Cyrus' Backstory

Full Name: Cyrus Dythan (adopted name)
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Height: 6' 6"
Weight: 305 lb.
Hair: Black
Skin: White
Eyes: Icy Blue
Body Build: Solid
Distinguishing Features: Unusual ice-blue eye color, Turathi slave brand on his chest

Cyrus was born in the former territories of Arkhosia, in the early stages of the empire's resurrection, on a continent to the south of Titania, across the Strait of Dragons. He knows little of the dark days the dragonborn faced before this point in time; an only child, he lost his parents at a very early age, and was taken in by Dythan's Legion, a 500-man army groomed by its leader, Legatus ("General") Darius Dythan, as an imperial expeditionary force. Cyrus took to his training as a squire of the legion, and by his teenage years, he was a bona-fide legionary himself.

By his 16th year, Cyrus had become one of Dythan's most trusted soldiers: Dythan was with the group that first found young Cyrus, and became as a surrogate father to him. Cyrus was raised primarily by Thaenar ("Major") Cairith, Dythan's wife. Though his youth held his ascension in check, Cyrus managed to attain the rank of Farang ("Sergeant"). The most tragic incident of his youth came when he and Cairith were scouring the Moon Hills for artifacts, not long after Cyrus had been promoted - they encountered a pack of dark drakes, vile beasts of shadow and death. Cyrus & Cairith were alone, and they fought bravely - but in the end, Cairith fell. Cyrus survived, having fled at Cairith's urging, but he grappled with that retreat, something he continues to do even today.

To Cyrus' surprise, Dythan handled Cairith's death with little ceremony - aside from a token funerary service, it seemed he did not care that she had died. He was more concerned with their failure to locate any artifacts: when Cyrus confronted Dythan about his lack of concern over the death of one of his most trusted officers, Dythan discharged Cyrus from the legion. Stripped quite quickly of his purpose in life, Cyrus took the first job he could - a job as a bodyguard for an Arkhosian dignitary by the name of Zanuss, who had himself been disgraced and was being shipped off to the ruins of Io'vanath, a former dragonborn colony.

Cyrus served with the dedication and loyalty he'd learned in Dythan's Legion, and after a decade of service, he is a personal friend to Zanuss. With the recent surge of Arkhosian interest in Io'vanath, Cyrus is as busy as ever. With the Wintersend Assembly imminent, he has spent most of him time with Zanuss in Falconia. Though he resents Dythan for discharging him, he tells no one of his true feelings, not even Zanuss, for his upbringing as a soldier precludes him from believing he has the right to do so. He is a moral, good-hearted individual who believes in duty, but also believes that the mission should not be completed at the cost of the individual - he is loathe to compromise his morals or endanger others to accomplish his goals. He carries with him the permanent mark of a Turathi slave, a brand all members of Dythan's Legion are given as a reminder of their history, in the center of his chest.