Augustus and Azungrada

Augustus and Azungrada are a pair of characters in The Fearsome Encounter.

Biography:
Augustus Grey was the lone son of his wealthy parents. When he was 20, he killed them for the inheritance.

Of course, he was the prime suspect in the ensuing investigation, but the young lad already had a plan; with his new fortune, he was able to make an offer to a passing band of pirates to purchase their ship and services. He left well before the investigators could catch up to him.

Captain Grey's crew flew through space, looting planet after planet to add to their captain's wealth. After five years of this process, Captain Grey was the most feared pirate in the galaxy.

It was then that, by chance, Grey heard of an underdeveloped planet with vast reserves of Zanite, a highly durable metal with great demand in the ship-building industry. Due to its rarity, the price it could fetch was enormous.

Grey and his crew easily dispatched the primitive savages of the island and looted their treasures, including a large, fearsome snakelike idol made entirely of Zanite.

His crew soon started to believe that taking the idol was a mistake. Captain Grey locked it in his own quarters, and refused to listen to suggestions of melting it down or selling it.

At first, they humored him - he had lead them well. But then his judgement seemed to be clouded. Over the next year, they lost more battles than they won, and their rewards grew thinner and thinner. Even as their finances wore thin, Captain Grey refused to part with the idol. Then, one night, the crew came to a decision.

Mutiny.

They broke down the door to the captain's room, demanding either his head or the valuable serpent idol.

Then the idol started moving.

"Forgive me, O Lord Azungrada," Augustus said, donning his new robes. "I see now should never have worked with these heretics. I am but your humble servant. I shall carry out your will."

Guide me, said a voice in his head.

"Where?"

''Everywhere. You must travel to new worlds and judge them. If there are but a few sinners, then I shall smite them. If the world is sinful, then you and I must see it burn.''

"I am your servant. I shall do as you ask."

''You are more than a mere servant, Augustus. You are the Divine Arbiter. You must pass judgement on the sinful.''

"Yes, O Lord."

For the next fifteen years, Augustus' ship travelled to new worlds, and usually left them a smoking wreck.

And then, he came to a world that was ready for them. They had learned of the destroyer, and realized the creature was made of Zanite. They had responded by hoarding as much of the metal as they could, crafting weapons, armor, and machines of war that could stand up to Azungrada.

And then, mere moments after the Destroyer and his Arbiter descended from their ship, and the army prepared to advance... both vanished.

Description:
Augustus is a middle-aged man; he wears an ornate black-and-gold robe and a matching miter with a cross on it. Azungrada is a large metallic cobra with large, powerful arms; if it isn't actually moving, it can easily be mistaken for a statue. It is composed entirely of the silvery Zanite metal, save for its two red gemstone eyes.

Personality-wise, Augustus is completely devoted to Azungrada, believing it is his duty to guide the serpentine golem to sinful worlds so they may be destroyed. He believes that he has even heard the voice of Azungrada at times, congratulating him for his loyalty.

Azungrada does not talk. However, its mouth is surprisingly flexible and expressive considering it's made of metal; even so, it usually has a blank expression on its face. The main exception is when it's in the process of killing someone, whether through a direct order or not; when this happens, its mouth nearly always folds into a smile.

Weapons/Abilities:
Augustus is reasonably well-built, and carries a sword forged from Zanite; however, he rarely fights on his own. Azungrada does most of the fighting for him. Azungrada will follow Augustus' orders, which are almost always "smite the infidel!" It will often do so quite brutally. It will also protect Augustus from harm, even if he doesn't realize he's in danger; should it find someone threatening, it will be just as merciless in dealing with them as if it had been ordered to smite.