Drask Ikra

Disambiguation - this character is not to be confused with Drask Le'Gaunt, son of Zaox Le'Gaunt and Zhena Taru.

Drask Ikra
A likeness of the barbarian explorer
Date of Birth	27th Moevyng
Place of Birth	Gunnarsgrunn, Misthalin
Age	42 (at death)
Race	Human (Fremennik/Misthalite?)
Occupation	Explorer/adventurer, priest
Status	Deceased
Religion	Saradominist
Relatives	Father: Jak Ikra (deceased) Mother: Ingrid Athaulfdottir (deceased) Father (adoptive): Ulfr Thorikson (deceased) Brother: Brodd Ulfrson (deceased) Sister: Aestrid Ulfrsdottir (deceased) Son: Zaox Le'Gaunt (deceased) Daughter (adoptive): Cyri Ikra (deceased)
Alignment	Lawful Neutral

Drask Ikra, otherwise known as Drask Emoyle and for a short period Ajax Terrai, was an explorer hailing from Gunnarsgrunn. As the offspring of an outsider and a native, he found himself never truly feeling belonging in his birthplace and took on his own personal mission - to travel the entire world - when he was but a teenager.

He found the world to be interesting and met and knew many diverse people and cultures. During his early twenties, however, his desert exploration lead him to find something much more. After saving the life of the Kharidian Fleora Es'ir, he found himself staying with her and the pair soon began a romance. It was short-lived as she soon died in childbirth, leaving Drask with both their son Zaox Le'Gaunt, and a permanant scar on his outlook of the world.

Drask eventually met the Ikra and accompanied them as a 'servant'. His time with the Ikra soon allowed him to delve into his history and find his real father. Despite this, Drask wasn't entirely pleased, still feeling something was missing. He briefly masqueraded as a friend, Ajax Terrai, before opting to travel to a monastery and repent for his sins, blaming himself for Fleora's death some years before.

His son ultimately proved to be his salvation; identifying him and learning of him, as he had not interacted with him after he left him in an orphanage, he felt nothing but pride. Zaox offered him a place to be with his family - the Le'Gaunt - but Drask still could not shake off his guilt. With a solemn goodbye, Drask ended his own suffering alone, knowing that he had at least done one good thing in the world.

Biography

Drask was conceived out of wedlock by a barbarian and an outsider, and thus, never truly belonged. He wasn't aware of the truth of his biological father, or even believed in some form of deception, but felt an innate wrongness that cut to his core. Though he shared a healthy relationship with his mother's new partner, who encompassed his children into their brood, Drask had a gut feeling to go. He loved his mother and throughout his childhood assisted in her livelihood, but soon found an interest in the stories of outlanders when they drank in the great hall. Their sagas were enough motivation for Drask to be inspired for his own travels when he was about fourteen.

Drask had a series of escapades in his younger years that brought him across Asgarnia, Kandarin and Misthalin. Despite his want to travel the entire world, he never visited Morytania, the Fremennik Province and Forinthry. In his mid twenties, Drask encountered the Kharidian Desert and had a fateful encounter with a member of the Es'ir. Saving the life of the mousy woman Fleora, and with an injury in the process, Drask was determined to stay until recovery and eventually formed a romance with the woman. Feeling a connection unlike any since his mother, he swore to remain with her despite the judgement of her peers and was excited at the prospect of her pregnancy. It was to be a traumatic experience; Fleora sacrificed her life to give birth to their son, named Zaox at her request, leaving Drask heartbroken and alone. Running away from the experience to Kandarin, he subsequently abandoned Zaox to an orphanage in overwhelm and likewise ran away from that obligation to Karamja.

Drask spent a while in Karamja but never felt the same again, even with the attempted intimacy of other lovers. Feeling his purpose or goal complete, or perhaps unwilling to continue, he abandoned his dream and eventually made contact with the Ikra family. He served them for a while, and one named Aukina lead him to discover his true father's identity. Even if it was a momentous discovery, Drask did not seek to form a relationship with his estranged father. Concurrently the Ikra family became under threat and hunted, and Drask took up the name of an ally Ajax Terrai. He masqueraded as this individual for some time, partly because the genuine Ajax Terrai had died.

The Ikra soon faded into obscurity and Drask relinquished all ties to them, including his favoured adopted daughter, Cyri. In search of purpose and redemption, what with the guilt of Zaox's abandonment and the pressure of failure to Fleora, Drask associated and joined with the Edgeville Monastery. He remained with the monks for some time until he allegedly behaved violently to them.

It was soon that Drask experienced a chance encounter with his son, Zaox, now in his prime, who showed no ill towards him. Drask learned of his life and was pleased with how his son had grown - his own flesh and blood, although Drask was still unable to shake off his misgivings. Even when Zaox invited him to accompany him back to his estate in Kandarin and join his family, Drask felt estrangement and was compelled to decline, believing he had no place in this 'new world' of his son. Praising his son and wishing him well, Drask was alone for the final time and ended his misery to be reunited with his lover.

Appearance

Remaining in traditional garb, his features were rough and weathered from exertion.

In his youth, Drask possessed an unkept, messy head of hair in the shade of dark chocolate. While he went through varying styles in his years, such as a militaristic crop cut in Misthalin and a longer, tribal mane in Karamja, he generally kept it level with his ears. He had a wide, semi-rectangular face shape. Drask had a thin set of lips, almost tiny in proportion to his face, and high cheekbones that accentuated a sunken-in face. He had a broad tipped nose. Drask's eyes were a smooth, tawny brown, albeit past his prime one was discoloured and usually kept hidden when it was damaged in a brawl. Drask was known to have a round beard throughout his entire life, surrounding his lips. As he grew older, there was an increased number of lines and definition to his face.

Drask was blessed with genetics that allowed him to have a 6'1" physique, tall among the barbarian and Fremennik people. He had a fair skin tone that allowed him to tan quite well in sunny spells. Drask's body type was a hybrid between a mesomorph and an ectomorph, in that he had long limbs and a generally thin build like an ectomorph, but had wide clavicles and a narrow waist like a mesomorph; this enabled Drask to be versatile in his exploration between strength and agility. His muscles associated with vigorous or frequent movement, like the calf muscle, were more defined than the others.

Personality

Drask possessed a persistent temper throughout his life. He was so sure of his beliefs that a contrarian view would cause him to be increasingly irritable. Drask was quick to act and slower to think, having more confidence in his physical problem solving than his mental problem solving, a trait which would make others refer to him as rash and undisciplined. In his adventures, he was often not phased by putting himself at risk if it benefited someone else who was vulnerable based on an unshakable naive belief of helping others inherited from his observations in his village; to take charge in any situation felt natural to him.

Perhaps due to this naivety, Drask was prone to an inquisitive nature. As a youth, he greatly enjoyed listening to the tales of bards simply so he could learn more about other people. His travels soon became his passion as he engaged and interacted with a variety of cultures, leading him to be tolerant and accepting of others, against the xenophobic reputation of barbarians. He was eager to see more of the world with every step he took and was content in the activity of even the most simple of walks.

After the death of the love of his life, Fleora, Drask's traumatic response was flight, and this would remain a facet of his character to use escapism to flee from obligation and consequence. In his inconsistency to remain in one place, Drask became less sociable and kept his distance from other people. In the monastery, he tried to find peace and solace in prayer, but felt that he was unconvinced and uncomfortable at the prospect. Indeed, the overarching theme of Drask's personality and story therein became guilt, an emotion that played heavily unto his life. The guilt of being responsible for both Fleora's death and Zaox's abandonment crushed Drask's hopes and aspirations and would remain integral to his life even to death. This feeling was so profound that even Zaox's eventual sentiment could not convince him otherwise.

Trivia

• Drask was Harry's first character.
• Drask entered role-play as a bare-bones character with little conception beyond he was a barbarian explorer; the rest of his development came organically.
• His name was made using a barbarian/fremennik guide on the forums at the time. It required two random consonant words, and then added vowels; this became Drol kask. The name, obviously, was then to be shortened to Drask.
  • His surname, Emoyle, was made similarly. This name in-world held no familial significance and was used during his travels purely to identify himself with a surname.
• During his travels, Drask found Karamjan cultures to be the most interesting.
  • He was also fond of the Kharidians despite the events that transpired there.
• Drask only had around five relations during his travelling years. He thought that they would mean he would have to stay where he was.
• After a pub brawl, Drask wore an eyepatch over his left eye which was disfigured and scarred.
• Drask and Fleora's romance was once made into a story, called Consequence, on the forums, written by Jim. However, it was never completed.
• A theme to represent his character and development might be this.