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Deen Zorich is the fifth child and second son born to Duchess Debbie Zorich and her husband, Lazar. His arrival in the world was difficult and, were it not for the healing traditions of the Gloomy Jungles, the Duchess might have met her end in childbirth. As it was, she was spared, her life prolonged until her death by snakebite many years later. Trouble, however, never seems far from Deen, and continues to follow in his wake.
As the youngest child in the ducal family, Deen was somewhat spoiled. This indulgence inspired in the boy a kind of cynicism and made him aware, at an early age, of the power of manipulation. It also brought out in him a need to feel entertained, a need to seek excitement and desire to 'stir the pot'. This is not to say that Deen is a bad chap. On the contrary, he has a good heart and he loves his family very much. He simply believes that the ends justify the means and that life is too short to allow it to be dull...a lesson underscored by his mother's early demise.
Perhaps because of these personality traits, of all his siblings he was most drawn to his sister Lisabette. Uninterested in Annalisa, the sibling closest in age to him, bored by Samuela's pollyanna outlook on life and completely puzzled by Noach's interest in healing people, Lisabette was the natural choice. Of course, the shadows that clung to her personality and the sensation that things were stirring in the deep waters of her mind didn't hurt either. She treated him largely as he was, namely a pesky younger brother, but he remained undeterred.
As a male and the youngest of the family to boot, Deen was sparred the educational rigors of learning to run and estate and other administrative skills. He undertook lessons in blades and defense, preparing for the day he would be squired. He even learned a little bit about the plants of the island and how to unlock their medicinal (or toxic) secrets.
When Deen was 12, he was sent to the Duchy of Granville in Two Rivers as a foster and to serve one of its knights as a squire. The arrangement was made in accordance with the Queen's wishes that children learn the ways of other courts and foster new relationships. He has been the wide-eyed boy in a strange land, an enthusiastic squire and lordling who seems to relish a court where men do not have to take a back seat to women, as on the Isles.
And then the plague came. His knight, Lord Brodny Istivean, brother to the Duke of Granville, was one of the first to fall to the disease. He was transferred, as squire, to Lord Fordric Istivean, Brodny's cousin. As the state became quarantined, he no longer had any contact with his home. They had every reason to believe him dead. Now, however, just in time for The Day of Onimoria, the quarantine has been lifted and Deen has decided to travel back to the Isles, surprising them all with his well being and the enterprising young man he has become.
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As if caught in the act of changing from boy to man, this young lord has the gangly look of one who has not yet fully grown into his body. His face, with its delicate mouth, closely shorn blond curls and hazel eyes is just barely saved from femininity by a wide jaw and a strong nose. The first sign of stubble, blond as wheat at harvest, is starting make itself known along the line of that jaw. He stands just under six feet in height, though his broad shoulders promise more growth to come, and his still growing-frame is taking on the lean, wiry muscle of manhood.
He wears a blue doublet of fine cut, trimmed in green. Where the garment is undone at his neck, the crisp white of a tunic can be seen, unlaced enough to reveal the center of his collarbone. Black leather breaches cling to his legs, disappearing into a pair of sturdy knee-high black boots. A dagger of elegant craftsmanship is sheathed on the belt at his waist.
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