ZEPHANIAH >> D2 [fin]

NEW LIFE
Name

» Brother Zephaniah (“Zephar”)

Rank

» Muerte

Sub Rank

» 3rd Degree

Markings Acquired

» Goat of Mendes head on chest; Ouroboro on back; band of three black rings circling each of his forearms; mark of a Traitor on his face [upon request]

Age

» Seventeen

Gender

» Male

Initiation Summary

» Fire: Zephaniah was very young at the time of the first ceremony. He was roughly eight when we found him, and he was hardly four feet tall. At the time he was very quiet and did not speak a word – at first it was even believed that he was a mute. He went through the few classes for the offspring of the adult Asyrians; Zephaniah, upon observation, was intensely curious and willing to learn but he not once raised his hand for anything. He took to drawing the sacred symbols all over his tests and such, and when confronted as to why he was using them outside of religious purposes he simply responded: “Because I like them.” The teacher was appalled and reported the fiery-haired child to me but I found nothing wrong with the actions. It was against the Codex, yes, but I would not be the one to hinder his willingness to break rules.

He was the first of the class to volunteer for the fire walking. His dark eyes held a look of pure determination to take the first step onto the flaming stretch – he pulled back at first, as all of the kids do, but then he charged forward, treading atop the coals and nearly leaping off the end. After that the rest of the children followed eagerly, but none were as determined as the redhead.

Zephaniah only grinned while the Goat of Mendes was inked onto his chest.


» Snake: None of the children were particularly excited about the snake requirements. They were led to a pit full of vipers, all of which were rather angry from having been deprived of food and agitated with sticks only an hour before. The task was simple: retrieve the silver snake from the pit and bring it to me. Once again all of the children were hesitant and shrank away from the pit of hisses and spitting; even Zephaniah appeared wary of the daunting task. Seconds turned into minutes and I began to doubt the group of new children until the redhead bolted forward, batting the snake heads down and somehow working his way to capture the silver snake, swatting more heads aside until he held the slithering thing by the tail in front of me. The dumb child never thought to secure its head and the snake bit him in the side as a result. The venom would have killed him if it were not for one of the adult Asyrians nearby having knowledge of taking out the venom before it did devastating damage. He made a full recovery but there were two scar dots that remain on his pale skin.

Once again he only grinned while the Ouroboro was inked onto his back.


» The Rebirth: The 2nd Degree class had dwindled terribly in size and there were only seven left, including Zephaniah. The Asyrian doctor had left before the class had all completed their snake test and actually we had two of the children die due to bites. They were small, though, even smaller than Zephaniah, and so the venom spread faster through their system. None of those remaining were affected much by the deaths and it pleased me to know they had already begun to block out their emotions. The only feelings we want our children to experience is dedication to the Asyrian Cause.

The initiation into Asyrian adulthood was perhaps the most looked forward to of all the tests. The Rebirth is not a test so much as it is just an initiation. Much like a Baptism, the children are taken into the main building where the High Priestess dunks them underwater for roughly a minute. The seven of them were successfully reborn into adulthood, and from there they were to continue their life in Asyria.

» Muerte Requirements [3rd Degree Specifics]: The new adults, whenever they please, were to go out and bring the High Priestess the head of a murdered Infidel. Zephaniah did not hesitate to venture out into the District, and within two days he had brought me the head of a man. Again he did not waste any time with bringing me a second head, thus earning him a first band. Three more quick kills and a second band, then two more and a third band. Upon the seventh kill, the Asyrian member is required to consume the eyes and brain of their victim, symbolic of how the Cause will consume the Infidels. Zephaniah and the other 3rd Degrees did as was required (I must say, eyes are not appetizing at all, but a few of them, including the redhead, appeared to enjoy it).

Past Life
[before Asyria]

» Zephaniah’s previous name was Jonah Cumberland. He was born to Adam Cumberland and Sara Tchida Cumberland. Neither of his biological parents were Asyrian and it was a wonder that we even saw him. During his toddler years he took frogs and nailed them to the ground, and even though his parents scolded him he took it with an emotionless face. They tried their best to change his ways; they put up with the frogs but not when he brought home a dead cat, holding it by its tail. His mother had cried and his father struck him across the face, yelling sternly that he had to change his ways. Jonah did comply, at first, and avoided all animals until he found a nest of young birds awaiting the return of their mother. He sat right under the tree and plucked all of their feathers off, crushed their beaks, and waited until the mother bird came back frantic. She flew at him with her talons and he grabbed her right out of the air after a few tries; despite the pecking and clawing he grabbed her head and swung the body around rapidly until the neck snapped. He dropped her body among the defenseless chicks and then left them squawking helplessly.

He didn’t do very well in school. Often he daydreamed, staring out the window, unable to answer the question when his teacher called on him so he just shrugged. His grades were never above failing but it didn’t bother him. He set his untouched homework into neat stacks on his desk at home, leaving it there until he decided to use it for tender when burning things. During one summer, while a drought was plaguing the district, he set his house on fire for the fun of it. (Or, perhaps, as a result of an argument? We are not sure the reasons why.) When his parents arrived after work they were completely distraught and shipped him off to the orphanage, and that was where we found him.

Jonah accepted us and our Cause – he did not put up a fight when we slipped a sack over his head that night. He looked on curiously as we ran tests on him in the temple to make sure he was even able to meet our health standards. The boy was so small and I still don’t believe he’ll ever grow any taller than maybe 5’6 or 5’7. His hair remains the same brilliant shade of red and his dark eyes are just as emotionless as ever.

Quest

» Due to Zephaniah’s intense determination and willingness for the Cause, we have selected him to be the one who infiltrates the Solothurn family. They have been mercilessly killing our brothers and sisters, so to put a stop to it I have deemed Zephaniah the most apt choice for this Quest. He has become ruthless and does not stop until the task is completed. He is now manipulative, sly, and able to pry information. He is to get one of them to let him in, and for this we have selected Samaria Solothurn specifically. As by request, Zephaniah has received the Traitor mark on his face to complete this Quest.

Main Objective:
Do whatever it takes to gain Samaria Solothurn’s trust.