Jiv'undus Rivvazz'a
A young male Drow commoner, stranded on the surface.
Appearance
Jiv'undus is a young, well built, muscular male Drow of common birth. Like most Drow his skin is dark, though his is lighter and more ashen then most. Unusual for most Drow his hair is mostly shaved save a oil black ponytail which sprouts from the crown of his head. His eyes are entirely black, giving his gaze an uncanny feeling as there is no obvious sign of where he is looking. By Drow and Elven standards in general Jiv'undus is ugly, with round features and a strong, square jaw he lacks any of the elegance expected of his race. This excessively masculine appearance is further accentuated by his natural scowling expression and his strange, ash gray skin tone.
His build is stronger and more robust then is typical of Drow, with large shoulders and thick, powerful legs; his hands are especially large with short thick fingers and a crushing grip to most Drow which have long thin digits. These features come together to give Jiv'undus an ambiguous silhouette, were it not for his pointed ears and fluent Drow speech it would be reasonable to mistake him from some sort of Hobgoblin or small Orc.
His build is stronger and more robust then is typical of Drow, with large shoulders and thick, powerful legs; his hands are especially large with short thick fingers and a crushing grip to most Drow which have long thin digits. These features come together to give Jiv'undus an ambiguous silhouette, were it not for his pointed ears and fluent Drow speech it would be reasonable to mistake him from some sort of Hobgoblin or small Orc.
Skills and Abilities
Raider: Jiv'undus has spent the last fifteen years living as a Drow surface raider. Looters, slavers and bandits Drow surface raiders burst from the Underrealm under the cover of darkness, scout and case a target village, caravan or group and then attack them with brutal precision. By the time the accursed sun has risen the raider has returned into the perilous Underrealm with their spoils. This 'career' requires a diverse skill set of stealth, navigation, planning and battle.
Axe: Unusual for the more precision oriented Drow Jiv'undus favors the 'axe' as his weapon. His personal choice is the francisca; a combination hand axe and throwing axe with a wide arched shaped head which comes to a sharp point at both the top and bottom of the 'edge'. The haft of these unusual weapons is 18 inches, and the weight between 1.6 and 1.8 pounds. That makes these axes brutally effective when thrown, but less clubbing and brutal when used in a melee. Jiv'undus generally dual wields a pair, effective at throwing and fighting with either hand.
Axe: Unusual for the more precision oriented Drow Jiv'undus favors the 'axe' as his weapon. His personal choice is the francisca; a combination hand axe and throwing axe with a wide arched shaped head which comes to a sharp point at both the top and bottom of the 'edge'. The haft of these unusual weapons is 18 inches, and the weight between 1.6 and 1.8 pounds. That makes these axes brutally effective when thrown, but less clubbing and brutal when used in a melee. Jiv'undus generally dual wields a pair, effective at throwing and fighting with either hand.
Personality
Somber, aggressive and brutal Jiv'undus is a typical male Drow commoner, life has been hard and it's effects have made a hard man. Considered little better then slaves most male Drow commoners expect death at any moment, giving them a nihilist and fatalistic nature. Jiv'undus is no different, he believes fully there is no escape from his fate and understands no amount of effort or hope will change his status or future. This has bred a harsh resentment toward Nobility in Jiv'undus, especially toward noble males. Raised in a true matriarchal society Jiv'undus finds it difficult to be around women of any race, rarely making eye contact and often naturally turning to a deferential tone even with captured female slaves. Furthermore, Jiv'undus unusual physical appearance has often been the spot of ridicule, the most common suggesting he is accursed half-breed of Orc and Drow. While Jiv'undus is pure bred, this belief that he is even less then a simple Drow commoners has resulted in Jiv'undus being especially quick to choose violence as a means to silence ridicule in his peers.
This reputation as a short fused, dangerous warrior has made it difficult for Jiv'undus to form relationships amongst his hierarchal peers and left Jiv'undus isolated and as a result has made him a natural loner.
This reputation as a short fused, dangerous warrior has made it difficult for Jiv'undus to form relationships amongst his hierarchal peers and left Jiv'undus isolated and as a result has made him a natural loner.
Biography & Lore
Born to a commoner caste in Zar’Ahal Jiv'undus was destined for a harsh life. Raised exclusively by his 'fathers', a harem of men his mother kept, Jiv'undus did not interact with his mother once until he was thirteen years old. Raised to be a warrior, Jiv'undus excelled and by his teens his mother began to call on him to do her dirty work in her various minor schemes. This favor drew the ire of his 'fathers', resulting in constant maneuvering and scheming behind the scenes between himself and the men who raised him. Eventually Jiv'undus skill grew beyond his smaller, weaker 'fathers' and Jiv'undus dropped the pretext of a scheme.
It was here his natural aggression and brutality first showed itself. Angered by a remark one of his fathers made during a family 'meeting' Jiv'undus lashed out, burying an axe in the older Drow's head in front of his mother. Rather then punish her son who seemed to lack the natural scheming nature of the Drow she instead simply remarked 'Only him?'. Lost in his rage Jiv'undus killed the remainder of his 'fathers', seemingly given the blessing of his mother.
For nineteen years Jiv'undus loyal served his 'house', used mostly as a blunt instrument of murder against other commoner houses. Yet his mother, far less intelligent then she believed, eventually drew the ire of a lesser Noble - sealing her fate. With her death Jiv'undus was left without matron and likely on the hit list of a lesser Noble house. Rather then die alone Jiv'undus quickly offered his services to the surface raiding parties which formed around the slave quarter of Zar’Ahal.
Here he worked under lesser Noble males whom hoped the wealth gained from surface raiding would get them the favor of their own House matrons. For fifteen years Jiv'undus worked as a raider, daring the dangers of the Underrealm and the surface world, being given only scraps by the greedy male Nobles whom organized and funded the raids.
It was during one such raid where Jiv'undus once again felt the blade of betrayal. At this point somewhat famed for his ferocity and skill in battle Jiv'undus was in demand for surface raids, a young veteran whom could handle himself was rarely unwanted. Hired for the first time by a major Noble house, a sister family of one the council twelve Jiv'undus was promised considerable wealth. The raid was the most dangerous kind, a raid of an Elven village for surface Elf slaves, the most valuable but most difficult to obtain.
The raid went fairly smooth and Jiv'undus was looking forward to returning a wealthy man. Yet just before the hidden entrance to Underrealm the betrayal was sprung. The Noble male and his elite guards turned on the commoners they hired, hoping to cut them out of the payment. A blade dug into his back Jiv'undus shocked his kin when he wheeled on the elite guard and smashed his skull with his axe.
The battle that followed was brutal, leaving all involved dead save Jiv'undus. He clung to life, wheezing from a punctured lung, vision fading.
When he awoke next he was treated, hidden in the underbrush not far from the site of the battle. Jiv'undus knows not who healed him, but he knows he can never return to the Underrealm. A nobles blood on his hands, Jiv'undus flees into the great unknown of the surface world.
It was here his natural aggression and brutality first showed itself. Angered by a remark one of his fathers made during a family 'meeting' Jiv'undus lashed out, burying an axe in the older Drow's head in front of his mother. Rather then punish her son who seemed to lack the natural scheming nature of the Drow she instead simply remarked 'Only him?'. Lost in his rage Jiv'undus killed the remainder of his 'fathers', seemingly given the blessing of his mother.
For nineteen years Jiv'undus loyal served his 'house', used mostly as a blunt instrument of murder against other commoner houses. Yet his mother, far less intelligent then she believed, eventually drew the ire of a lesser Noble - sealing her fate. With her death Jiv'undus was left without matron and likely on the hit list of a lesser Noble house. Rather then die alone Jiv'undus quickly offered his services to the surface raiding parties which formed around the slave quarter of Zar’Ahal.
Here he worked under lesser Noble males whom hoped the wealth gained from surface raiding would get them the favor of their own House matrons. For fifteen years Jiv'undus worked as a raider, daring the dangers of the Underrealm and the surface world, being given only scraps by the greedy male Nobles whom organized and funded the raids.
It was during one such raid where Jiv'undus once again felt the blade of betrayal. At this point somewhat famed for his ferocity and skill in battle Jiv'undus was in demand for surface raids, a young veteran whom could handle himself was rarely unwanted. Hired for the first time by a major Noble house, a sister family of one the council twelve Jiv'undus was promised considerable wealth. The raid was the most dangerous kind, a raid of an Elven village for surface Elf slaves, the most valuable but most difficult to obtain.
The raid went fairly smooth and Jiv'undus was looking forward to returning a wealthy man. Yet just before the hidden entrance to Underrealm the betrayal was sprung. The Noble male and his elite guards turned on the commoners they hired, hoping to cut them out of the payment. A blade dug into his back Jiv'undus shocked his kin when he wheeled on the elite guard and smashed his skull with his axe.
The battle that followed was brutal, leaving all involved dead save Jiv'undus. He clung to life, wheezing from a punctured lung, vision fading.
When he awoke next he was treated, hidden in the underbrush not far from the site of the battle. Jiv'undus knows not who healed him, but he knows he can never return to the Underrealm. A nobles blood on his hands, Jiv'undus flees into the great unknown of the surface world.