Jhayden Anurios

One of the first Reapers about whom much is known, Jhayden was known for a long and successful reign that culminated in training his successor Wynn Khajib. He famously defeated a rogue dragon in one of the last great conflicts of the declining Dragon Empire, and was a familiar and well-liked figure across the length and breadth of the pre-Shattering world.

Personality

Accounts of Jhayden consistently describe him as a warm, kind person whose regard for others was well-known. He was quick to laugh and quick to approach those around him as equals in spite of his elevated status as the Reaper, and many considered him a friend; even in a time when the elven kingdoms were far more racially homogenous and welcomed few humans within their borders, he was known to have considered Silverleaf his home for the majority of his reign. The bonds he forged with others were a great strength for him to draw on as Reaper, but they were never calculated, and he was unfailingly considered an honorable man.
He was known and respected for his thoughtfulness and wisdom, even among the far longer-lived elves who he frequently lived alongside. Jhayden was a skilled mage and enjoyed knowledge for knowledge's sake, and his allies frequently sought him out as a source of counsel on a personal level in addition to his role as Fate's representative. As Reaper he was able to set aside his personal feelings for the sake of carrying out his duty, but he's still considered one of the most well-loved among his kind.

Abilities

Jhayden was gifted with a Reaper's standard abilities in seeing fate, a link to his god, magical talent, an instinctual proficiency for weapons, fasthealing, and more. While his true passion was magic, he didn't enjoy using it as a weapon and was far more inclined to fight physically; he had a tall, strong build and would often alter the Reaper's Red Blade from its standard dagger form into a long spear that he used to great effect. The physical manifestations of his associated lion spirit also gave him clawed hands that left him a dangerous combatant even when technically unarmed.
As a mage, Jhayden focused primarily into Shaping and Weaving. He enjoyed the patient complexity of delicate spellwork, and had a talent for both practicing magic and later teaching it. Despite not preferring to use his magic in combat, he did have a talent for using it to enhance his innate abilities as Reaper; most famously, he's known to have radically reshaped his manifestation of the Hidewalker's Gift into a winged lion in order to better engage the rogue dragon.

Backstory

Though he's one of the best-documented Reapers due to his close association with the elves of Silverleaf and Starfall, very little is known about Jhayden's early life. He seems to have come from somewhere in Sub-Saharan East Africa, based on what little clues can be taken from his chosen Reaper garb, but many things are left unclear; it seems likely that he was running from some personal tragedy early in life, and even his name may have been a reinvention of who he once was. These early years will likely always be lost, their secrets known only to Jhayden and maybe his protege and successor Wynn Khajib.
The earliest records of Jhayden's life date back to after he had become Reaper, likely in his early twenties and beginning to make his presence known in the areas of Northern Africa, the Middle East, and the lands surrounding the Mediterranean. Far less reclusive than many other Reapers, he became a familiar face in the elven cities of the region and would visit them frequently. While both Starfall and Silverleaf were largely closed territories to humans at the time, Jhayden's status as the Reaper opened doors for him in a way that his personality and likable nature soon reinforced. He was quick to help defend the cities against the rising human conflicts in the Middle East and won the gratitude of the then-king of Silverleaf, who offered him a permanent home in the city as thanks.
Jhayden's interest in studying magic and his duties as Reaper often had him travelling further afield, and his presence is recorded in the records of many of the magical strongholds of the pre-Shattering world. He was well-known for taking the Reaper's secondary role as protector seriously, and often took it upon himself to try and help those he came across in his travels regardless of whether he was settling the conflicts of kings or commoners. Though his presence still held the inescapable tinge of dread that always accompanies the Reaper, his reputation as a whole was very good.
Many stories are attributed to Jhayden, but the most significant comes around the middle of his time as Reaper. In rebellion against the authority of the long-since faded Dragon Empire, a rogue dragon named Charyxstrix had openly emerged to terrorize the lands along the northwestern coast of the Americas. Fearing the potential devastation of open combat between dragons, Jhayden was summoned by the last Queen of the empire to help stand against the threat. He fought and defeated Charystrix in a magically enhanced version of his Hidewalker's Gift, a feat which few other non-dragons can lay claim to in mortal memory.
Despite the fame he gained from his defeat of a dragon, Jhayden's greatest legacy is his connection to his successor: Wynn Khajib, his protege and the Reaper who would go on to shatter the world and create Genesis as it presently exists. When he knew that his time as Reaper was coming to an end, Jhayden decided to seek out the person who would eventually inherit his mantle. He discovered Wynn as a relatively young girl, perhaps ten years old, and her family agreed to give her over into his keeping so she could be trained in preparation for her eventual role.
Jhayden's own writings state that while he'd lived a life he was satisfied with, his time spent raising Wynn were his happiest and proudest years. He came to think of the girl as an adoptive daughter of sorts, and dedicated himself to making sure that she would have the skills and moral compass to guide her as an adult with such a heavy burden placed upon her. To his delight, Wynn showed immense potential as a mage and eagerly learned all he could teach her and more. The two got along well, and became great friends who trusted each other without hesitation. Their relationship grew more complicated as his apprentice grew into young adulthood, and it's well-recounted in stories that Wynn's feelings towards Jhayden matured from the familial into the romantic. Unfortunately for her, Jhayden continued to see her as a daughter figure and her love was never requited in the way that she hoped for.
In time Jhayden stepped down from his role as Reaper so that Wynn could take his place. He continued to study and travel, but was killed several years later when ambushed by members of the Seraphs. It's thought that Wynn's fury and heartbreak over her beloved mentor's death played at least some part in her furious backlash against Seraph influence in the Crusades taking place at the time, and her deep love for Jhayden persists to this day in the form of countless tributes to him that she wove into the very fabric of Genesis.

Important Relationships

WYNN KHAJIB 
Jhayden's apprentice, successor, and adoptive daughter in all but name; for Jhayden, who had many friends but no true family that appears in any records, Wynn was the most important person in his life from the moment she was placed into his care. The two were well-matched in personality and their mutual curiosity and passion for the practice of magic, and influenced one another's lives in a profound way. The story of their relationship and Wynn's unrequited love is a popular subject matter of song and story within Genesis; despite the fact that Wynn's romantic feelings were never returned, though, Jhayden loved her just as deeply in his own way.
ILLYRIA OF SILVERLEAF
A member of Silverleaf's royal guard, and a longtime friend and frequent lover of Jhayden's. While their relationship spanned over a century, they never became more formally involved due to the demands of their respective duties; Illyria eventually married a fellow member of the guard, but she and Jhayden remained close friends and confidants until the end of his life. Jhayden would sometimes ask her for childrearing advice while raising Wynn, which never ceased to amuse Illyria due to the fact she didn't have any children either and felt equally perplexed by the matter.
THE DRAGON QUEEN
Jhayden first met the Dragon Queen when he was asked for help in bringing down Charyxstrix, and the two had a great respect for one another. He was one of the few mortals she considered an equal, not only due to his role as Reaper but as a result of the man she considered him to be.

Basic Information

Name: Jhayden Anurios, the Lion Reaper
also the Great Lion, the Black Lion, Shedu, Anurios Dragonsbane
Race: Reaper, formerly human
Sex: male
Age: ~200+ (deceased)

Storyline: Bloodlines Apocrypha