ER:Xzen

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A player character in the Errant Road on-line free-form role-playing game, portrayed by a player of the same (in-forum) name. Needless to say, he doesn't exist in the Poe-verse. His basic concept is here, from which the following is taken (but there's more good backstory in the forum entry, go read it):

Description

Name: Xzen Dvorak (usually just "Xzen" in the game)

Age: 24

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Nationality: Veracian

Occupation: former priest

History/Backstory:

Young Xzen Dvorak grew up in a fervently religious household in Emerylon. Having demonstrated a mild proficiency in the use of magic, particularly healing, a career in the priesthood seemed an obvious choice for Xzen. Upon completing his time as a novitiate, Xzen's faith in Luminosita seemed unwavering, so his first assignment from the Veracian Church was to replace an elderly, ailing priest at a small chapel on the outskirts of Saus.

What the church wasn't counting on was that Xzen Dvorak was capable of thinking for himself. Quite capable, in fact. He had just never needed to, because everyone around him had always seemed to do his thinking for him, usually to his satisfaction, so he left well enough alone. However, being in a rowdier city such as Saus and not having any convenient church elders around to do his thinking for him, Xzen was forced to think for himself. His efforts at religious outreach brought him into contact with many... colorful... characters, and Xzen quickly learned that if he was willing to listen to them, they would be more willing to listen to him. And so over a period of several months, Xzen came into contact with more and more foreign travelers and non-believers who stated with certainty that Luminosita, while certainly real enough to smite people now and then, was nothing more than an artifical god-construct. At first, Xzen merely humored these heretical arguments, but over time, certain elements began to ring true.

As Xzen approached the one-year anniversary of his ordination, he asked for and was granted a five-day sabbatical from his post. With assistance from one of the aforementioned colorful characters, he put together a set of fake research orders, traveled back to Emerylon, and bluffed his way into the Heretic Knowledge Vault. After several days of reading and prayer that left his faith in Luminosita in serious jeopardy, he walked out of the Vault and into the main temple and immediately resigned his position, declaring himself unfit for the Veracian priesthood. He also stated his belief in the existence and inherent goodness of one true God, but that Luminosita himself was not that God. The church elders he spoke with were not amused, and Xzen was gently encouraged to leave Veracia entirely, which he did, ending up in the Farrelite city of Isabel.

With little money, few provisions, and a spiritual outlook that still put him at odds with most of the local citizenry, Xzen felt the most isolated and rudderless he'd ever felt in his life. So when he walked into a shady looking bar named The Happy Hookah and saw a flyer entitled "ADVENTURERS WANTED," he decided this was as good a way as any to restart his life, even if he was a former (and still in some ways current) "Veracian religious whacko." The hard physical labor involved could serve to focus his mind, and in the meantime even pirates still deserved to be healed of their injuries. And maybe, just maybe he'd be able to give this crew of rogues a subtle nudge on those occasions when they strayed a little TOO far from the path of righteousness...

(Needless to say, when he introduced himself to Shorty, he conveniently omitted his priestly history.)

Appearance/Personality: Light-skinned, average height, slightly-but-not-spectacularly muscular build. Short dark hair, brown eyes, and clean-shaven. The Veracian Church was kind enough to provide Xzen with a single set of plain-looking civilian clothing to replace his priestly vestments before sending him on his way, and he used some of his meager funds to buy a second similar set so he could wear one set while laundering the other. Xzen tries not to stand out in a room or a crowd, but making that effort usually just seems to make him stand out as someone trying not to stand out.

Abilities: Moderately skilled in a variety of spells with peaceful applications, though no more so than any average priest, or many average Farrellians for that matter. No formal combat training whatsoever, though he did pick up a few informal hand-to-hand combat moves as a result of several particularly heated theological debates in Saus. You might be surprised if you pick a fight with Xzen. Or not. Also, currently utterly useless with a firearm, though he may wish to change that in the near future given his current career tack.

Appearances

He first (and only) appearance is in the "Airship Pirates, Chapter 1: Isabel" thread, regaining consciousness aboard the Bonny Read, the airship that has been looking for "adventurers" or "crew" or "red-shirted ensigns to be fed to the first weird monster encountered," or something like that. His first act is to scold fellow PC and crew member Rip, who has, without malice aforethought but not really thinking about it, just set a small airship full of exceedingly gross stuff on a course that will drop that stuff on a small town in Farrel. As Rip puts it, "This guy wasn't going to last long as a pirate, with morals and all that ... but he did have a point." The town is saved through some adroit, if somewhat scatological, magic, albeit with some damage to the local ecosystem. This turns out to be important, as the little town turns out to be Gyptiel, exactly the place where these airship pirates are looking to commit their next act of airship piracy (on some ruins outside town and the archaeologist therein, rather than the town itself, but same general idea).

As soon as everything is sorted out, Jon Wrackham, captain of this mighty warship, gives the order for able-bodied crew to take to the ship's squadron of hang gliders, to head down to the surface and start plundering and pillaging, ideally administering death and destruction to the rival airship Queen Alice's Revenge] in the process, since it's already on the scene getting a head start on the plundering and pillaging. Xzen obediently falls in with Rip, and the two of them watch as some red-shirted-ensign types first fall in for hang glider duty, and then fall out -- out of their hang gliders, since they don't know how to use them. Xzen and Rip do make it to the surface in one piece (each), or at least, manage to avoid being devoured by the monstrosity that resulted when the contents of the airship-bomb reached the ocean. However, he isn't heard from again. Pity; every band of pirates could use a conscience, particularly one that then gets into the pillaging and plundering once the demands of conscience are satisfied.

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