Daoff Asul

Daoff Asul (a.k.a. Pops)

Pops! Pops! I remembered what you showed me and guess what I made!

— excited Mordena child

Once a high ranking officer in the Space Defense Legion, Daoff Asul now serves the Mordena as a loyal technical researcher. His love and respect for children has earned him the nickname "Pops" from the locals.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Early Life

Your only limitations are the ones you set.

— Daoff's parents

The only child of a talented Legion inventor, Daoff grew up happy, loved, and well-educated. He was taught in the best technical schools on Fukokaa, practicing his lessons often by crafting projects with his famed mother in their free time. When not advancing his own technological prowess he would often join his father in their home observatory, studying the night sky and reading tales of adventures from starfaring Legion heroes. He often spoke of wanting to travel the stars, and of building the engines that would carry him there.
Upon graduation Daoff decided to enroll for advanced studies at the Military Engineering Institute, seeing an opportunity to fulfill both of his dreams. He excelled, quickly rising to the top of most of his classes. The Institute is also where he met Jessica, a blonde haired beauty well-known at the most popular local hotspots.
The two hit it off immediately and quickly became inseparable, to the point Daoff often smuggled her into his favorite private places around the base. After several years of intense courtship she surprised him with a proposal at their favorite stargazing spot, a small private park surrounded by engineered waterfalls, nestled near the heart of the Institute's spaceport. They married that weekend in a lavish but private ceremony, Daoff's parents and closest friends the only guests.

Legion Career

Daoff graduated as valedictorian three months later, an achievement awarding him with his choice of postings within the Space Defense Legion. Eager to settle down and begin a family of his own with his new wife, he defied expectations and selected a quiet post on one of the research teams behind the Legion's engine redesign efforts. Jessie pleaded with him to reconsider and not throw away his promising military career on her behalf, but his heart had decided, and his future team had already jumped to accept such a promising new member.

It's already been decided. This is what I want, to make a real difference. I don't need some high powered career. All I need is you.

— Daoff to Jessica

He thrived in his new position, quickly rising into the top leadership role at the facility as his superiors gained long overdue promotions in recognition of Daoff's achievements. Under his leadership his teams managed their first successful prototype of an advanced portal-capable engine, unlocking the ability to build larger capital ships with greater distance capabilities.
Filled with pride in his team and their accomplishments, and joy in his work and his family, Daoff believed his life couldn't possibly improve... And then Jessie became pregnant with their first child, Mallix, and everything changed.

It is therefore with heavy heart that I write to request a transfer to the active fleet, with its faster pace of promotion and advancement. It has been an honor to lead the Engine Research Team, but it is time for me to move on to new opportunities.

— Daoff Asul, letter excerpt

At Jessie's insistence Daoff put in a request for transfer to the active fleet, sacrificing time with his family in exchange for a higher salary and the hope of providing his son with all the best advantages he could provide. With the end of each tour of duty he'd savor the opportunity to spend time with his growing family before acceding to his wife's requests to push for another tour and another promotion to better support his next child, desperately trying to balance time with his five children and Jessie's insistence he pursue a high powered military career.

Political Rivalry

Within the first year of Daoff's ascension to the rank of Chief Engineer he discovered himself in the crosshairs of another rapidly rising star within the Legion, the much younger Chief Engineer Fijit Verga. Unaware of the origin of the feud Daoff found himself unable to resolve the conflict, eventually leading to his own ostracization at the hands of the more politically connected Verga.
Forced into a special assignment for which he had neither the skills nor the training, Daoff was sent to The Freeholds in a covert mission to infiltrate the Mordena mercenaries under the guise of a family of refugees, and report back any useful information to the Legion. He was assured that the death of their founder Grand Navarch Shane Lawrence at Garnell had weakened the organization, providing the Legion with an ideal opportunity.

I was told you could tell me about the Mordena?

— Daoff Asul, attempting undercover work

Grateful for the chance to finally spend extended time with his family Daoff approached this assignment with his usual zeal, selecting Baden as his initial destination due to its prominence in the origin of the Mordena. His questioning of information brokers throughout Baden City shortly upon arrival included several of Selva Blavir's personal plants, quickly earning him the attention of the Mordena and the personal interest of Minder Shane Lawrence himself.

The Urchin has identified a potential target of interest, to help fill your information gap on the SDL. I have uploaded her files for your review. Please let me know of any further actions you wish us to take in this matter.

— Navarch Talin to Minder Lawrence

Unfortunately for Daoff he attracted the attention of another Faction, the Sparnell Confederation, who also identified him as a Legion officer and abducted his family in an effort to pressure him to defect. Instead Daoff pleaded with the Legion and any other organization he could contact, desperately trying to hire someone to save them. After three years without success Daoff finally turned to the one organization he hadn't dared ask, the fearsome Mordena themselves.

Sexuality

Straight, Monogamous

Employment

Daoff now serves the Mordena as a technological researcher, applying his training and expertise from his years within the Legion in an effort to merge magic and technology in new and unique ways for the mercenary organization. Much of this effort revolves around discovering portal capable capital ship engines to allow an alternative to the effective but costly and dangerous Hyperjump spell. While this project is still in work, largely due to issues with identifying a sustainable non-magic fuel source, he has discovered smaller scale improvements to many of the Mordena's current magical conveniences.

Accomplishments & Achievements

While there have been many improvements since, Daoff led the team responsible for the original prototype of the Space Defense Legion's current model of portal drive. His current efforts for the Mordena involve adapting what he can remember of his team's engineering to allow the mercenary organization to harness the same capabilities in a way sustainable to their own resources.

In the Legion we had a saying, "The only useless backup is the one you didn't make." For something like MORTAC, I'd imagine you'd want many backup servers, not just one.

— Daoff Asul

He also served a key role in developing the MORTAC backup server systems, working with Jake Cartwright Lawrence to bind the tactical computer's resident souls to multiple tyrellium crystals, allowing the individual to jump at will between each with only a minor expenditure of Imperium. His suggestions and questions on the setup of the system also inspired Jake's adjustments to the core programming which allow MORTAC's resident Minds to seamlessly interface with the tyrellium data crystals, quickly reading existing information and updating records and analysis without risk of losing their own individuality.

Failures & Embarrassments

He remains haunted by his failure to protect his own family from the Sparnell Confederation, carrying the weight of their abduction as if he caused the entire event. He mourns his missing wife and eldest son, longing for the day his whole family will be reunited.

Something doesn't add up... I can't quite pin it down but there's more going on here than we're seeing. People don't just disappear like that. Not from us.

— Minder Shane Lawrence

Intellectual Characteristics

A product of the Legion technical training, Daoff is well versed in the development, construction, repair, and maintenance of machines, particularly engines. He has begun to pass this knowledge on to anyone interested, resulting in a legion of his own comprised largely of curious and eager children, hosting periodic robotics competitions to help hone and encourage their skills.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

My wife, Jessie? She was always pushing me to get the next promotion, the next step up in the Legion hierarchy. And I did, I really pushed myself to make her happy, rose all the way to Chief Engineer with an entire fleet under my personal command. It made Jessie happy, and Void knows I would do anything to see her smile... But it always took so much time away from my family. And that's all I ever really wanted, time with my family.

— Daoff Asul to Minder Lawrence

Despite his former career reaching the rank of Chief Engineer within the Space Defense Legion, Daoff has never been driven by desires for power or prestige. His entire military career with the Legion was an effort to satisfy his wife, Jessica.
Family means everything to Daoff, both his immediate family and now also his found family with the Mordena. He works hard to help his four youngest adapt to their new life on Janikk, while helping and hoping in every way he can for the discovery and rescue of his wife and oldest son from their kidnapping by the Sparnell Confederation.

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Daoff has a real gift with technology, and a talent for identifying the purpose of most non-magical devices. He struggles when attempting to decipher hybrid magic technologies by himself, but his perspective and background has proven invaluable when working on hybrids with a more magic savvy team.

Likes & Dislikes

Daoff adores children, especially his own. He has adopted many of the Mordena's younger generation and has been adopted by them and their families in return. It is not uncommon to find his workshop crowded with the eager offspring of Mordena currently away on mission, rushing to help Pops with some cool project after their daily lessons. He often invents these projects especially for them.
He has trouble letting his own children out of his sight, despite the inherent safety of living within an entire community built around the support and training of elite mercenaries. Consciously he understands that he and his family belong, that the Mordena consider the Asuls as both personal family members and critical assets to be protected at all costs, but this doesn't erase the fears and emotional strains from his years spent pleading for help to rescue them from the Sparnelli. The continued absence of his wife and oldest son serve as a continued reminder, causing him to cling harder to his four other children. This is something he is working through, with assistance from several of the MORTAC therapists and several trusted members of his community.

Vices & Personality flaws

Daoff is allergic to feathers. This became a challenge during in his time as a Legionnaire, particularly when required to attend formal functions. Rather than the medals, pins, and ribbons awarded in most military organizations, the Space Defense Legion rewards their Legionnaires with feathers to be worn upon their bicorn hats, with the type and source of each feather denoting the specific award or accomplishment. Already uncomfortable with the pomp and circumstances, not to mention the formal dress and politicking, the last thing Daoff needed was an allergic reaction to his own headwear. This problem only became more pronounced with each accolade he earned.

Social

Family Ties

Look what Pops showed me!

— Mordena child

Daoff currently lives with his four youngest children and their guard fylox, Buddy. Every decision he makes is with their safety and well-being in mind. He has also extended his fatherly protectiveness and teachings towards the other Mordena children, earning him the nickname "Pops". This monicker had become a call sign of sorts, even appearing in official Mordena reports mentioning his research, as an added effort to hide his continued survival from the Legion.

Hobbies & Pets

While wary about the creature himself, Daoff has nonetheless adopted Buddy into the family due to the fylox's protective nature towards his children and their obvious comfort within Buddy's presence. Daoff considers the aggressive animal a small price to pay for the emotional support Buddy provides the kids after their three year ordeal as Sparnelli hostages.

Uhhh... Good fylox? Good Buddy?

— Daoff, nervously

Want to Read More?

Daoff Asul's initial experiences with the enigmatic Shane Lawrence of the Mordena can be read in Blood and Water, a novelette exclusive to my Patreon subscribers! (First chapter is free!)

Daoff let out an angry snarl, his words coming easier and faster now. "No evasive answers this time. You know who I am. You spent the last several days tearing me down and I have been nothing but cooperative. Now I need to know. Who is rescuing my family? Who are you?" He pulled his lips into a sneer. "I won't answer any more of your questions until you answer mine."

Shane sighed. "Fine." He paused. "I will let you ask one question, and I will answer it. Anything you want. No evasion, just the truth. All of it. Make it a good one."

Daoff thought only for a moment. "How did you die?"

Daoff Asul by Portrait Workshop

Current Location

Janikk

Species

human

Previously Held Ranks & Titles

• Chief Engineer

Birthplace

Fukokaa

Current Residence

Janikk

Pronouns

he/him

Gender

male

Eyes

brown, knowing

Hair

short, unruly salt and pepper

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

medium olive

Aligned Organization

Mordena

Appears in...

• Blood and Water, Chapter 1

Further Reading