Zhasar Tan-Jahl

Ilkhan of the Qalik Khanate

Age: 29

Appearance: Zhasar is a little on the short side for an Utwarek, at just under six feet. His skin is dark and weathered, and he bears a burn scar on his cheek. One eye is a bright blue, inherited from his Friijkind mother, and his other is a shimmering amber: a product of being caught in a godstorm during a hunt. His hair is black and short-trimmed.

He wears the typical Utwarek hides and furs, and bears two short curved swords. Those swords are etched and engraved in the Friijkind style: with his own great deeds and that of his ancestors. He is missing his left pinky, and the bone of that finger dangles from around his neck, covered in the holy words of Karnai.

History: Zhasar's mother was a traveling priestess of Laelia, who had stopped in Qalik to help tend to a plague. She had a brief affair with the Khagan, and Zhasar was the result. Per his father's wishes, Zhasar was raised in the Khanate.

He was given the usual Utwarek royal upbringing, trained in war and horsemanship.

In his late teens, he was caught in a godstorm while out on a hunt, and was nearly killed, and struck with a bizarre wasting disease. Only the intervention of the priesthood of Karnai was able to save him, and as a result, he abided by his father's request to swear himself to a period of service with the death god's cult.

After five years of service, he returned to his duties, helping lead his father's armies. The rise of the Whisperers lead to clashes with his siblings and father, for Zhasar simply believed that his people should embrace the Whisperers as members of the Khanate, as they had done to other faithful and ethnic groups. This lead to a form of informal banishment, where he was often sent to patrol and police the border regions of the Khanate.