Azzurum Esen-Carr

Official Art done by Chris (arcanegold on twitter)

Aona Esen (brother)

Adelaide (half-sister)

> "You know what? I'm going to start living by the open book stuff. Any questions you have, I will answer. [...] Not that one."
>
> Azzurum, Ep. 5 - A Camaraderie of Open Books

**Azzurum Esen-Carr** is a player character in The Strings of Fate Podcast, played by Mikayla. He is an air genasi warlock. Currently, he travels with Vincent Obra, Lidara Mormaer, Renaer Brandhart, Davil Starsong, and Aona Esen.

## Description

### Appearance

Azzurum has pale blue skin and deep blue eyes. His hair is the same dark blue as his eyes, fading down into white tips. It's cut just at his chin with the left side shaved into an undercut style and flows gently as if it is constantly in the breeze.

His ears are heavily pierced with silver jewelry. Around his neck he wears a black choker with a silver ring in the center, silver chains coming down and wrapping around his shoulders to the back of the choker. Black cord is tied around his wrists. In contrast, he also wears a long, golden chain around his neck that holds a pale pink stone which was given to him by Davil as means of communicating with him over long distances.

His black top is very sheer and has wide v-neckline, loosely draped around his shoulders and hanging down to his mid-upper arms. It's tucked into a simple black corset with sheer panels hanging down from the bottom, silver filigree lining the bottom edges of each panel. His pants are tight fit, with black lacing on the sides of each leg. The asymmetric cuffs of the pants also have grey detailing on them and, at the lowest point, cut off at his ankle. He wears "cute little shoes" - black flats with some silver diamond-shaped accents on the front.

#### Tattoos

Azzurum has a tattoo on his right arm that goes up his neck a little. It resembles lighting scars and grows down his arm, and illuminates when he cast.

### Personality

Azzurum is an extroverted, attention seeking sort of person. He's outgoing and tends to be the one most eager to make friends and takes the best to being in large crowds of the Strings of Fate. He speaks with confidence most of the time, even if he's not entirely sure of what he's saying.

He defaults to making humorous quips in stressful or otherwise emotionally straining situations, but is capable of being serious when needed. He also has a strong guilt complex, blaming himself for situations going wrong and his friends getting hurt. He tends to place himself in front of the danger to try and protect them.

## Biography

### Early Life

Azzurum spent his younger years in the care of his adoptive father, a blacksmith named Elliot Carr. The two had a very close relationship, as evidenced by the fondness of which Azzurum will speak of him when he brings him up, and the memories he occasionally dwells upon.

Elliot was killed when Azzurum was in his mid/late teens by his biological father, a powerful djinn named Ussu Esen. Ever since, Azzurum has traveled with intent to find and confront his biological father.

### Pre-Podcast

 At some point during the Ciniath Arc, which took place before recordings, Azzurum broke off from the group to seek out a warlock's guild, Invictus Tome, and join their ranks. This involved a series of trials, and resulted in his shape-shifting tattoo, but little else is known about his time there or his reason for joining.

 After defeating Manshoon, Azzurum was the only member of the party to participate in the award ceremony set up by Ciniath to honor The Strings of Fate as heroes, with his fellow party members watching from the side. He accepted the award by himself, giving a dramatic speech that confused some of the crowd at one point, but ultimately went over well.

 Azzurum also met and eventually got together with his boyfriend Davil Starsong during this time.

### Goldstead Arc

Episode 1: Welcome to the Painted Valley

While sitting in the Goldstead saloon with Vincent, the O'Donogan Gang arrives and shoots up the outside of the building, shouting for them to send out "the genasi boy." The two take cover behind an overturned table, and Azzurum transforms himself into Renaer to draw less attention, although he ultimately drops the disguise when he realizes its pointless.

Azzurum confronts the Gang in the street, protesting that he is not the genasi they are looking for. The Gang does not believe him, however, and as the fight breaks out, Azzurum is able to knock down the leader of the group. From the ground, the leader spits in Azzurum's face and uses the distraction to rise to his feet and take Azzurum hostage, his gun aimed at his head. Seeing the danger to Azzurum, Vincent rescues him by casting Polymorph on the leader, turning him into a turtle.

After the fight, Azzurum feels his whip pulling him towards the plains, but the group goes to seek Doc Berry in order to deal with the problem that had brought them to Goldstead in the first place - the slaad parasite currently residing inside of Azzurum. The group discuss the situation in the waiting room of the doctor's office, and Azzurum loudly insists that this is a parasite, not a baby, and he is NOT pregnant. The doctor sends the group to retrieve the tools necessary to remove the parasite from Azzurum.

Episode 2: Thievery, Pride, and Similar Sins

As the party travels across the plains, Lidara spots a movement underground - presumably the beast Doc Berry had warned them about. Azzurum feels his whip react to the creature's presence, and insists on fighting it. He argues with Lidara before ultimately jumping off the back of the wagon on his own to confront it. The others, not wanting him to fight alone, stop the wagon and join him.

During the battle, Azzurum is knocked unconscious by the creature, but brought back to consciousness by Vincent. He then runs down the tunnel after the beast and kills it with Witch Bolt. With the creature now dead, the static from Azzurum's whip settles - the contract is fulfilled, even if it wasn't in the cleanest fashion.

After the battle, the party continues to question Azzurum about his decision, but he does not provide any answers. As they ride towards their destination, he sits on the back of the cart, playing with the necklace that Davil had given him. He thinks back to their last night in Ciniath together, when Davil had given him the necklace as a gift.

Episode 3: Urgency and Frequency

During their flight from the O'Donogan Gang camp, one gang member hops into the wagon, and in a moment of fight or flight chooses "fight." He dumps his satchel of dynamite into the floor of the wagon and lights a match, intending to blow them all sky high. Azzurum desperately reaches for the power of wind and manages to channel it through a clap of his hands. The match goes dark, and the party rides to safety. Azzurum reveals to the party that despite his air genasi heritage, he can't do "all the wind shit." He claps his hands several more times, trying to recreate the magic.

As they ride, Azzurum is suddenly overtaken by a stabbing pain in his veins - the parasite. They book it to Doc Berry's, and Renaer, Lidara, and Bonnie carry him inside. As Doc Berry begins treatment with the tuning fork, the repetitive sound soon turns into the ringing sound of a hammer against an anvil. He remembers sitting in his adoptive father's smithy, watching him create a dagger. Azzurum had been asking for nearly a year now to see what he does and to have a weapon of his own, but his father always said no. Now, however, he had invited him to watch the process as he crafts a dagger.

Finish up, he passes the dagger to Azzurum, asking him what he thinks. Azzurum is able to point out a small flaw - nearly imperceptible. His father tells him that this dagger isn't his to keep, but its a model. He then says its time for Azzurum to learn the ins and outs of the forge. If he wants a dagger, he will have to make it himself. Azzurum is eager to get started, but his father insists they start from the beginning. He tells Azzurum that in the end, he is not trying to teach him to make a dagger - he is teaching him that there's beauty in making something with your own hands, and there's beauty in doing things the right and thorough way.

Azzurum spends the remaining time of the episode fading in an out of consciousness, though he chimes in with "put me in, doc!" when the party decides to stop treatment so that he can assist in the fight.

Episode 4: Shotgun Diplomacy

As a group of the gunslingers heads down a street, they see a figure standing there - Vincent, disguised as Azzurum. Vincent taunts them into chasing him and veers into the church. Inside, the real **Azzurum** is waiting dynamite from the wagon in his hands. Once they've filed in, Azzurum throws the dynamite and Thundersteps himself and Vincent out the of the church, creating a huge explosion of dynamite and thunder.

The party makes their way down the main thoroughfare, where they see the minotaur. The still-disguised Vincent and Azzurum speak with her, but ultimately the discussion breaks down into violence. Azzurum makes excellent use of Eldritch Blast to deal damage to the minotaur. When she makes a retaliatory shot towards him with an eldritch-empowered bullet, it rebounds off of pure electrical energy generated from his Hexblade's Curse.

After the fight, Azzurum once again feels a sharp pain - the parasite. Vincent and Renaer nearly carry him to Doc Berry, and as he resumes his work with the tuning fork, Azzurum feels relief at last. Overnight, Lidara sits beside Azzurum, holding his hand in the operating room as Doc Berry steadily chimes the tuning fork. Azzurum's face is pale and he's sweating, but the ink in his veins slowly retreats and he steadies, falling into a peaceful sleep. In the morning, Azzurum wakes, cured. Doc Berry tells him that he has pretty good friends, and - looking down at Lidara, asleep and still holding his hand - Azzurum agrees. They go to wake Renaer and Vincent, and Azzurum sends a cutting comment towards Vincent - "Glad you were so concerned," dripping with sarcasm.

The group decides to leave Goldstead to pursue the air genasi, and although Azzurum said that they would fight him if they must, he wants to learn to use his air genasi powers from him. In response to Bonnie saying that a conversation was the price of her accompanying them, Azzurum claims that he is an open book - a statement that is met with universal disagreement.

Episode 5: A Camaraderie of Closed Books

While they travel, Azzurum sits besides Kerry in the wagon and antagonizes him several times.

As they set up camp, Azzurum volunteers to take watch since he doesn't need to sleep - new information to the party. Vincent questions Azzurum further on this, and remarks that it's like pulling teeth to get information from him. Azzurum repeats that he wants to start living by the open book thing, and offers to answer any question Vincent asks. Vincent asks for the name of his father, and Azzurum immediately replies "not that one."

As they speak about fashion and piercings, Azzurum urges the others to get friendship tattoos with him. That night, Azzurum and Lidara take watch. After a brief conversation in which it is clear neither Lidara or Azzurum understand astronomy at all, Lidara checks in on Azzurum, admitting that she was worried about him. Azzurum is touched, and asks if Lidara would indeed like to get friendship tattoos of a "constellation" (random clump of stars) and says that he can make this experience less traumatizing than her last tattoo by holding her hand. Lidara is flustered by the mention of the hand holding. Azzurum inquires further if she was feeling lonely due to the Chaol situation, but Lidara brushes the topic aside. They spend the rest of the night trying to (unsuccessfully) count stars by punching holes in a piece of paper.

When Felix reveals Bonnie's last name, it is Azzurum who asks Bonnie what her relationship is with Denton O'Donogan, and whether she can be trusted.

The next day, Azzurum says, unprompted, that his father's name was Elliot. Azzurum tells the group of his father Elliot's death at the hands of his biological father five years ago, and says that he still feels that he should have been able to prevent it. The party reassures him that it is not his fault - it is the fault of his biological father. Azzurum eventually deflects with humor and the serious conversation ends.

In the field of pink chrysanthemums, the warmth of the sun makes Azzurum think of waking up in the Yawning Portal beside Davil with the sun coming in through the window. When they approach Wheldon, Azzurum feels the wind pick up and *pull* him towards the city.

### Wheldon Arc

Episode 19: A Toast to Unity

At the ball, **Azzurum** dances with Finnegan Walsh. They compliment each others dancing, and flirt a bit. Finnegan asks why Azzurum is there, and Azzurum tells them he is there as security for Valentina. Finnegan is surprised, for although there is some tension, they don't expect any brawls, since the higher ups don't really go in for those kinds of things like the grunts do. They also provide Azzurum with some gossip. They invite Azzurum to an afterparty before they part ways.

Later, Azzurum seeks out Tyron, who is sitting at their table. He questions Tyron about who he should be looking out for, and implies that Tyron himself might be a problem. Tyron looks nervous, and asks if he had somehow gotten off on the wrong foot with Azzurum, or had offended him in some way. Azzurum responds vaguely that "you could just say I'm onto something" and then stands and leaves.

After the toast, when all hell breaks loose, Azzurum is forced to take cover on the floor as Tyron pulls a gun from his jacket and fires it towards him.

Episode 20: A Malediction of Red and Gold

As Tyron fires at Azzurum, time literally stops around Azzurum, the bullet halted in mid-air. At the table is a new guest - the Huntsmaster. He offers Azzurum a contract to deal with the extraplanar entities that will be coming through to Wheldon in the following days. He explains that there is no particular quota, so long as Azzurum "exhibits his participation." Any failure to fulfill his duties will result in the termination of the contract and revocation of any powers granted. As Azzurum reads and signs the contract, Azzurum asks if he will be able to meet the Mistress. The Huntsmaster says it is not impossible, but Azzurum would need to come "where we are." He says he will put in a good word and submit the paperwork to HR. He closes the ledger and disappears - time resumes.

While Lidara moves towards the others, Azzurum squares off against Tyron, drawing him towards the eastern balcony. Tyron tries to take another shot, but his gun jams. Frustrated and still motivated by the spell, he drops the gun and instead pulls another black dagger, similar to the one held by Valentina. The dagger drips a sizzling liquid as he makes a strike against Azzurum, but Azzurum shrugs off the worst of the poison's affects. Unable to pull away from Tyron, Azzurum instead pulls him closer and launches them both off of the edge of the balcony. As they fall, Azzurum launches an Astral Hook back up the balcony and kicks Tyron off of him. Tyron falls to his death, while Azzurum is pulled back to safety.

Arriving at the Thorn Manor, Azzurum leaps from Lidara's back into the building, crashing through the window. As he lands, electricity pulses from his skin and a gust of wind puts out the fire in the room around him. Azzurum continues forward, running into the hallway to find the genasi family. Azzurum finds them in an entertainment room. Once more summoning that wind power within him, Azzurum extinguishes the fire in the room, and works together with Cygnet to free Aona from beneath some debris. Two well-placed Eldritch Blasts are enough to blow a hole in the wall to the exterior of the building, and using Lidara's borrowed Rope of Climbing, Adela's ability to shape water, and Aona's powers, they are able to get all of the family lowered down to the grounds of the manor. Azzurum shouts down to Aona to keep them safe, and Aona meets his eyes for the first time, nodding.

As Azzurum goes back through the hallway, it collapses on him. Lidara, who was still nearby, casts Longstrider on him, and they are able to make their way to the main foyer. When he sees Vincent there, Azzurum asks if he had gotten his friend, Archie. Azzurum is able to assist in the rescue by casting Levitate as Vincent and Archie leap from the window onto the grounds.

With everyone rescued from inside, the party runs away from the building, which finally collapses behind them. The force created by the collapse knocks Azzurum unconscious, but a Cure Wounds (delivered by a slap to the ass) by Vincent brings him back quickly. They meet up with the genasi family on the grounds, where they discover that Selk has passed away. Azzurum is upset by this news, and exclaims that he cannot let another person die on him.

Episode 21: Brilliant Diamonds and Wretched Gold

In the garden shed, **Azzurum** speaks with Aona, thanking him for helping the family. Aona hands his head, saying that he had failed, but Azzurum disagrees - without Aona, many more would have died. Aona reveals that he had been watching the party the whole time they were in Ciniath, though admittedly for a different reason. He asks if this is a problem, and Azzurum says that it's not - provided Aona isn't trying to use this as an opportunity to get them to trust him and then he turns around and stabs them in the back. Aona jokes that that's a good idea, before leaving to go take a walk.

The next morning, as the party decides on their next steps, they hear a terrible noise from outside the Sanctum. Outside, a large, fleshy bat-like creature with a proboscis (almost like a leech) sniffs around. Azzurum can feel the crackle of lightning at his fingertips as his power recognizes contracts all around him. Although the party wants to remain in the Sanctum, Azzurum insists on fighting this creature. They argue, but again, Azzurum steps out into danger and Vincent and Lidara follow. As they come outside, Lidara gets the first shot, dealing a critical blow to the creature's head. Azzurum quickly dispatches it with two additional Eldritch Blasts from his whip before Vincent or Aona can even help.

Episode 22: Allies, Old and New

During the battle, Azzurum is able to banish one of the vampires using a Banishing Smite with his whip. When the blood creature begins to flee with Lidara, Azzurum uses Lightning Lure to pull her backwards, which assists Lidara in breaking free from the creature.

While they rest at the headquarters of the Tempest of the Unheard, Azzurum calls Davil using the Sending Stone necklace. Azzurum asks what the sky is like where Davil is, and he replies that it is overcast but it has been a nice day. Davil also says he is thinking about taking some time off and meeting Azzurum somewhere. Azzurum would love that - if he can make it out of here. He explains that things are looking horrible and that he thinks they're in hell, briefly listing their problems as "nobles, vampires, bats, planar bleeding, Jarlaxle." Davil is alarmed, frantically asking Azzurum where he is and saying that he is running out right now. Azzurum assures him that he is fine, and Davil tells him to to do anything reckless until he gets there. He tells him "I can't lose you," and Azzurum replies the same way.

Episode 23: Much Ado About Submersibles

Azzurum approaches Selk to see if she knows any more about the Aquaine people. Selk is serving as a referee for a cardboard sword fight between Tidus and Tidan. Tidus wins the bout, and Azzurum asks if he can play too. The twins immediately call a truce to attack him together, and Azzurum lets them tackle him. Selk jokes that her kids are too strong, and Azzurum replies that they get it from their mother. Selk then sends the kids to go play with Adelaide while she speaks with Azzurum.

First, Azzurum checks in with her to see how she's feeling, and she says that she is feeling fine now, but still needs to properly thank Vincent. Then, Selk tells Azzurum what she knows of the Aquaine people, and directs him to Astrid for more information. She also answers Azzurum's questions about the separation of over city and undercity in Wheldon and the entrance of the Church. After their talk, Selk tells Azzurum to let her know if he needs anything - even just an ear or a shoulder. Azzurum says he may take her up on that. Selk replies that she is used to dealing with a big family, so he should feel free.

The group convenes a meeting with Astrid, Rowen, and Wolfgang to discuss next steps. The group has a small disagreement about whether to trust Jarlaxle to help these people before Lidara and Azzurum finally convince Vincent to contact him with Sending.

In the late night/early morning, Vincent, Azzurum, and Lidara make their way to the overcity. While Vincent and Lidara cross the pool of molten gold as tiny bats, and Azzurum gracefully swings across on his Astral Hook.

At the top of the clocktower, Azzurum disguises himself as Lady Allegra and enters the kitchen, intending to take the prisoners out for "blood business." Azzurum recognizes the food now that he has a close-up look - it is food conjured from the Plane of Gluttony. Azzurum is able to make it to the wine cellar, where he sees every server that couldn't keep up with the dinner rush and a few nobles, all looking weak, emaciated, and drained. When Jarlaxle sees "Lady Allegra" he tries to crawl away, but Azzurum grabs him and tells him he's "not the sharpest" and Jarlaxle realizes its a disguise - "Oh fuck, thank god." Azzurum gives him a health potion while Jarlaxle tells Azzurum that they have been using the people in this room as "seasoning" for the dishes. Just then, they hear stomping and the head chef enters the room, the depths of his eyes looking like they're filled with blood. Azzurum tries to disguise himself as one of the servers but the chef sees through it. In desperation, he tries to Charm him, but the spell finds no purchase. The chef reaches for Azzurum, but Jarlaxle smashes a wine bottle across the back of the chef's head and yells "run!" Azzurum grabs Jarlaxle and starts to take off, shooting Eldritch Blasts behind him as he goes.

When the head chef crashes through the wall of the stairwell into the dining room, Azzurum, seeing vampires beginning to climb through like ants, tosses a Fireball at them using a bead from his necklace. The force of the spell blows up this side of the tower, and bodies fall through the stairwell. The blast gives him some lead time, but the rest of the vampires are still pursuing. Azzurum grabs Jarlaxle and jumps into the middle of the tower, casting Levitate as they fall down the center. Jarlaxle is initially frightened but regains his cool when he realizes the spell is helping.

## Relationships

### Vincent Obra

He and Vincent are good friends who tend to bicker with one another. Azzurum likes to tease Vincent at times to fluster him, but it's almost always in good nature.

### Lidara Mormaer

The two are good friends, with Azzurum having referred to her as 'bestie' more times than the other members of The Strings of Fate. He tries to get her to open up a bit more at times, and is mildly successful. He cares for her a great deal, but trusts that she's able to handle herself in dangerous situations.

### Davil Starsong

Davil is Azzurum's boyfriend, and the two maintain a long distance relationship via a stone of sending that Davil gifted him before Azzurum's departure. Although their relationship has not been explored much during the duration of the podcast thus far, they seem to have a very soft, loving dynamic that brings out a sweeter side in Azzurum. He seems to still be awkward at some points when talking to Davil in a romantic sense, but is overall very comfortable and happy with him. Azzurum mentions that the sun reminds him of Davil.

Azzurum was immediately attracted to Davil when they first met, but came to care for him over time.

This is the first romantic relationship in which Azzurum has ever cared deeply for the other person. He is slightly scared to have Davil so close to him because he does not want to hurt him, and he doesn't know how to deal with his emotions well. Davil, on the other hand, does have experience with long-term relationships. He had a partner who died on an adventure, and a lot of Davil's worries for Azzurum stem from not wanting to lose someone important to him again.

Davil rescued Azzurum (and Vincent) from a difficult situation, and Azzurum was so excited to see Davil that he kissed him. They then spent the night together. In the morning, Azzurum woke to an empty bed, and thought that that was it... but then Davil entered with breakfast, and they finally spoke about their feelings.

### Renaer Brandhart

When first meeting him, Azzurum found Renaer attractive. He did not act on this, however, and remained simply an acquaintance. As the campaign moved forward. he and Renaer became friends, but didn't really get to know each other much. Azzurum attempted to rectify this by having 'bestie time' with Renaer in the Thorn Bathhouse, but it turned into an entire party affair. Still, the two have bonded some more over the situations with their biological fathers, sharing a quiet conversation of support and embracing.

## Character Information

### Stats

* STR: 14 (+2)
* DEX: 12 (+1)
* CON: 16 (+3)
* INT: 8 (-1)
* WIS: 12 (+1)
* CHAR: 20 (+5)

### Proficiencies

* Languages
	+ Common
	+ Primordial
* Deception (+9)
* Intimidation (+9)
* Stealth (+5)

### Racial Abilities

As an air genasi, Azzurum has the following traits/features:

* Con +2, Dex + 1
* Unending Breath
* Mingle with the Wind

### Class Abilities

Azzurum is currently a level 10 Hexblade Warlock. As such, he has the following abilities:

* Pact Boon
	+ Pact of the Blade
* Eldritch Versatility (optional)
	+ only avaliable every 4 levels
* Hexblade's Curse
* Hex Warrior
* Accursed Specter
* Armor of Hexes

## Trivia

* The amount of white in Azzurum's hair changes with the seasons.
	+ In summer, it is completely white. In the winter, it's completely blue. Spring and Fall are in between.
* He is a vegan.
* His favourite colours are blue and silver. He shares the sentiment that people who like brown aren't trustworthy with Lidara.
* He has a soft spot for animals and while he has stated he loves both cats and dogs, he is a cat person
* He sees himself a lot in children, and has a soft spot for them.
* He likes being told he's pretty.
* His love languages are physical touch and quality time.
* Davil is his first love, as well as his first serious relationship.
* Azzurum is pansexual.
* Azzurum pierced his own ears, and has many piercings. He also as a tattoo from his induction into the Invictus Tome.
* Azzurum *lives* in his rebellious phase.
* Although Azzurum flirts with many NPCs, he has not forgotten Davil. Azzurum considers flirting and flirting-adjacent things a go-to tactic for getting information and getting things he needs for a quest. Flirting is one of the things Azzurum is most confident in, and he considers it to be one of the most charming parts of himself.

## Quotes

* "Who invited the couple?" - Ep. 1 (Welcome to the Painted Valley), in response to Vincent and Renaer being slightly romantic
* "Pregnant is a *strong term!*" - Ep. 1 (Welcome to the Painted Valley), after the group joked about his magical parasite.
* "I'm in labor... I'm fighting cowbows.... just another tuesday." - Ep. 4 (Shotgun Diplomacy), as his parasite gets worse and he's in the middle of combat.
* "**Azzurum:** It's Lidara, what's the worst that can-- **Gang Boss:** *Where's my fucking bag?!*" - Ep. 2 (Thievery, Pride, and Similar Sins), talking with Vincent about if Lidara was alright and hearing that she'd been found out.
* "I think I'm a fool, too." - Ep. 2 (Thievery, Pride, and Similar Sins), in response to Davil