Zafir
From FiranMUX
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Contents |
Overview
Lord Proxy Minister General Zafir Junik, Defender of the True Faith, Hero of the battle of Cirusuran, Victor of the recapture of Anish, and countless other titles (many self-assigned) adorn the reputation of perhaps one of the most notable and interesting men in the Firan realms.
Zafir is a nobleman of the Gold Dragon Clan and Head of House Junik, although it wasn't always so. Born a commoner, Zafir's rise to fame and fortune is in part what makes him a living legend today - that, and the fact that he is widely considered to be the greatest swordsman in all of Aerval; and the many battles and wars he's won; and the fact that he famously and shamelessly promotes his own accomplishments at every opportunity.
Known to be fair and just in most things, Zafir is an old lawman who beleives in strict adherence to the rules and duties of modern society - nevermind that he's broken almost all of them from time to time - and his stern demeanor gives him a stoic quality usually reserved for Hydrans (though Lord Junik is known to have an increasing sense of humor in his advancing age).
Known as a shrewd military leader and a fearsome combatant, Zafir is also a noted philanthropist and civic leader, taking active roles in the Republic and Clan Governments that he so vocally supports.
Though Zafir Junik holds no royal or noble lineage, it is without question that he hass political, social and military influence that rivals many of the shining bloodlines of the Republic. That he has built such fame and influence with his own two hands makes Zafir a latter-day hero, a rags-to-riches farmboy who exemplifies many aspects of the Gold Dragon personae.
Early Life
Zafir, born common and without surname, is the oldest son of Neli and Gelos, a Sentry of the Gold Dragon army who died in Ellish. His siblings are Zaruell and Gelosik.
There are rumors as to Zafir's true parentage, traded in Inns and Taverns across the Dragon Clan - some claim that he was a bastard child of Judano's, others say it was Lord Covis Junik - and to this day Lord Zafir speaks little of his father.
Growing up as a farmhand on the Aurik Family land, Zafir grew close to the wealthy family who provided him with so much. He has often affectionately called Baristano Aurik his grandfather, Dania, Sett and Anikos his siblings.
A rowdy youth, Zafir spent his boyhood days dreaming of becoming a hero just like the ones written about in the folk tales told of Gold Dragon history. That these heroes were impossibly moral and virtuous held young Zafir up little, and he modeled his will to emulate those same characteristics.
At the age of 20, he'd had enough of the farm life and joined the First Division, destined for greater things.
Military Record
The First
Zafir spent many years as a Guard, and as he worked his way up through the years from Sentry to General he earned a reputation as a capable and efficient law enforcer.
Clan Leader Taria is heard to say that Zafir's early career was marred by insuboordination and issues taking orders - his assignments kept him mostly cracking the skulls of Old City thugs - but Lord Junik is mostly remembered after he'd found his niche as the primier investigator of crimes in Anarinuell. Under his diligent watch, the Guard had few unsolved murders, and his tough talk reassured citizens wary of the crime boss Pangaros and his organization.
Zafir was such a well-known and skilled investigator that he earned the friendship of Bannos Istabannos, and the two were widely thought to have worked together ferreting out members of the Lanesh Regime. The names implicated in the Resaria incident are thought to have been influenced by the efforts of the two.
The Third
Years after he had earned the rank of General, Zafir was transferred to the Third Division (which would later be broken up into many other, smaller divisions) in order to reorganize what had been left in shambles. With the help of his now-famous suboordinates Alexa and Primo, he refined the Air Force and Supply Train into the efficient divisions they are today. Zafir served with distinguished valor for many years in this position.
He has since been transferred back to the First, but under the fledgling Naval section, where he spends his time enlisting sailors, building ships and enjoying what many feel to be a well-earned semi-retirement. He works closely with the Guard still in his capacity as Republic Minister of Justice.
Today
With over twenty-five years in the military, Zafir has served with many of the well-known figures of the age: Aldrikos, Zayes, Taria, Draugik, Alexa, Primo, Solgarik, Vahlgellan, Atreides, Sadin, Agarn, Anikos, Latta, Marsyas, Vahlon and others.
From Wars to High Adventure
Zafir has fought in more war seasons than can be counted, and is the only surviving member of the original Covis' Cutthroats.
It was Zafir, General of the Old Third Division, who helped Zayes Ista Zayes lead the most successful series of attacks the Firans have launched against the Shamibelians since the Great War.
Amongst a life of risk and accomplishment, many of Zafir's adventures go unsung - most of his comrades being dead or captured, the intervening years glossing myth over record. What is known of many of Zafir's adventures come only from his tendency to brag and tell stories of his own heroics. Many of these stories are unreliable, many unconfirmed, but are told here as accurately as can be reprinted.
Mount Doom
When Inaya, then a princess, was kidnapped by the Shamibelians and held prisoner in Mount Doom, Zafir volunteered to be part of the rescue operation. It was a suicide mission, and Zafir was knocked unconscious and dragged to safety during the perilous escape that claimed the life of Judano Firgalik. Lord Junik has been heard to say that his greatest regret was that he could not die by the side of his Clan Leader in that cold, underground tunnel.
Bannos' Quests
After the kidnapping of Bannos' daughter, Katriva, Zafir was enlisted in a small group to engage in a mission to the Oracle to find answers to her whereabouts. The series of events led him from Agadin to Caldera City, Firalut to places beyond the Firan maps.
He has spoken at length about his experiences during these adventures - but much of it is contradicting and far-fetched, the indulgences of a romantic old veteran. Fighting slavers and lions, discovering the hidden cities of the Giants, meeting Teffies and Enifa, riding dolphins, outsmarting Shamibelians and using mystical relics - it simply sounds too much like the storybook heroes Zafir emulates to be totally true.
It has even been whispered that during these adventures the group met Gods and fought Lanesh magicians, but Zafir - devout monothiest that he is - leaves such rumors unconfirmed.
The Legendary Swordsman
Zafir worked long and hard to perfect the art of swordplay, and after years of grueling training he set out to duel the greatest fighters in the known world to prove that he was the best. He fought the likes of Agarn, Zayes, Argus, Gadiste and many others, besting all of them and becoming widely known as the finest swordsman in the world. They say that no man can match Lord Junik's skill, though he has personally trained a slew of the younger noble soldiers -- people wonder when the next great swordsman will rise to supplant him.
The Alliance War
Zafir was amongst the Gold Dragons who arrived in the Bear District to provoke the angry Bear mob during the prelude to the Alliance War. After his capture, he languished for a month in a Bear Clan Jail with Yaffros Iberik and Throgana Keniwik. He was subsequently released and led troops throughout the remainder of the war, though he was forced to leave when, upon Argus' execution, Atreides initiated the Third Gold Dragon Civil War.
The Third Gold Dragon Civil War
Throughout four Civil Wars within the Gold Dragon Clan, Zafir has famously remained loyal to Jalil's right to rule. The first two wars, resolved with little bloodshed, acted only as prelude to the conflict of the third.
Zafir, a close ally of Argus Firgalik, made the unlikely decision to deny support to the rebel movement that erupted in his martyred name. Zafir, standing by the Clan Council and Jalil, was forced into war against Atreides, his oldest and dearest friend.
Leading troops to Cirusuran, Zafir spoke with passion and mercy, trying to convince his foes to lay down their arms. Instead, he was ambushed by the rebel army, who swarmed out to attack him mid-speech.
Caught on the front lines, Zafir killed dozens of men and saw the battle won before succumbing to his wounds. Miraculously, he survived - and it was his stunning, near-flawless victory that is credited with ending the bloodiest of Gold Dragon civil conflicts and officially putting Zafir into the canon of famous Gold Dragon military leaders. Unfortunatley, this distraction kept him away during the first Shamibelian Air Raid.
The Air Raids
The first Air Raid saw the Junik Family Mansion levelled and Zafir's children, Aristan and Adelina, killed. In fact, every Air Raid the city has ever had has seen the Junik Mansion burned, crushed under falling griffons, or otherwise destroyed.
The following Juniks have died from Air Raid destruction: Aristan, Adelina, Galia, Olecia, and Archigan. Others have been maimed and disfigured by their injuries, and it is difficult to find a young Junik who does not bear some physical mark from the Shamibelian Raiders.
The Junik Curse
Coupled with the fact that Zutiv destroyed the Junik Mansion with lightning to punish Azarus, the many Air Raids have given rise to a rumor that the Mansion is cursed. Zafir himself dispels these rumors, claiming that the Shamibelians are simply struck with such fear by his continued survival that they seek to kill him every chance they can.
The Elephant
Liya, the only elephant in Firan captivity, got loose and once rampaged through the streets of the Gold Dragon District. It was there that, responding to the situation, Zafir Junik hatched a daring plan: Running alongside the charging beast, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, the swordsman matched the animals pace and leaped onto the beast's back, triumphantly riding it through his district in a controlled manner until it was overcome with exhaustion. Some claim that the General merely led the animal back to the stables, but two things are clear - Zafir considers the elephant a monster more dangerous than the Carnotti, and Liya has a fondness for the General...perhaps the fondness of a great beast who's met it's match.
Ellish and Fudathim
Zafir Junik volunteered to fight on the front lines of the war season of 45 A.U., eschewing a position at high command in order to allow the young Elianik Generals a chance at glory. His position on the front lines of every battle gave the Lord Proxy a chance to sate his bloodlust while rallying the Firan troops with his leadership, skill and heroic presence.
He was the first man into the breach at Fort Triumph, where he slew many goats. He was seen calling out a prominent Warlord at Fort Zayes, whom he dueled and slayed in front of the entire Firan forces. He was present at every battle save Judano's Climb, all the while screaming the name of one man: The Shamibelian Governor of Ellish, Fudathim.
In the epic battle in the streets of Ellish, Fudathim finally rose to Zafir's challenge.....
Zafir and Galadra
The Queen's Arrangement
When Zafir was 21, a simple commoner Sentry with a budding reputation in the Guard, he was summoned before Queen Sabine. For someone who barely saw the royalty, this was something of a surprise - and even moreso when Sabine told Zafir that she was looking for a Gold Dragon to marry to her lady-in-waiting, Galadra.
Zafir, a proud and stubborn Gold Dragon, wanted nothing to do with the equally stubborn and hostile Galadra - but one does not say no to the Queen, so the two agreed to court for an appropriate time before, they figured, they could call the whole thing off and return to their lives.
But Fate has a funny way of working: Although many of the meetings between the two were often brusque and caustic, Zafir and Galadra found themselves slowly and inexorably falling in love with one another. Months passed, and as the veneer of Clan differences wore off and the two got to know each other better, it became official. They would be wed.
The Year-Long Courtship
At the time, marriages were being performed quickly and without respect to proper waiting periods. Sabine, wishing Zafir and Galadra's marriage to be a symbol of Griffons and Dragons in peace, would have none of it - as further proof of the sanctity of marriage, they would have to endure an archaic year-long period of courtship before they could be wed.
It was agreed, and after a tumultuous year (during which Zafir gained fame, fortune and nobility) the two were married in the Aurik's Apple Orchard.
The Relationship
Galadra and Zafir's relationship is widely known and respected throughout both Anarinuell and the realms - if one is enamored with stories of true love.
Zafir is reputed to have never seen a whore or used his noble station on a commoner, not once since he has been married to his wife. He claims, some say, that she is all he needs to be happy - others joke that it's Galadra who keeps her husband on a short leash and afraid of what she'd do to him in his sleep if he ever strayed. She, herself, is ultimately loyal to her husband - but those same tavern gossipers might suggest that if you're married to a one-man killing machine, you'd better be faithful.
Some also grin and insist that Galadra really wears the pants in the relationship, as Zafir refuses in an un-Dragonlike way to beat his wife (though he has, on occasion, defied that principle in the wake of her behavior). Romantics, however, see a different picture - one of two people totally committed to one another, head over heels in love and willing to spend the rest of their lives together faithfully. Given Zafir's accomplishments and ambitions, this lofty goal seems no less likely.
The Rumors
Of course, rumors are bound to fly - and there are some that follow in the shadows of the famed rags-to-riches relationship. Some say that as a commoner Zafir carried on a protracted relationship with the Madame of the White Dove, Zutiva, that went beyond mere business. Others insist it was Galadra who dallied as a youth, a comely young girl in a Palace filled with Princes who delighted in using their reputations on young commoner women.
If there are weight to any of these rumors, the couple isn't talking. Their public face is the same as their romantic reputation: Two people who have come quite far in life, rather happy with what they've accomplished, and each other.
Children
Zafir's known for having a rather large family, the product of being a virile and faithful husband. Unfortunately, the Curse of the Junik Mansion continues to claim victims from the Junik bloodline, and it has not spared Zafir's. Zafirs children:
Aristan - dead.
Lucia - Alleged murderer, war veteran, exile from the Griffon Clan, widow of Ranselis Tanelish and current Eagle Clanswoman.
Adelina - dead.
Cortik - The one-eyed terror, the Governor of Sarkaran, Zafir's heir.
Nessonia - Zafir's bubbly, girly daughter.
Zafryn - Zafir's second son, the newly-appoited two-eyed terror aka "the Lion", infamous Dragon child who gets banned from Clans.
Galia - dead.
Dorian - Semifloofy youngest son of Zafir.
Julia - Bitchy youngest daughter.
Treidan - dead.
Ladrian - adopted son, remains a commoner.
The Titles
1. First Proxy of the Gold Dragon Clan
2. Minister of War for the Gold Dragon Clan
3. General of the Mighty Gold Dragon armies
4. Lord Junik
5. Defender of the One True Faith
6. General of the Republic Navy
7. Republic Minister of Justice
8. Headmaster of the Republic Military Academy
...And he can say them all in one breath.
