Dajaman

Tl;dr
- 36-ish viashino fighter/geomancer

- used to be fully pacifist before some raiders took advantage of that to raze a village, then got over himself and started training to fight

- fighting style intended to subdue with minimal harm, ending things quickly

- a hedonist who mostly just wants to have a good time and resolve things peacefully, but will begrudgingly fight for real to protect people and things he cares about

- empathetic to the point of indecisiveness and impulsiveness, optimistic to a fault

Early life
- Dajaman was born 20ish years before the Conflux to Jund into a small scavenger clan whose general attitude to the rest of Jund's people was to treat them as resources to be exploited and nothing more; there were undercurrents of people wanting to co-operate with other clans, but this ideological conflict was merely stirring under the surface, with the leadership pushing the "fuck them got ours" party line

- thanks partially to his dissident parents' influence, Dajaman grew up to be a more empathetic, kind child than average. the clan expected him to grow out of it in adolescence and once he'd come to see more of the world around him. he didn't. the harshness of the world and the people around him made him even more stubbornly insistent on helping others and abstaining from living at other people's expense anyway. witnessing this strengthened the undercurrent of co-operation, and more and more people started being merciful to outsiders

- Dajaman also developed a childhood friendship with Rheila, a clanmate who'd been trained as a healer from an early age due to his natural talents. even though Rheila couldn't comprehend Dajaman's constant consideration for people outside the clan, he still cared for and supported Dajaman in it, unlike much of the rest of the clan. over the years, Rheila came to understand and even share Dajaman's driving cause; this led to the two becoming even closer friends and, eventually, lovers

- the thrash's leadership saw the gradually forming ideological divide as a threat and, to push a chilling effect onto it, made an example of Dajaman. it forced him into a cruel test on his 18th birthday: kill a captive, or be killed himself. afraid for his safety, he eventually chose the former. thinking that the matter resolved, the leadership thought Dajaman to not be a threat anymore; however, this regret and guilt only made him feel even more driven to do better and eschew violence, which only strengthened the dissident views until they eventually led to an open revolt. whoops. until then, though, everyone was a bit more hush-hush about it. the incident also drove Dajaman and Rheila to consider fleeing the clan

- as a scout who was allowed more freedom of movement, Dajaman would clandestinely mediate conflicts, share food and shelter with other survivors, give out packets of supplies and life force secretly prepared by Rheila, and save those caught in Jund's many environmental dangers. in contrast to the more practical and grounded Rheila, who was prepared to withhold aid to some people if necessary, the more idealistic Dajaman's faith in the better nature of those around him compelled him to approach their shared mission through compromise, patience, and second chances. even though the two came to disagreements, they still understood each other and tempered each other's perspectives: Rheila reined in Dajaman's recklessness, and Dajaman stoked the flames of Rheila's compassion

- eventually, the Conflux happened, stirring everyone's shit (Dajaman was about 20). seeing this as their chance, Dajaman and Rheila made a break for it, deciding to seek out happier lives elsewhere. with Rheila handling self-defence, the duo made their way to the outskirts of Bant, supported by those they'd previously aided and forgiven. there, Dajaman begged the people who found them to at least dave Rheila; moved by this selflessness, they decided to help the two integrate into society. eventually, they were given a modest place to live, and both thrived in the relatively more peaceful environment; Dajaman, however, still carried the weight of his forced murder and, with no other outlet and fearing that the couple would be exiled if he confessed, flung himself to pursuing altruism as a more dedicated way of life, sometimes to a self-negating and self-harmful extent. still, the two were happy together for about six years...

Sparking
- Dajaman caught wind of people near what were once the boundaries of Grixis suddenly and mysteriously disappearing. he decided to lend his scouting skills to the investigative party, which set out to look into the matter

- turns out it was a necromancer who needed specimen for testing out their experimental methods of creating longer-lasting, sapient unlife that they could control. they lured Dajaman into their laboratory and subjected him to a curse that would drain him to the last remaining shred of life, just to further their experiments. this, however, triggered his spark instead (and also convinced his mate Rheila he'd died, but that's for later)

- Dajaman came to on a peaceful, idyllic plane, disoriented and panicked. the denizens of a nearby village managed to calm him down and, after he explained his situation, took him in to live with them until he could stand on his own two feet

- however, the old guilt of his murder came rushing back in response to the kindness the village had given him, and he eventually confessed everything, expecting punishment. however, the denizens instead helped him to let go of his guilt and forgive himself. this helped him let go of his self-imposed dedication to helping the world around him and value his own needs and happiness more and more

- although he did work among the villagers for a bit to express his gratitude, he eventually decided to use his newfound planeswalker gift not to work for some virtuous cause, but simply to find happiness and comfort not just for himself, but for Rheila as well

The great husbando hunt
- eventually, he managed to return to Alara, only to find out that Rheila had vanished off the face of the plane. initially believing that Rheila had sparked and thought he was dead, Dajaman hurried into the Eternities to find his mate so the two could start a new life

- after frantically hunting for clues on first plane he'd travelled to, the possibility occurred to Dajaman that Rheila had returned to Alara and found out about his sparking. ever the optimist, Dajaman returned to their house in Bant and waited for some days for Rheila to return. when it became clear he wouldn't, Dajaman came to the false conclusion that Rheila was now searching for him across the worlds as well and so set out to the Eternities once again

- with each successive world, a desire grew within Dajaman to enjoy what pleasures and possibilities they had to offer. torn between this desire and longing for Rheila, Dajaman spent more and more time on each successive plane just enjoying life in the plane du jour in between searching. he'd justify this to himself by believing Rheila would be both strong and kind enough to not need his help, but still eventually always start worrying for his mate too much to stay on a plane after it had been exhausted of leads

- through these travels, Dajaman realized that he genuinely liked helping and supporting those around him and that living more for himself didn't have to entail giving that up completely; he settled into a comfortable middle ground of "help until it starts interfering with my own happiness". his condemnation of violence also grew even more stringent due to seeing worlds more peaceful than Jund do just fine in his eyes

Teaching moments
- after about a year of searching and having fun exploring the 'verse, Dajaman at last found a plane that Rheila had lived in, done some wholesome healer work in, and left; ecstatic, he decided to stay in the village he'd found this out in, waiting for his mate to return

- eventually, reports came in of a foreign clan approaching. at Dajaman's urging, the town's leadership decided to enter trade negotiations with the clan's leader... only for the clan to take advantage of the vulnerability and raid the village. oops

- having been partially responsible for the death and suffering of a community that had accepted him left Dajaman kinda sorta completely devastated and anguished. unable to deal with it, he fled into the wilds to try to process it all

- Dajaman came to the realization that he'd gotten so caught up in his carefree trust, insistent pacifism, and blind hope that things would just turn out alright that he'd been closing his eyes from the realities of conflict and malice around him. even back in Jund, his altruistic worldview had partly depended on sheer denial and other people, including his beloved Rheila, dealing with the harsher aspects of the world for him

- after trying and failing to find survivors, Dajaman wandered the Eternities in a despondent fugue with no idea what to do with himself. on one plane, he came to witness a powerful mage causing danger and destruction, but being fought to submission and taken in nonlethally. this sight made Dajaman realize that violence can protect and preserve peace instead of just causing harm

- inspired by this, Dajaman resolved to expose himself to even more mind-opening and train to fight to protect peace, putting his search for Rheila on hold until he could feel worthy enough to face his mate as a better, stronger person

Pursuit
- for some time, Dajaman travelled, learning combat under masters, developing a broader understanding of the reasons that can drive people to harm each other, and maturing his pacifism into something more realistic: the belief that, while peace and abstinence should always be striven for, it isn't always possible, and that the best thing to do in those situations is to minimize harm, not give up completely. gradually, he became a skilled warrior, practicing a fighting style meant to subdue nonlethally and end fights quickly. once he felt he'd become strong enough, he resumed his search, more driven to find Rheila than ever; however, he still spared time for his own comfort and happiness in between searching, striking a comfortable balance between the search and his pursuit of pleasure

- eventually, Dajaman found yet another plane that Rheila had lived in; only this time, he found out that Rheila had caused no small amount of mayhem there. his view of Rheila sticking by their shared beliefs without him now shattered, Dajaman almost gave up on him altogether; however, he then went on to reflect on his own past mistakes and how the two had patiently persisted in upholding bond through each other's mistakes back on Jund. this reignited his love for his distant mate and his determination to continue his search: so he could understand what drove Rheila to such a point, forgive him if possible, and stop him if not

Reunion
- eventually, Dajaman found his way to Rheila, who had been trapped in a mind prison by another planeswalker; after freeing him, Dajaman was too happy to discuss serious matters and just whisked the disbelieving Rheila away to a quiet spot just to spend one happy day catching up and getting close again

- the next day, though, he knew they'd have to discuss what he'd heard Rheila do. although Dajaman was at first unsure of what would come next, after he heard the now-mortified Rheila's earnest regret at what his obsession had driven him to, Dajaman knew crystal clear how he felt; he still loved Rheila, wanted Rheila in his life, and found it easier than anything to forgive him.

- having committed his own share of mistakes on his journey, Dajaman admitted them in turn and offered to Rheila that they could just move on as though none of it had happened and start new lives. Rheila, however, felt that it was his responsibility to at least try to make amends. glad and proud, Dajaman promised that he'd be by Rheila's side on that journey

- from there, the two returned to places harmed by Rheila's actions and worked towards fixing things, getting closer once again and growing their loving relationship anew in the process. after the pair decided they'd done enough (with some convincing on Dajaman's part), they set out to retire from constant aid work and live peaceful lives...

Personality
- trusting by nature and by choice

- a super optimistic outlook on life: thinks everything'll be alright in the end, believes the best of the people around him, finds the silver lining

- very empathetic and considerate of others' emotional states

- encourages people to be selfish and care about themselves (to a healthy extent)

- doesn't get angry often or stay angry for long, but when it's there, it's intense

- emotion-driven: decision-making heavily based on what he feels is for the best for the people involved (including himself) in the moment

- this is partly a conscious philosophy, due to a belief that pure logic ignores the human cost of things

- in the heat of the moment, makes hasty snap decisions; in quieter moments, prone to overcontemplating the situation from several angles before forcing himself to pick a stance and see it through to avoid having to regret inaction (but still vulnerable to aforementioned snap decisions in the heat of the moment)

- conciliatory, doesn't like to argue

- generous

- heavily believes in the sanctity of life and will be upset if you don't

Likes: meeting new people, discovering new experiences, barbecue

Dislikes: silence, sour flavours, seeing people sad

Driving goals
- have a comfy, fun life

- help the people around him have that too

- support and nurture his husband Rheila

Inner conflicts
- (pre-spark): love for his clan vs. wanting it to get along with outsiders

- (post-spark): protecting his own comfort and happiness vs. wanting to help other people with their problems

- (post-reunion): wanting to be together with Rheila again vs. considering what the right thing to do with Rheila's past sins is

Appearance
- big buff lizard man with a vaguely crocodilian head shape

- gray scales

- usually wearing loose clothing

Abilities
- magic based on controlling soil and stone (learned, proficient)

- magic that increases bodily performance like strength and speed (learned, proficient)

- combat training focused on nonlethal suppression (proficient)

Weaknesses
- unskilled in strategy or logical deduction, falling instead back on what feels right

- overly quick to trust

- slow

Relationships
- Rheila: beloved mate. although sometimes fearful of Rheila's capacity for callousness, still adores his determination and unique form of kindness. wishes Rheila would let himself relax more.