Sarus

Transgender man he/him

Formerly went by the family name of Elu. Uses Elorzin Kerhall and Lleyan Alyamora as aliases.

Protagonist

23

Stocky with round features, a little muscular. Starts out on the skinnier side because of a poor diet but becomes fuller figured as the book goes on.

5'8"

Mostly Reiyane Atalan, but mixed with some blood from the southern mainland.

Warm brown, on the darker side compared to most Reane Atalans, especially the nobility, from spending most of his time working out in the sun

Dark brown

Dark brown hair cut short and close to head, usually swept up and out of his face, thick and curly

Short beard

On the streets, Sarus usually wore simple and functional clothing, not having the money for much more. Living in luxury, most of what he wears is decided by his tailor, Ryzya, and is usually in the newest fashions or setting trends. He still gets a say in what he wears, and tries to have fun with his clothes.

Sarus has a face with a rounded jawline and cheeks, big dark eyes, and a broad nose

Burn scars on his left arm from his hand all the way up to his shoulder, top surgery scars along his chest, a scratch on his right forearm

Sarus is extremely sociable and insightful, allowing him to understand people and how to get along with them. This also makes him a skilled liar, which he uses to his advantage as long as he thinks it won't hurt anyone too seriously. He is kind, trying to help others whenever he can. When he isn't covering them up, Sarus is very sensitive and expressive of his emotions, having no qualms about outwardly showing his feelings or talking about them with others. He is always trying to be there for his loved ones and to cheer people up. He is diplomatic and usually avoids conflict, first attempting to apologize or find peace when someone confronts him. Still, if someone continuously gets on his nerves he will try to stand up for himself, although he tries to communicate clearly with them before he turns to pettiness and passive aggression. He is humorous and loves to make other people laugh and smile. Although he goes through a lot of hardship, he tries to stay optimistic and kind to others. He is usually perceived as more naive or dumb then he actually is, and some people are shocked to find him more self-aware than they initially guessed.

Sarus lies often, which, although he tries to limit it to small fibs that won't hurt anyone, can stack up and sometimes get him in trouble. Although he is usually very polite, when pushed far enough, he will talk back to people. He has trouble asking other people for help, thinking that he has to deal with all of his problems on his own. He is overly forgiving of people he likes. He can be impulsive, not fully thinking through all of his actions. He can also get overconfident when things are going well for him, throwing aside caution. He has a lot of trouble when he runs into conflicts he doesn't know how to solve quickly, especially moral decisions, often becoming too indecisive or worried to overcome it by himself.

Mostly Sarus is worrying about his own survival and his motivation is to stay alive another day. Before that meant making enough money for food and shelter but now he is concerned with continuing to keep up the facade that he's Lleyan and avoiding the dangers of the royal court. Otherwise, he wants to be able to help others and make them happy, especially his loved ones. His dream is to live a comfortable and simple life and to possibly start a family in the future. He also hopes to reconnect with his parents, even though he thinks it's unlikely.

Sarus always wants to do good and help others, but is often put in situations where that is difficult. He's had to commit petty crimes and deceive people to survive throughout his life. Even though he frequently lies, he tries to make sure that his lies don't hurt anyone and to only be dishonest if there's a greater benefit. Sometimes he feels guilty for lying, but it's helped him so much he doesn't want to stop. He is fine with committing small crimes like theft when he's desperate, but tries to take from people who are better off. He feels extremely guilty pretending to be Lleyan but has to continue since he can't escape the situation.

Although formerly believing nobility to be of divine blood and superior to commoners as most people do, Sarus' perception quickly changed as he started spending time with them. He has a dislike of many nobles for their pompous attitude, tending to judge other court officials based off those he's met. He also has trouble understanding some of their strife as they have lived in luxury and many of their problems seem small to him. He also distrusts guards, as he often had experiences where they misused their power. Still Sarus tries to be open minded, even if he initially dislikes a person.

Usually, Sarus doesn't have a lot of free time, being busy living off the streets in his early life and dealing with the responsibilities of a lord now. However, when he does have his own time he spends most of it socializing with others. He has a fondness for food and enjoys looking for new dishes, and tries to do a bit of cooking himself. He also loves exploring and seeing new places. He isn't the most talented artist but he still likes to experiment with crafting things for his own enjoyment.

Sarus is known for being extremely charming, which makes him easy to get along with. This also makes him a strong liar and a good actor. Sarus is believed by many to be a strong prophet, but he actually has no prophetic skills and all his divination is either made up or prophecies that are from Lord Vyur Kiram and passed off as Sarus'. Sarus has a myriad of other skills picked up from working multiple jobs to stay afloat and basic life skills he learned from living on the streets. These include carpentry, sewing, cooking, and fishing. Although he isn't a master in any one of these skills, he knows enough to do a pretty good job. Although not well educated or considered intelligent by most nobles, he is very street smart and resourceful. When presented with trouble, Sarus is quick on his feet and can usually find a way out of it. Also gives great hugs.

Sarus usually seems very relaxed. He usually has a laid back stance and a smile on his face. He's very expressive and when he isn't hiding his emotions. He fidgets, usually in the form of tapping his feet and looks around when he's nervous. He's a very open crier and uses physical contact to show affection towards people he loves.

None

None

Sarus works as a fraud posing as the Prophet Lord Alyamora Lleyan, even though he has no prophetic power himself. He has become the Prophet Heir, the next in line to become Grand Prophet, the head advisor to the royal court. He was hired by a secret organization called Valarae's Order, who wants to shift the power of the ruling Maveryn family to the less powerful noble families.

Sarus used to work a number of jobs to get by, most which barely paid enough for enough meals in a day. Since he was good at handiwork, he usually helped people with cleaning or construction, or any other odd job that would suffice. Sometimes, he turned to pick pocketing and simple cons.

Sarus practices Orazism, the major religion in Reiyane Atale. It is not something he is extremely devoted to, but he does not question his faith because he was brought up with it and finds comfort in it. He regularly prays to the gods, currently mostly to Eialres, the god of fate, as he is posing as a prophet. However, he has a personal fondness for Carepi, goddess of earth and agriculture, and Ozulus, the trickster god. He also believes the nobles are descended from the gods, and therefore that they are above him, but that belief starts to falter as he engages more in the court.

Sarus formerly supported the royal court because of their supposed divine blood, although he questioned some of their choices about running Reiyane Atale. When he joined nobility he started to notice many of the court's flaws he hadn't before. He thinks that many nobles take little action to improve the country and manipulate those with less power. He currently works with Valarae's Order, a group run by Lady Vyur Azana that plans to take power from the highest royal house, the Maveryns, and divide it equally among all the noble houses. However, he does not fully agree with many of the goals of Valarae's Order, wondering why only the noble families get any power and he often feels conflicted about who should be in power. He has much more sympathy for the lower class than the royal court, often supporting laws that would benefit them. He often doubts himself as a lord, because the position was not meant to be his and he often feels inexperienced compared to other lords and ladies, but wants to use the power he has to help underprivileged people in similar positions as to what he was in.

In Abath as a commoner, Sarus was generally well liked. He had a routine where he frequently stopped by shops and talked to people, and made many friends there. However, many people never became very close to him and judged him for being Nameless, a person who has no last name because they have been banished from their family. He also often got into trouble with guards for petty crimes.

As a noble, Sarus is still admired for his charm and because he is supposedly Alyamora Lleyan, the prophet heir who returned from the dead and a member of a high status family. However, the people who dislike Sarus are just as vocal. He is criticized for how he was raised as a commoner, making him lesser educated than most nobles and unaware of certain customs. There are also many people who suspect he isn't actually Alyamora Lleyan and is a fraud.

Because of his charm, Sarus often has a few admirers. He has had several relationships when he lived in Abath and one he considered settling down with, but wasn't able to go through with because his partners' families disapproved of him being poor and Nameless. Currently posing as Lleyan, he does garner a lot of attention from suitors with his status as a high ranking lord. However, he hasn't taken interest in any of the suitors because he feels uncomfortable with the idea of entering a romance with someone who doesn't know his true identity.

As a teenager, Sarus befriended a boy his age named Erzai, who was also Nameless and lived on the streets. The two immediately became friends, depending on each other for survival. They are still close today, now considering each other to be family. Erzai is one of the few people who can see through some of Sarus' lies, and although the two sometimes clash because of their conflicting personalities, they are always able to forgive each other and repair their bond. Erzai is much more introverted to Sarus and is often seen as an outsider, so Sarus often speaks up for Erzai. Where Sarus can be reckless and easily get in trouble, Erzai is easily worried and constantly warning Sarus to be careful and has often helped him out of his problems.

Sarus and Khirim Vyur do not get along since Sarus stole from Khirim. Sarus also became the Prophet Heir despite being a commoner, a position that Khirim desperately wanted. However, they are forced to pretend to be friends for public image. Khirim often vocalizes his disdain and mocks Sarus in private, looking down at him for his lower status as a Nameless commoner. Sarus is bothered by Khirim and even bites back sometimes, but tries to understand where he's coming from and wants to bridge their differences so they can get along.

Halisia Khavilis is another person who was working to become Prophet Heir and was even about to be crowned for the title and despises Sarus for stealing it from her. She is even more vocal and aggressive about her hate for Sarus than most others. She claims that he is a fraud who doesn't know a thing about prophecy, which is awkward for Sarus since he knows it is true. Although he feels threatened by her, he admires her for her skills and understands that in her mind she is doing the right thing by calling out Sarus. He tries to make attempts at friendship but none of them have gone very well.

Even though he tries to empathize with her as he does with everyone, Sarus strongly dislikes Azana. Although she gave him a new opportunity in life, she is cruel to him and threatens to expose him as a fraud if he betrays Valarae's Order. He feels like she uses him and other people as pawns, and is ideologically opposed to the way she treats and manipulates other people.

Bisexual

Formerly lived in Abath, a major city on the Reiyane Atalan islands. He now lives in the Alyamora Manor.

Sarus, like many lower class people in Reiyane Atale, never received a formal education. He only learned to read and write from a friend and mentor. Pretending to be Lleyan, Sarus has been given several tutors to help him get a level of schooling on par with nobility, but which he struggles with. He is often looked down on by the rest of the court for his lack of formal education.

Sarus was born as an only child into the poor but loving Elu family. His parents, Dela and Ilan, were indebted to work at a factory. At a young age he was forced to start working as a part of his family's contract. At the age of fourteen, there was a serious accident where he was badly burned, which deeply scarred his left arm. His family were worried for his safety, and gathered up what little money they had to fake his death and smuggle him to the capital city of Abath to be free of the contract. Sarus was deeply upset to be split from his family, but was able to start a new life in Abath.

However, even with the new opportunity, life was still difficult for Sarus. He barely had any money and it was hard to find a home, spending most of his time on the streets. And because he was no longer connected with his family, he was Nameless, people without a family name who are looked down upon by the rest of society. He had a few apprenticeships, the longest with a sign painter, but she died before he could finish it. Without an apprenticeship and being Nameless, it was hard to find a stable job. Sarus was forced to become resourceful and make up for his low status with his charisma. He often fell into hard times, but because he had many friends in the city he often had people who were there to help him. After years of hard work, he was able to find a small home and escape the streets.

Things went wrong when Sarus was twenty-three and a storm destroyed many of the homes near the coastline of Abath, including his own. After asking for guidance from a prophet, he was guided to an inn in the wealthier part of town. There, he was able to lie that he knew Lord Khirim Vyur based off some gossip he'd heard and get a room for a few nights, all expenses paid unwittingly by Khirim. Khirim had been reported to be overseas for a weeks, so Sarus thought he could stay there until he got back on his feet and left before Khirim knew a thing. However, he got cocky and stayed for a bit longer than intended. Eventually, he was discovered by Khirim, who returned early. But before he could be arrested by the lord, Khirim's mother, Lady Azana arrived. She was intrigued by his ability to lie and questioned him about his past. After finding out he had a remarkable similarity to Alyamora Lleyan, the heir of the Alyamora family who died as a young child in a fire, she presented him with an offer. If he posed as Alyamora Lleyan to benefit the Valarae's Order, he would not be arrested and would live a life of luxury. Sarus' best friend Erzai would be paid monthly as well. Presented with the choice of either being arrested or agreeing to the offer, Sarus agreed to pretend to be Lleyan.

Reiyane Atalan

Sarus' parents, Dela and Ilan, loved their son dearly. Even though they lived in a difficult position, they did whatever they could so he could have the best opportunities, even banishing him from the family believing that it would give him a better life. It was difficult growing apart from his family, not only because Sarus missed them but also because he was Nameless, a person without a family name in a society that placed great importance on family status. Sarus still plans to return to his parents if he ever gets the chance.

There was a character who played a similar role to Sarus in Disappearance of the Heir, a much earlier draft of False Prophet I eventually scrapped. Unlike Sarus, she was a teenage girl. However, she shared some traits with him, such as having burn scars and absent parents. The first character wasn't as developed since my writing wasn't as strong as the time, so she didn't have a very strong personality. Eventually, I scrapped Disappearance of the Heir. Although I loved the premise, I didn't think I was very compelled but what I had written and lost interest. A few years later, I wrote a random excerpt for a scene about a man named Sarus, and realized it had a similar tone to Disappearance of the Heir. Since I still loved the concept of Disappearance of the Heir, I decided to revamp it, making Sarus the new protagonist and giving some of the old character's qualities to him.

Originally, Disappearance of the Heir was loosely based on the movie and musical of Anastasia, or just the long lost heir trope in general. The long lost heir reveal always kind of annoyed me, and it got me wondering what if the long lost heir was actually an impersonator? And I guess he shares some traits with Anastasia? A bit?