Garchen'ze'Darchen'Sem'dor/Garkhen'ze'Darkhen'Sem'dor is a Warder of Bahamut, an unusual occupation for a half-Dwarf/half-Blue Dragon, to be certain, but one at which he has proved himself competent time and again. He seems almost to be the deliberate opposite of everything which Blue Dragons are said to be. He is compassionate, merciful, always seeking a peaceful resolution to any conflict in which he is involved. However, when his anger is aroused, he can prove himself a terrifying and tenacious foe.
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Author: Almonihah
Race: half-Dwarven/half-Blue Dragon
Gender: Male
Age: mid-70's
Date of Birth: Exact date unknown
Place of Origin: A dwarven clan in southern Draezoln
Currently Located: Draezoln
Height: 4'9"
Weight: Over 200 lbs
Scale Color: Deep sky blue
Eye Color: Light blue
Occupation: Warder of Bahamut
Nickname(s): Garkhen
Appears In: Draezoln
Physical Appearance
Garkhen's appearance is very much a mix of dwarven and draconic elements. Although still short compared to most elves and humans, Garkhen is taller than the vast majority of dwarves. He still has the general body shape of a dwarf, including the stocky, powerful build which makes them such hardy and powerful warriors and miners. However, his head is more draconic in shape, although blunter and not so long as a true dragon's head. He also has a thick tail, plated on top with large, hard scales. He is also covered with thick, hard scales. He has small claws on his hands, and large, blunt claws on his toes. His feet are an odd combination of draconic and dwarven, as he has five toes, but the center rather than the inner toe is the one that sticks out the farthest, with the others spreading out on either side of it. They are not quite suited for either walking on his toes like a dragon or walking on his heels like a dwarf, and so he tends to switch between the two.
Voice
Garkhen usually speaks in a soft, deep voice, with a hint of a rumble to it, like the sound of distant thunder. He usually strives to be diplomatic. However, when angered or dealing with a determined foe, Garkhen's voice hardens until it resembles more the booming of a thunderstorm or the ringing of hammer on anvil. He also usually uses an unusual and slightly archaic vocabulary, a result of his upbringing by an ancient dragon and his extensive reading habits.
Biography
How a dwarf and a blue dragon, normally mortal enemies, got together as Garchen's parents is unknown, even by Garchen. He doesn't even know his real name - "Garkhen ze'Darkhen'Sem'dor" is a phrase in Draconic, which means, roughly, "Guardian of Small Dragons". It is the only thing the ancient gold dragon who raised him from his earliest memories and taught him the ways of Bahamut has ever called him. Solkh'Tolkharkha, as Garkhen called him, was an extremely powerful Warder of Bahamut, and Garkhen seeks in many ways to emulate him (to the extent that a half-dragon can emulate a true dragon).
While Solkh'Tolkharkha cared well for Garkhen after the fashion of dragons, the child-rearing techniques of gold dragons are… different from those of the humanoid races. And while Garkhen strives to be draconic in many ways, he does, at times, recognize a certain… lack in his childhood, though he has never truly been able to pinpoint what was lacking. However, his upbringing did give Garkhen access to one of the most extensive libraries on Draezoln - Solkh'Tolkharkha was almost as obsessive a hoarder of books as of gold - leading to future comments by Almonihah Zrathanzon about Garkhen having been "raised in a library". To some extent, such comments are not far from the truth - draconic parenting emphasizes the independence of the child, and Garkhen, given his choice of things to do, will almost always head for a book.
In addition to the literary aspects of his upbringing, Garkhen is also familiar with the ways of courts and nobility. Solkh'Tolkharkha maintained relations with many of the courts of the humanoid nations around his lair, and he sometimes took Garkhen with him on his journeys. However, Garkhen never really faced combat - until one day, Solkh'Tolkharkha suddenly informed him that it was time for him to leave the lair and strike out on his own.
Personality
Garkhen is almost always a very calm person, even in very stressful situations. He usually comes across as a caring, compassionate being. In truth, he still carries the mercurial temper and pride of his Blue Dragon ancestry deep inside, but usually keeps it tightly controlled with his iron self-control. In rare instances, however, he has been known to lose (or release) this control, and the results have usually been… destructive. Almonihah is, however, one of the few living mortals to have witnessed this side of Garkhen.
Skills and Abilities
As a Warder of Bahamut, Garkhen specializes in defensive and healing magics, although he has a few offensive spells and several spells which improve his combat prowess. While relatively unskilled in combat, his great strength and native hardiness make him a dangerous opponent.
- Warder Magic: As a Warder, Garkhen can channel the power of Bahamut to cast a variety of spells. Most of the magic of a Warder is defensive in nature, but Garkhen can also use powerful healing magic and a few offensive spells. Some of his favorite magics in combat, however, are those which increase his combat prowess, enhancing his skill with weapons, his strength, or even his size. However, channeling his deity's power is exhausting, so Garkhen is usually frugal in his use of magic… later in life.
- Lightning Breath: Garkhen can breath a bolt of lightning. While he can do so as often as a full Blue Dragon, his bolt is not as powerful. (It is, however, more powerful than Almonihah's lightning breath)
- Electric Healing: Due to his Blue Dragon heritage, Garkhen is unharmed by electricity. With a bit of concentration, he can actually transform electrical energy flowing through his body into healing energy. He cannot use this ability on his own lightning breath, however.
- Sense Aura: Due to his long association with the forces of Good, Garkhen has a limited ability to sense auras of Good, Evil, and Chaos. However, he is not fully aware of this ability—he knows only that he gets a "feeling" when in a location or around a being who his powerfully aligned with one of these primordial forces.
- Inspiring Presence: A blessing from Bahamut, this ability inspires hope and courage in Garkhen's allies and those he defends. Garkhen's mere presence seems to dispel fear and bring hope and optimism. This ability is partly magical and partly in the way Garkhen speaks and carries himself, so it is not entirely negated by anti-magical effects.
Special Items
- Silverflame: A powerfully enchanted mace coated with silver, Silverflame burns with a silvery-colored flame laced with electricity when wielded in battle. This flame burns those aligned with Evil much more than any others. Garkhen often uses his magic to temporarily enhance his mace.
- Platinum Bulwark: Quite possibly the most ancient suit of armor on Draezoln still in usable condition, the Platinum Bulwark was forged by one of the first half-dragon Warders of Bahamut to even the odds somewhat in his frequent struggles against the draconic followers of Tiamat. It is forged of Adamantium, an incredibly rare and hard metal, and coated in platinum, in honor of Bahamut. It bestows a certain amount of resistance against the breath of dragons on its wearer. In appearance, it is incredibly skillfully made, and decorated so as to appear draconic, with a large symbol of Bahamut emblazoned on the chest. It can only be worn by those dedicated to Bahamut.
- Holy Symbol of Bahamut: A tool in channeling divine energy, as well as an identifying mark, Garkhen typically wears his symbol on a chain around his neck, tucked into his armor. The symbol itself is made of platinum, and looks like a large star surrounded by a host of smaller stars in the shape of a dragon's eye, with the larger star forming the center of the pupil.
- Magic Bag: Like Almonihah's bag, this bag can carry a large amount of gear in a small space.
Garkhen typically uses a shield in battle.
Friends
Almonihah Zrathanzon
Zachin'Dach
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