Zann Tau Imari

* Current
* Debut

**Zann Tau Imari** is the True Guardian of World 6.

## Appearance

Zann Imari is a pure-black furred guardian with pale yellow eyes and 8 darker black stripes running along his back. His mane, hooves, and nose are all darker black as well. He is underweight due to eating extremely little on World 6, but is adjusting to having more food available and is eating more. Up until visiting World 1, he wore a number of rings welded shut around his body in groups of three on his ears, neck, and tail. The rings on his left ear were ripped out by Angelbones, and the rest were all removed with bolt cutters. He now has three tears in each ear where the rings used to be.

## Personality

Despite once leading a large pack on World 6, Zann has terrible social skills. He often struggles to understand most emotions and deeper meanings behind any form of affectionate action, though has slowly begun to learn since arriving on World 8. He usually speaks his mind on any given matter regardless of how others will react to it, either not understanding how and when something would best be said or perceiving it as unnecessary or impractical. One such sentiment is his concern that the True Guardians are all just using one another as a means to cope from the losses of their past lives. Despite all this however, he is an extremely observant guardian to the point where he can often tell how others are feeling based on bodily expression alone, even if he sometimes misunderstands its meaning.

## Relationships

### Tommy Karter

Zann and Tommy enjoy one another’s company, with Tommy appreciating Zann’s lack of prying into his personal matters and Zann feeling protected by someone bigger and stronger than him to rely upon. Zann’s nickname, Mari, is shared by Tommy’s late wife. While this has contributed to Zann’s feelings of the TGs using each other to cope with the deaths of their loved ones, they both now find solace and comfort in it, knowing that Tommy has since moved on. Additionally, Zann will often curl up against Tommy when nights get cold to make use of his thick, warm fur, which Tommy himself also somewhat enjoys.

### Alleck Parlor

Alleck Parlor was Zann’s WingRunner, or second-in-command, of the Asmae tribe on World 6 who had found him passed out in the desert and dragged him home. Alleck, among others of the pack, recalled old legends about the black-furred Creator and, ignoring Zann’s statements to the contrary, insist that he is the same, which Zann eventually begins to perceive as fact. When the leader of the pack at the time insists Zann leave due to his black fur being impractical for survival in the hot desert world, Alleck encourages Zann to take him down and take his place as leader of the pack. After Zann is successful, he appoints Alleck as his second-in-command. Alleck remains extremely loyal to Zann, proud to serve and willing to die for him, despite Zann urging him his sentiments were impractical. This, however, comes to head when, unaware of the consequences, he and the pack drop Zann into an active volcano in an attempt to appease the Destroyer God knowing that Zann would have done the same had their positions been reversed.

## History

### Pre-Series

Zann talks little about his early life, mainly due to not being sure he can remember it, his earliest certain memory is being found passed out in the desert by Alleck Parlor of the Asmae tribe, who, to save Zann from the boiling heat, drags him back to their home spire. Alleck and some others amongst the tribe recall an old prophecy of a black god of legends who created their world, and assuming it Zann, is dismissive of what he claims was his past before being found, which Zann eventually starts to take as fact. The at the time current chief of the Asmaes, Roben Kaard, tells Zann to leave, claiming his dark fur would render him unable to hunt in the heat of the day and leave him as only another mouth to feed, Alleck however with full faith in Zann encourages him to take down Roben and claim his rightful place as leader, Roben agrees to the fight, on the condition if he wins both Zann and Alleck would be killed for their betrayal. Spurred on by hunger from days starving alone in the wasteland, Zann manages to overpower and kill Roben, going so far as to eat him in the frenzy, he then somewhat by force is appointed the new chief of the Asmaes, and dubs Alleck his second in command wing runner.

The Asmaes unwillingly shared territory with a rival tribe of guardians known as the Vantages, to avoid conflict, one group would hunt during the lighter hours in the daylight cycle, and the other in the cooler, darker ones. The Vantage leader was older and tougher than Zann and so cruelly forced the Asmaes to take the light cycle, leaving Zann to boil daily in the heat, the tribe suffered greatly for this though uncharacteristically did everything they could to protect the alleged god, as opposed to the usual of abandoning weaker group members. Feeling to blame for their shortage of food, Zann would often go without eating, instead sacrificing what little they had to others more in need, Alleck found himself worried about his leader’s deteriorating condition, though upon question would always be told by Zann how lethal his morality was.

One day a great volcano on the far border of their territory began to show signs of eruption, by tale passed on through generations the tribe knew how detrimental this could be to their living. However the group seemed to know what to do, presuming this be a sign from the gods they were ready to take their leader home, Zann was taken to the volcano and prepared to be sacrificed there, his death preventing the eruption and his soul being returned home to the Stardust realm. And though up until then he had spent his life believing the story of his own past as told by the old prophecy, willing to do anything to save his tribe, the reality of the situation set in, and Zann for the first time begged for them to spare him, assuring them the amnesia they claimed he had upon being found was nothing but a lie, and the story of his past he had told Alleck in the beginning was true. But for him though it was too late, he had spent years forcing Alleck to be so cold and heartless, and even if still regretting it, he only wanted to make his leader proud, and so despite his screams pushed Zann into the volcano, and the lava engulfed him.

### Series 1

At the beginning of series one Zann retains the same cold and blunt behaviour that had kept him alive in his past life, however living with the other mostly more emotionally open TG’s soon begins to make him question himself. The first sign of change comes about when Holly first encourages him to fly, something he had previously never done due to the lack of stardust on world six, the strain however causes him to collapse and be rushed to hospital, where the true extent of his malnutrition is discovered, a retained habit of refusing food. Not being used to feeling so confused and unwell, Zann asks Holly to hold him to see if Havana’s word about such contact being good had been true. He eventually starts to exhibit more behaviour picked up from the others, enjoying the ocean views at the beach having never seen them before, and offering to comfort and groom King when he’s distressed. Later on after watching the strain on Havana and Damaen’s relationship brought about by the former’s condition, Zann becomes distressed that the two might choose to separate, leading to a discussion about what he really wants in companionship, and discovering he is asexual and aromantic, the realisation of which causes him to cry for the first time with joy at the revelation that nothing is infact wrong with him. Following this he also begins to take up painting as a way to express himself where he still struggles to with words. In the final battle with Orizon, Zann uses his lifetime of running to lead the Dark Guardian hoard away from the fight, sealing them inside Jackard, he sustains physical injuries for one of the first times in his life making it a big shock to his system, and eventually becomes too shaken to continue, hiding under Tommy for support. In the closing chapters of the series Zann seems to have been slowly improving, smiling more and openly showing love for his new family.

## Trivia

* Zann is the only True Guardian with unknown origins, his life until meeting Alleck being a complete mystery.
* He is the fastest runner amongst the True Guardians, a skill necessary on World 6.
* Zann has consumed at least two guardians in his life.
	+ This made him the only cannibal among the True Guardians, aside Havana, before the TGs used the Umberbug to bring back World 5.
* Zann dislikes extreme flavors, sweetness, or spiciness, preferring bland foods like bread, pasta, yogurt, and meats.
	+ He does like smoky flavors such as smoked haddock.
		- His favorite dish is rice pudding with honey and banana.
* There were no oceans on World 6, so Zann is both enamored with the ocean around Custos Isle and is unable to swim, oftentimes going out into the water and needing to be rescued.
* Zann would be approximately 26 years old if he was human.
* Zann is Aromantic and Asexual, the only TG to be so.
	+ He was initially distressed by this, having observed the relationships between the others and not feeling the same, but was moved to tears when he was told it was normal.
* Zann is fluent in one non-Standard Guardian language, however neither the TGs nor his former pack understand it.