• Common name: Zadireth
• RP status: RP character, played by Shyriath

• Full name: Zadireth son of Evlith (birth name)
• Nicknames or aliases: Zadhriss (Dlyss' pet name)
• Date of birth: 79 Cloud 29:7
• Place of birth: Solal, the heartlands

• Biological sex: Male
• Gender identity: Male
• Sexual orientation: Gynephilic

• Species: Takma (Chosen)
• Race: Riparian
• Ethnic origin: Heartlander
• Current ethnic identification: Ghyezramsi
• Native language: Contemporary Imperial
• Other languages spoken: Ghyezramsi

• Alignment: Srian
• Magical attunement: Substance and Shift

Zadireth appears to very firmly believe in Dlyss' vision of a grand destiny for the Chosen and in the favor of the gods. That said, he maintains that he harbors no ill will toward the Unchosen - normal takmar - as a whole despite the actions of individuals toward the Chosen, describing the conflict instead in terms of evolutionary inevitability, or else in practical them-or-us terms. He considers them ultimately expendable, but is willing to deal with them so long as it does not unduly impede his purpose.

Zadireth is not solemnly pious in the way that Dlyss is, but nonetheless professes a deep gratitude to the gods, particularly the lamnar, whom he holds collectively responsible as being the source of the Chosens' magic. He is in fact something of an evangelist in this regard, and seems to enjoy reminding other Chosen of their debt to the gods, and encouraging them to find those Lamnar that correspond to their personality and/or powers and offer worship, or at least thanks, to Them.

Zadireth considers himself to have an affinity for seluurin, goddess of order, fate, and destiny, and secondarily for ytannik, goddess of alchemy.

Zadireth greets those he meets with a cheery, friendly attitude, a willingness to laugh at just about everything - including himself - and polished, urbane manners, and often makes a good first impression. (That said, you can't please everybody, and some might find him annoying, and possibly overly slick.) He is often well-liked, especially in the Citadel itself.

Even odder, as one spends more time in close proximity to him, are the way he sometimes seems cheery at inappropriate moments, the sense of satisfaction he appears to take in certain kinds of tragedies. They might even start to take note of how Zadireth ingratiates himself with people, especially those that are useful to him, and how he learns the levers that move them and the sensitive buttons to push. Certainly he is a keen student of personalities, though one wonders to what end.

While he likes to know about others, few know much about him; preferring to keep it that way, he will often deflect conversation away from important details concerning his own history and motives, or give false answers about them. Mentalists are more prone to mistrust him than most, as his state of mind is unusually impenetrable even to them.

Zadireth was born attuned to Substance magic, and although he has a general familiarity with a number of aspects of this wide-ranging field, he has acquired a strong knack for working with precision transmutation, the ability to transform one substance into a chemically different substance.

He is able to detect the chemical composition of a substance or area with exquisite sensitivity, in a manner akin to a long-range sense of taste. Like taste, the use of this faculty leads to results that are rather subjective and not easily explained in words, but which nonetheless allow him to easily identify interesting or important substances at a distance.

What he lacks in ability to transmute large masses of material, Zadireth makes up for in his precision in transmutation, being able to transform substances on very small scales, as well as to combine and arrange them into highly complex compounds, many of them bioactive. Like many with this talent, he finds it easiest to perform within his own body, allowing him to create and store substances within himself.

Zadireth is attuned with Shift as well as Substance, which gives him a worrying capacity to modify his own body. Not only is he capable of assuming any of a host of takma forms (and, with some limitations, transforming others within a short distance), he is also capable of transmuting his own flesh, though it must be used carefully lest he cause permanent damage.

Generally this latter ability is most useful for healing minor injuries, though he can also grow a form of armored plates on his scales. However, neither process is fast and he must find cover in order to put them to the uninterrupted use that makes them effective.

Zadireth finds it draining to transmute substances except in relatively small quantities. It is slightly less so to force a change in state without a change in composition, however, and so it is within his abilities to, for example, cause a rock to crumble into dust, or to cause water vapor in the air to precipitate into a puddle of actual water. Nonetheless, there are limits on how much of this kind of activity he can perform.

Zadireth has made it a point to study fields that play to his strengths, and he has therefore acquired an eclectic unwritten pharmacopoeia within the confines of his own brain. He knows how to identify and make an astonishing array of drugs, medicinal substances, poisons, and others, and how best to deliver them for the desired effect.

Zadireth has no psionic abilities other than simple empathy and empathic shielding, but partly due to a knack for simulating thought patterns and partly from long practice, others, even Mind adepts, find it difficult to read Zadireth's thoughts and intentions. Possibly they should be grateful for this, in the same way that putting one's nose too close to the flowers may oblige one to smell the manure.

He takes a keen interest in how the minds of others work, and attempts to get to know those he associates with and what makes them tick. He uses this knowledge to shape his behavior towards them, putting himself in the best (or, failing that, the least worst) position he can manage and leverage greater benefits from a relationship. It is, perhaps, only a blessing that he does not have an affinity for Mind magic, with which this tendency would be far more dangerous.

Zadireth's mother was named Evlith; he had two fathers and a large number of siblings, whose names are currently unknown. Aside from Zadireth himself, most or all of the family are believed to be dead from drinking contaminated well water.

He is married to his longtime traveling companion, Dlyss. Insofar as he is open to anyone, it is with her, particularly since he has no way of hiding any past or future actions from her; while she in turn confides in him and entrusts him with tasks requiring discretion or delicate handling. While an outside observer might struggle to describe their relationship in terms of romantic love, they recognize themselves as greater than the sum of their parts, and regard each other as both useful and comforting.

Zadireth is not particularly close to Dlyss' other husbands, Hejroth and Keihaf; although, partly at Dlyss' insistence, he makes a point of treating them well, they occupy a different sphere of influence in her household. Whereas they concern themselves with the private and domestic affairs of the family, Zadireth is one of Dlyss' liaisons with the outside world and the Citadel public. Partly for this same reason, Zadireth is not close to their children either, and has been little involved or interested in their upbringing. He is, by his own admission, not well-suited to child-rearing.

Aside from Dlyss, Zadireth reveals his private motives and thoughts to very few, if any. Nonetheless, when he is staying in the Citadel, he cooperates closely with Mortoth, the effective spokesman for the Friends of the Future. Partly this is in a professional capacity, but the two get along very well, and share a similar sense of humor, as well as a similar attitude toward ethical behavior in carrying out Dlyss' wishes.

Unlike his wife, Zadireth is a formal member of the Friends of the Future and more or less serves as her personal representative in the organization. Much of his influence comes from this role, and from the missions he undertakes while performing it.

• “Pale Watchers”, Bastion Soundtrack OST
• “Akzeriuth Tunnel 14”, Tales of the Abyss OST
• “I Can't Decide”, Scissor Sisters
• “Maxwell's Silver Hammer”, The Beatles
• “The Whistle Song”, Kill Bill Vol. 1
• “Living in the Sunlight”, Tiny Tim

• Though Zadireth came first, it probably says a lot about him that he'd love to be besties with Alastor from Hazbin Hotel.