Hegouw

image made with Portrait Workshop

Name: Hegouw
Age: 25
Gender: Male

Description: Hegouw is a slender, short-statured man with a pale complexion and curly brown hair. Hegouw keeps it rather short so it doesn't get tangled (too much). He has a wide nose and small mouth. Hegouw is probably the most classy of the mercenaries, having the best sense of style. He likes to wear shirts and vests, paired with neat pants.  
Personality: Hegouw is the mechanic of the group. He loves to repair things and usually carries a tool belt on his person. He is a man of few words but has an unexpected soft side that likes poetry and art. In his profession though, he has few chances to actually appreciate those subjects. 

Homeworld; Gremyne
Family: Youngest son in a large family of farmers. Left his home to find his fortune and found himself a mercenary.  

Companion: Tekateki Balechild from Eldiheim (Planet Kynn)

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ELDIHEIM

Hegouw felt himself being torn away from Bergen. The look of anguish on the other man's face as they were forced apart became lodged in the slim mechanic's memories. Maybe it was for the best that they'd been separated, Bergen surely had a better chance of surviving on his own. Hegouw knew he was a valuable part of the mercenary band, but he also knew that he was not a fighter. 
Resigned to his fate, the young man amused himself by looking around and playing annoying little road games while he drifted in the shadowy realm. He could see ground, he could see a sky but there was not a tree in sight. the entire place seemed to exist solely of rocks and dirt. Mountains rose in the distance behind which celestial bodies floated. Everything changed place and remained the same. Although days passed, Hegouw saw not a sign of life. No birds, not even an insect or a blade of grass. 
After a while, Hegouw found that he could influence his direction somewhat. Like swimming against a strong current he could sometimes nudge himself in another direction, but it cost a tremendous amount of energy. Deciding it would be better to save his strength, Hegouw returned to observing. He seemed to be drawn toward a mountain range, three peaks standing tall, but although he clearly felt himself being drawn that way, he never got closer. 
And then Alden appeared. Seemingly born from shadow, the blond-haired mercenary leader reached out his arms and grabbed hold of Hegouw.
"I'm so glad to see you." Alden called out.
"The same." Hegouw nodded,"Have you found the others?"
Hegouw's mind had constantly been on his comrades and their safety was his first concern. Alden's face darkened and Hegouw feared the worst.
"I've found some, but not everyone. We will find them though."
"That's better than I could have hoped for. Have you found Bergen?"
Alden nodded but he looked worried. "I have. He and Tinien are safe, I think."
"Can I help?" Hegouw asked.
Suddenly a whispy voice added itself to the conversation: "You could go to them and keep an eye out."
Alden opened his mouth to object but Hegouw as faster: "I'll do it!"
Qetszal, the shadowling that had bonded Alden, seemed to grow denser in his contentment and pricked the mechanic with his tail. A slight chill emanated from the pinpoint but the cold soon vanished.
"What did you do?" Alden asked.
"He is bound tighter to us than the others now. Call for us and we'll come." 
Two red eyes seemed to burn into Hegouw's soul and then he was standing in an unfamiliar place, lost and alone. 
"Hello?" he called, "Anyone?"

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Hatching

Eldiheim was a peculiar place, but after the time spent in the Elsewhere it just felt blissful to not be alone. Hegouw, Bergen and Tinien had little trouble fitting in with the humans. The dragons were something else. Coming from a world where there were none, seeing them up close, interacting with them and preparing to raise one in the near future was a daunting thought. Especially since the Balefire dragons were hardly docile creatures. They were headstrong with a penchant for mischief. But the mercenaries from Gremyne never shied away from a challenge. And they knew hard work.
When the call came to head for the hatching eggs, the trio of mercenaries did so with dedication and purpose in their step. They walked swiftly as if heading out on a mission. And in a sense they were. The hatching was wild, chaotic and hard to contain in the minds of mere humans but in the end a message was relayed to each deemed worthy of caring for one of the bioluminescent green offspring.
Hegouw was told the following:

"You needn’t work for what you can simply take. Consider indulging a bit more, won’t you?"

Name: Tekateki Balechild (Name Meaning: Riddle (Indonesian))
Gender: Genderfluid
Coloration: Indigo-Purple
Parentage: Nathair Balechild x Ulka Kuun Shi
Personality: Scheming, Opportunistic, Hedonistic.
Abilities:
     *Genderfluidity
     *Shapeshifting (Favored Form)
     *Wingless Flight
     *Malleable Wings
     *Wards & Barriers Expertise
     *Spirit Sight
     *Corruption Powers
     *Immortality
     *Realm-Traveling
     *Sizeshifting
     *Telepathy
     *Teleportation
     *Verbal Speech

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ADULTS

Bergen, Hegouw and Tinien had remained at Eldiheim while the dragons in their care grew. At times it was difficult to say who was in charge since the Balespawn had not so much bonded and appeared to view their human companions more as servants. Every dragon worth their salt needed minions after all. But luckily, Eldiheim would provide.
Or rather, Nathair, sire to Tekateki, had prepared blighthounds for all the growing Balechild-offspring. The hounds were the result of a long and arduous process of regulated balefire corruption and flesh sculpting, resulting in a highly intelligent - albeit non-sapient - pack-oriented hunter and companion. Carnivorous and fast-growing, the Blighthounds would form an empathic link with a specific Balespawn and obey only them. They would protect their chosen and anyone deemed part of their pack.
The trio of Balechildren had gathered to chose their pups, knowing the pups would need to be able to tolerate each other. Dojeon's eye fell upon a large, dominant male with brown fur striped like a tiger.
"I shall call him Schorseneer and he shall have both bark and bite."
Ristiriita went for a smaller female with green fur mottled with silver and black.
"She'll follow but also keep Schorseneer on his toes. I like her very much."
Tekateki took longer to decide, their mercurial mind going over plenty of options and imagining a variety of possible cases. Finally they chose a quiet silver-furred pup:
"She is ice, quiet and stable until she cracks and then she'll be deadly."

Name: Raadselmist
Gender: Female
Species: Blighthound
Abilities:
     *Telepathy: Mind-to-mind communication involving colors, images, sensations, and general impressions.
     *Empathic Bond: The supplemental mental connection formed between blighthound and Balespawn master
                              Allowing for complete and precise understanding of complex verbal or mental commands.
     *Naturalized Balefire: Additional exposure to balefire does not alter the blighthound, unless intentionally applied by a Balespawn.
     *Venomous Cocktail: Intensely powerful toxins secreted from any sharp bodily protrusion. Effects vary. Balespawn are innately immune.
     *Superior Regeneration: Rapid healing of damage, including restoration of limbs, barring injuries that are immediately lethal.
     *Eldritch Locomotion: Movement that seems to break physics (eg bending in unusual ways, slipping outside of reality mid-stride)

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