World of Teravas

(New Era, New Characters, all Cannon)

Warlord Vaerzhin the Ash-Wing

Title: Warlord of the 17th Dominion Air Corps
Alias: The Crimson Lash of the Skies
Species: Anthropomorphic Jackal
Gender: Male
Height: 6’2”
Era: Emberline War (c. 1914 A.E.)

Appearance

Vaerzhin is a wiry but broad-chested jackal with soot-black fur streaked by fire-burned ash scars. His face bears the faded remnants of ceremonial flame-glyphs, half-erased by wind and engine heat. His eyes are gold and smoke-glossed, ever alert. He wears a close-fitting black Dominion flight uniform, its seams reinforced with crimson trim, and a leather flight harness engraved with Khyzhet mantras. His flight goggles, cracked once but never replaced, remain slung around his neck. The cockpit of his Fokker-style triplane—Obedient Breath—was hand-painted with a kneeling Flamebound consort in white and red.

Personality

Silent and fiercely disciplined, Vaerzhin was revered not for charisma, but for consistency. He flew every sortie as if it were ceremonial. Ground crews recall him whispering Flamebound vows before takeoff, kneeling briefly beside the fuselage of his craft. He did not indulge in celebration, nor did he mourn out loud. He was a commander who expected perfection—first from himself, then from others. When spoken to, he answered with sparse precision or not at all.

Backstory

Vaerzhin was born to a minor Dominion garrison clan in the Eastern Dust Reaches. Originally trained as a ground raider, he transferred to the Dominion’s experimental aerial corps, where he became one of its first aces. It’s said he volunteered for cockpit duty only after binding his favorite consort to a lifelong vow of remembrance—one that would later inspire the Crimson Sash Doctrine.

He became legend during the Hollow Emberfield campaign, where his kill tally doubled in a single month. Before each mission, he kissed each of his Flamebound consorts goodbye, never out of romance—but ritual closure.

Major Acts or Events

• Achieved 46 confirmed kills during the Emberline War, highest in Dominion history.

• First to pilot the Obedient Breath, a red-and-black triplane bearing Flamebound insignia.

• Personally scouted Corvidian artillery lines before the Siege of Saint’s Gate.

• Killed in action after engaging a Corvidian ace over the Shattered Vale.

Quirks & Traits

• Whispers Before Flight: Recited silent kneeling prayers before every launch.

• Cracked Goggles: Refused to replace his cockpit lenses after a near-fatal impact.

• Obedience Insignia: Designed his personal Flamebound symbol, now a Dominion air unit standard.

• Ash-Wing Ritual: Dusted his flight gloves in ceremonial ash before gripping the stick.

Legacy

Known as both martyr and machine of the skies, Vaerzhin is remembered less for his personality than for the clean, devastating precision of his aerial discipline. The Obedient Breath’s wreckage was never recovered—but his Flamebound consorts survived and carried his red-marked banner into the next generation.

Today, Dominion warplanes still bear his kneeling sigil.

Major Acts or Events

• Achieved 46 confirmed kills during the Emberline War, highest in Dominion history.

• First to pilot the Obedient Breath, a red-and-black triplane bearing Flamebound insignia.

• Personally scouted Corvidian artillery lines before the Siege of Saint’s Gate.

• Killed in action after engaging a Corvidian ace over the Shattered Vale.

Quirks & Traits

• Whispers Before Flight: Recited silent kneeling prayers before every launch.

• Cracked Goggles: Refused to replace his cockpit lenses after a near-fatal impact.

• Obedience Insignia: Designed his personal Flamebound symbol, now a Dominion air unit standard.

• Ash-Wing Ritual: Dusted his flight gloves in ceremonial ash before gripping the stic