Cazar's companion, a male darigan ukali named Sabera, serves as his intelligence force. Sabera is what the creatures of this
world refer to as a "beast," referring to allegedly lower intelligence and smaller statures, though beasts also have the ability to switch between a quad and
human form. Sabera is useful to Cazar in that he is one of very few beasts who can speak the common tongue. He is no master at it, but he speaks enough to
get his points across, in his very blunt and to the point manner. Though little is seen of him, he is always nearby scouting or gathering information to
present to Cazar.
Though the loyalty may seem one-sided, Cazar is always extremely appreciative of everything Sabera does to help him, and in the times where Sabera is
captured while attempting to gather intelligence, Cazar will without hesitation throw himself into the situation, uninformed and unprepared, to get one of
his best friends back. Sabera fully comprehends the danger he willingly puts himself into to be of use to Cazar - and even if he did not feel that he owes
Aza a life debt (though no one knows yet what for), he would still probably do the same.
They say that pets are reflections of their owners, and in this case the saying seems to ring true.
Narrative
I am not one to waste time with words, so I would like you to pay attention. This is my story, and it will only be spoken of once, so listen carefully or
you'll miss it.
Ever since I was a small dragon, I lived with my lord. I was not a part of his family - he adopted me when my parents died in the age-old war between the
humans and the dragons. Since that time, peace has reigned true between humans and dragons, the two species coexisting. But many lives were lost, and I was
left alone.
My lord did not have to take me in, but he said that he felt guilty, as my father and mother were his loyal guards who died protecting him from human blades.
He adopted me and raised me as a guard as well, giving me the opportunity to follow in my honorable parents' footsteps.
He would visit me often as a child, and while he was not the most open, he would smile at my words. I spoke to him of how I wanted to please him, of how hard
I would work to do so... and I spoke to him of the sky. My one true happiness lies within it. To fly on the wind so freely... it was exhilarating. It made me
feel as though there was nothing that could tie me to the earth. He wholeheartedly agreed with this philosophy, and many times we went on trips together, if
just for the flying.
To please my lord, I worked diligently to become his strongest guard, his strongest warrior. He recognized my efforts, and my talent, and my skills, and only
when I could defeat his current guards did he accept me as part of his guard.
My lord was a noble in the grand city, respected even by the royal family. He did have a small flaw that I recognized late - he was power hungry, gluttonous.
He desired more, even if what he had was adequate. But my role to him was not to question his commands, just to act on them. I was extremely grateful to him,
so my loyalty came easily. I did not question him.
Chapter 2
I was given a floor map of a large home, and my lord asked me to kill a young heir, told me exactly what room this heir would be in. I did not question who
this young dragon was, or to what he was the heir - I simply nodded, and was on my way.
Getting into this home, so clearly a high ranking noble's home, was very easy. I was a professional, I entered undetected. I passed their guards so easily it
hardly took any time to reach the -blocked- One flap of my beloved wings, and I was on the balcony. A few steps, and I was inside.
My expectant gaze was not met with a large bed, one large and strong enough for a young, but full grown dragon. I was only met with a cradle in the center of
the large room. I stepped over to it in confusion, and peered inside. There was a young dragon in this room, a young heir. I had not realized exactly how
young he truly was until I saw him.
A small sea dragon, white predominantly in colors, with the markings of male royalty swirling down his webbed spine. He seemed to be barely out of the egg,
and he looked up to me with large pink eyes, and smiled.
This was a mere child, one who did not even know enough of the world to realize when someone entered his room with ill intention. There were no guards
present, my lord's other guards had taken care of to distract them, and it was just me and a naive, trusting infant.
Chapter 3
I have killed many before. I never questioned my lord's requests, who they were or why they needed to die. But what possible reason could he have to kill the
royal family's only child at such a young age in his life, if not to attempt to overthrow the throne? Every single life that I had ended was given up in a
fight, a struggle between two powers, and I won because I was stronger. I could respect that, I was always aware that I could die if my opponent was
stronger. To me, it seemed only fair to fight with someone who could fight back. I could not kill an infant - it was such a violation of my own morals to do
so.
I was loyal to my lord, but loyalty to my kingdom and loyalty to myself was far more important. And I lost my respect for my lord when he requested I kill a
small child. I knew that I was the only one skilled enough to enter this room undetected, but just in case, I left my blade on the floor beside his cradle,
as a sign for the family to heavily strengthen their guard on their child. They would understand that I could have killed him at any time.
I left the house, undetected as usual, and made my way back to my lord's home. I informed him of my change of heart, and my inability to betray my own morals
for him. As I expected, he flew into a rage. I did not care anymore, he had broken my trust in him, and I was no longer tied through loyalty to him. He would
try to stop me, but I fully expected to walk out of his home alive.
I had not expected the entire guard to block my path, or my lord to have a plan in case I tried to leave. I made many fall, but the numbers were far too
great for any single dragon to handle. They held me down as my lord, his face twisted in a smile I had never witnessed before, took his blade to my beloved
wings. He knew how I treasured them, how I treasured the skies, and he knew that to break me, he needed to take them from me.
I would not relent. I refused to. I would get away from him, wings or not. I would not break. I had to be strong.
I held back no more. They let go of me when they thought that I was broken, that I had no strength, that the blood pouring from my severed wings would render
me unconscious. I disappointed them. I went into a blind rage, the only time I ever completely let myself act on my emotions rather than my thoughts. I
destroyed his home, annihilated his guard... I was acting solely on fury, and it was enough to lead me far from him. I did not kill him, however. My last
strain of respect, respect for him for raising me when he had no need to, is what spared his life.
chapter 4
I do not know how far and long I stumbled away - the blood loss was immense, my energy gone long ago, my only drive was the need to get away.
I collapsed somewhere near the royal guard. A blue dragon named Illydir found me on the side of the road, and in his kindness, took me to his bunk and cared
for me, changing my bandages and providing me with sustenance... I would never forget his kindness, never forget his name. This dragon was reserved when he
needed to be, proud to be a member of the royal guard, and he would always offer one a smile when it was needed. He knew the importance of my quick recovery
and the importance of my escape - he knew my story, and he also knew that my lord was looking for me. He kept me secret, and his kindness and understanding
never relented.
When I was well enough, he took leave from duty for a while and traveled with me on foot, as he too had no wings - he came from a family in poverty, and very
rarely are such mixed bloods born with wings. He took me far, to a small village untouched by war. He could not stay with me - he had his family and his
kingdom to protect. I understood his loyalty completely, and was grateful for everything that he had done for me.
I lived in this village for many, many years, and as the war turned into a full-blown event, my small village slowly became affected by it. I did my best to
keep the soldiers out, to keep the violence and bloodshed away from the people, but my powers were limited. I learned of new combat methods, ones that did
not require my wings for balance or swiftness, and I slowly became far more agile and lithe than I had ever been with wings. The wounds scarred over time,
large grotesque reminders of what had once been my true joy.
I awoke one night to find my village in flames. We were a village loyal to the crown, and the nobles took every village they could as a blow to the royal
family, to weaken their loyalties. I did what I could to save the lives of the people of my newfound home, but as the only dragon with battle experience, I
was again limited in power.
Many died that night, many because I was not strong or skilled enough to put out fires and save citizens from the nobles' soldiers. Children were slain,
infants burned alive... it was a massacre. Those of us that lived went into hiding, traveling in secret to the royal capital city - the royal family would
accept us through their gates.
The heir to the throne had disappeared, fled from the battlefront we were told. I was angry - I did not spare his life to have him run in cowardice at the
violence. My loyalty to him was weakened. But his sister, born in the years after the heir was nearly killed, was strong and glorious, and she assumed the
throne, she ended the war.
Chapter 5
I did not see the royal guard Illydir until many years after the war. I had heard that he betrayed the throne and joined the noble's cause, and I could not
believe it. I knew that his family was the most important thing in his life, and that there had to be some connection.
I volunteered to search the rebel nobles' estates, but I did not find Illydir or his family. Another found the corpses of his mother and sisters in the
basement of my lord's estate, but the blue dragon himself had disappeared. He was very strong, and I liked to think that he had survived and had fled as I
had from my lord. As a show of my respect for him, as the last of the nobles were thrown into prison cells, I left the royal city in search of the blue
dragon.
Illydir was kindhearted, loyal, but he was also a dreamer. He dreamed of the skies I had told him fondly of, and I looked for him near people of power that
could grant him his wish. No legitimate person of power had seen him, but one spoke of a faerie who had taken in prisoners and had done terrible experiments
to them. I hoped that Illydir had not been one of those prisoners, but my hopes were not respected.
I found the blue dragon of my past, living with a great red dragon, and he did not seem to remember me. Or, he did not want to. The strong blue dragon I had
known had been broken, and his mind had become very fragile. He had lost the family he had worked so hard to protect, unlike my family that I had lost at a
very young age, and then when he reache dout for the last line of comfort he may have been given, it backfired and caused him great unbearable pain.
I agreed to stay with him. I did not want anymore harm to come to such a frail creature. He had once been great, but any more pain might push him over the
edge. I won't let any more pain come to him. I refuse to.
Aftermath
As you can see from his story, Cazar is a very strong dragon. Strong in that he has endured many hardships and has the ability to learn from them. He is what
some might call bull-headed, but I prefer the term... resolute. He is steadfast in his decisions and opinions. Strong.
He is also very reserved. He speaks little of his own feelings, and only describes the events of his story. He does not want anything personal that he could
speak of to backfire against him again, such as the case with his love for flying. This is so that he may protect himself, but it also makes it hard to
become really, truly close to him.
A lot of my stories or character personalities are based upon character interaction. Cazar is possibly the most major part of this connection, as he is the
one who knows everyone and holds them together. He is the most capable of making the difficult decisions, and it falls to him to do so many, many times.
Because of Illydir's mental status, Aza has to treat him as a child sometimes, and other times feels as if he is the one being treated as a child by Illydir.
He is searching for a way to entirely break the painful magic that still binds Illydir and his psyche.
In their travels, he will also happen across a young fae-dragon (otherwise known as the female faerie draik I am saving up for :3), one of whom is beautiful
in her natural simplicity. She has the unending patience to break his barrier, and with a great deal of time and effort from both, he will eventually fall
for her.
Interaction
Though Cazar is naturally a little closed off, others have no problem opening up to him. Because he is so welcoming and inviting, you wouldn't really notice
if you told him your entire life story without him saying a single detail about himself. He prefers it this way. The main characters of mine that interact
with Cazar are my dragons.
Illydir is of course, the main person Cazar interacts with. Aza has pledged himself to protect Illydir, and part of this protection involves fixing
him as well. At times, Illydir knows what they are doing, searching for a way to break his curse, but at other times, Illydir doesn't even know he is cursed,
let alone what they are searching for. Cazar had some problems at first adjusting to the swift switches between these two extremes, but as Illydir has no
problem recognizing him in all states, he has adapted quickly. Aza has assumed the role of caretaker/brother to Illydir, and has actually come to love
Illydir's childish moments. It makes him feel as though he is part of a real family, however short-lived these moments are.
Casaenova is the ticking time bomb Cazar keeps close to have a watchful eye on him. Yet, Cazar oversees the changes within Nova quietly, from the
sideline, and he does notice that other than an occassional bout of uncontrollable blood lust, he and Nova have a lot in common - as if he and Nova could
have gotten along quite well had Nova not been undead, quick to hurt others, and exceedingly arrogant. They both are quick on their feet, can make snap
decisions, rely on instinct in battle, and love to read. Somehow, some time along the line, they find themselves able to trust each other.
Somewhere along the line in their journey, they are led to
Poisonary. Being near this dragon makes Cazar's scales shiver, but he does whatever he
needs to to talk to this maniac. Ari is more amused than anything, but lets Aza know that his specialty lies in making curses, not breaking them. Ari pays it
no mind, but both of them eventually learn that Illydir's curse, somewhat indirectly, is actually Ari's doing.
