Dalliance Mkali

Dalliance 'Dal' Lisandro Mkali (born 1st February 1559 AD / 574 DI) is a spy and information broker best known for nothing, due to his numerous aliases. He was Spymaster of Meridiem from 612 DI - 624 DI, when he left to set up an independent brokerage.

## Backstory

Dalliance was born to Raconteur and Inez Mkali in Puerto Nasua. Raconteur was a dancer and Inez was a luthier, and they separated shortly after Dalliance's sister Civility was born six years later. Dalliance and Civility moved with Raconteur to his hometown of Pipa, a larger town further into the jungle of Azorca with a primarily Temba population. Where Raconteur settled back in easily and Civility knew no different, Dalliance grew up at a slight disconnect, although he didn't mind Pipa.

Raconteur died in 1574 AD in an unsolved murder, and Dalliance and Civility were shuttled back off to Puerto Nasua to live with their mother. Inez had turned into a recluse, and spoke to them very little and rather left them to their own devices. She lived in a small house quite far out of town. She taught Civility how to read and write, and Dalliance how to play music, but that was the extent of her maternal hand. When she had a heart attack a few years later, neither of the Mkali siblings realised until the next day, and would have been unable to fetch help even if they had.

Dalliance got a job as a dockhand, and Civility took up work as a shop assistant. However, she had inherited her mother's agoraphobia, and was never able to consistently hold onto any given job for a steady period of time. To provide for her, Dalliance decided to move to Meziavela, where he could find higher paying work with his same limited skillset. As a quick learner, he picked up Cantanan Trade easily and a range of nautical skills from the sailors there, then heard along the grapevine that the Royal Bann Navy was opening up employment to non-citizens. He travelled to Banhust and signed up in 1582 AD / 597 DI, alongside Soheil Go-Lightly, Ellerie Epsilon, Kate Hendrick, and Jessica Leigh.

He made friends quickly with Ellerie, but found Hendrick to be deeply annoying as she had a rather blunt manner of hitting on him that was not reciprocated. While sharing a brief rivalry with Soheil, he soon took pity on him for his struggling with Trade, and taught it to him in exchange for Istaki training. He became Master's Mate in 600 DI, then accepted a job as an analyst in the Intelligence branch in 604 DI, with the rank of Lieutenant. This involved moving to Meridiem, although he travelled across Liath and around the Cape Strait often enough that he never rented a permanent apartment, just took boarding rooms wherever was open. Through this, he always sent money back to Civility; this proved prudent, as she gave birth to his niece Pavonine in 603 DI, then his nephew Astylar in 607 DI.

He began seeing Soheil in secret in 611 DI, although there was always a slight distance between them that he could never articulate. But Soheil was nonetheless more in tune with him than any other, and as dedicated to his work as Dalliance was enraptured with his own. Dalliance also met Euphrasie Epsilon during this year, sent to protect her from the escaped pirate Vicente del Carras. He was surprised to find himself impressed by her intelligence, and also found her work interesting enough to dabble in it himself under his alias Alejandro Surreptitious.

The year after, he was promoted to Spymaster, a role he was uniquely suited to. He supplemented the Navy with information on almost all of the goings on in Liath, such as the various slaving rings and the intricacies of Meridiem's politics, as well as some interesting tidbits on foreign affairs that he kept to himself. As with most things, the only person he took into his confidence was Soheil, who he married in 619 DI. One such example was his recon on the Corvids and on Piran's Pistol; Dalliance ferreted out names and locations, and Soheil put together the strategy to recruit the Pistol and turn them against the more morally bankrupt pirates. In all things, Dalliance stipulated his own anonymity. He kept an eye on the Pistol as Alejandro, making friendly with Captain de Paor, and used the position as a useful vantage point for the movements of other pirate ships and the Underground.

In 620 DI, Dalliance was summoned to Admiral Leigh's office, expecting news of a promotion. However, Leigh confronted him with a letter she had intercepted, one that threw heavy suspicion on himself and on Soheil of having an illegal affair. To save his life and to save Civility, Pavonine, and Astylar's security, he gave Leigh confirmation with her promise that he would face no repercussions. Thinking quickly, he then moved to secure blackmail on the presiding Magistrate, Sadb Mac Bradaigh. He figured out that she was a trans woman, and the irony appealing to his fury, he threatened to out her unless she agreed to save Soheil's life. He gave evidence at the trial but kept secret their marriage.

With the absolute mess he'd made of his marriage, he retreated back into his work, spending most of his time unpacking the Imperial Meziavelan influence creeping in. Realising that there appeared to be collaboration between Meziavelan agents and the Navy, he and Euphrasie then turned to investigating the Navy itself, taking advantage of their positions to probe informants, organisations, and the nobility. However, while they unearthed interesting rumours about experimentation, politics, and appeasement, they decided not to act without a clear idea of what they actually wanted out of it.

At the end of 623 DI, Dalliance attended a meeting with Leigh in an official capacity, and became privy to the attempts of the Navy to create an alternative to Meziavela's Revenants: taking inspiration from lycanthropes to allow people to turn into giant fuckin' cockroaches. Appalled, and frankly scared for his own skin (and cockroach-less-ness), he quit the Navy and seemingly vanished into thin air. In actual fact, he brought his wealth of knowledge and paranoia to Soheil, the only person he trusted to know what to do. However, Civility still needed providing for, so once assured that he wasn't going to die any time soon, Dalliance set up shop as an independent agent, selling to the highest bidder incredibly sensitive and valuable information. Given his credentials and his expertise, this turned out to be immensely profitable, and suited him much better than following Leigh's beck and call.

## Personality

Dalliance's natural personality is cool, reserved, and quite grouchy. He is taciturn and focused, highly intelligent in his field of work and prone to disappearing into his notebooks. He dislikes social interaction, considers good-and-bad morality to be a human fiction, and rarely engages with people as himself. He is incorrigibly lazy and will unerringly find the path of least resistance to any task. His years in the Navy, investigating the worst side of humanity, have grown a dark, resigned, slightly bitter strain of cynicism within him.

His most well-used persona is Alejandro Surreptitious, a lab assistant in Euphrasie's workshop. Alejandro is cheerful, quick-witted, and flirty, with a penchant for dramatics and absurd slang. He was born in Santo Xojito, Solerro, and sends money back to his parents there. While bright, he is no more intelligent than your ordinary scientist. He is thirteen years younger than Dalliance.

Roberto Miscellanea is a wastrel, living off his uncle's money in Meridiem and married into the de Vouterre family. He is merry and unscrupulous, an obvious cheater and one of those annoying rich people who play-act poverty. Live laugh love <3

## Relationships

### Civility Mkali

Civility and Dalliance were only close by proximity growing up, and the physical distance has greatly hampered their relationship. Dalliance considers it his duty to support her and his niece and nephew, although he regards Civility with a high degree of exasperation and condescension, not understanding her romantic temperament. He has never met Pavonine or Astylar.

### Soheil Go-Lightly

Soheil is the only person Dalliance has ever loved romantically, and remains very important to him, despite the gulf Dalliance's actions created between them. He is bemused by Soheil's temper and passion, but finds them endearing all the same. He contrasts a pragmatic and sensible hand to Soheil's ambitious and impulsive head.

### Euphrasie Epsilon

Euphrasie is Dalliance's best friend, a title shared with Soheil. She is the only person who Dalliance believes can keep up with him intellectually, and he admires her level-headedness and her ruthlessness. They work together at Euphrasie's workshop, and she poses as Alejandro's girlfriend, a role she seems amused by. They initially met over the del Carras case and Dalliance posits her as one of few women worth the effort of knowing.

## Appearance

Dalliance has dark skin with red undertones, and he keeps his auburn hair in locs that reach just below his shoulders. He is tall and wiry, strong in the way that acrobats are, and around 6' 1". He has freckles, permanent dark circles, and a chip in his ear from stray shrapnel. His wardrobe comprises of maybe six items, maximum, and he usually wears a bulky old overcoat with mud stained on the hem. He likes forest green Henleys and his one pair of combat boots.

## Abilities

### Dungeons & Dragons, 5E

Dalliance is a Swashbuckler rogue, with Expertise in Acrobatics, Deception, Stealth, and Investigation. He is well known for abusing Uncanny Dodge, Rakish Audacity, and dual wielding daggers.

## Cultural Touchstones

Dalliance is Afro-Latino, specifically from the Dominican Republic with Ugandan ancestry. His family name means 'dangerous' in Swahili. He is inspired by Cassius Green (and shares an appearance with Lakeith Stanfield), Elementary's interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, and Sam Vimes. His aliases are taken from 'Alejandro' by Lady Gaga. His perspective is influenced by Buddhism and Taoism.

## References

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorry\_to\_Bother\_You
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeith\_Stanfield
3. ↑ https://cbselementary.fandom.com/wiki/Sherlock\_Holmes
4. ↑ https://discworld.fandom.com/wiki/Samuel\_Vimes
5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niqrrmev4mA
6. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism
7. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism