Hey all! Chiming in here at the end of the year with a new character post discussing the cast of Sovereign Soul. Today, I’ll be talking about a pair of closely related characters: Joey Elder and Dagoriph “Dagger” Neseru.
What do these characters have in common? Both Joey and Dagger are Defenders and close friends of Ryoku. When he finds them in the spirit realm, he’s surprised to see them. The three of them, along with Katiel, share a dark history together that threatens to boil to the surface when they reunite with Guildford, their murdered teacher.
Joey is a Defender who usually likes to work alone, but he becomes quite close to Ryoku and his friends and is never hesitant to offer his aid. Though quite introverted and a strong valuer of alone time, Joey is fiercely devoted to his friends, a fact that is evident in their shared past. There’s little he won’t do to help a friend. Unlike Dagger, Joey is close to the age of the other Defenders and fits in well with their vibes. Little about Joey’s family life and history are explored other than being a close high-school friend to the others.
Ryoku is alarmed to find out that Joey’s last guardian was killed in action, something that makes him assess his own guardians with more trepidation. For the time being, Joey isn’t interested in seeking more out, and eventually puts his focus into aiding the suffering Syaoto. Joey’s weapon of choice is a particularly lethal-looking black sword, of which origins are currently unknown.
Dagger is also a Defender, though his past is even more nefarious than their shared darkness. Dagger’s family is one of the prominent families of Brooks, their home in the physical world, and puts him in the dead center of Brooks’ drug web. A topic of controversy, Dagger is known to deal even to students, though that aspect seems to be out of his personal control and more tied in with his familial hierarchy. Dagger is a few years older than the others, a known delinquent who has failed grades several times over. But, meeting the others, Dagger is able to finally stay afloat and even graduate high school. Dagger’s known for his colorful language and overly enthusiastic personality. His own personal brawn and willingness for a fight pair well with Katiel’s craving for battle, attributed to his Cerberus.
On the spiritual side, Dagger’s family name is revealed to be prominent in the spirit realm as well, where he runs the Neseru Guild based in Brooklyn. This guild is the basis of the Defender Registry Front and is focused on not only supporting Defenders, but providing support to all ailing worlds. This makes Dagger a known official in many other worlds and a valuable ally. In combat, Dagger wields a pair of violet blades that appear custom-made.
Ryoku chances upon Joey in the world of Bonnin for the first time, and the Defender comes to his aid later on without hesitation. He also finds Dagger in the markets of Vortiger’s Capital, who sticks around to help him in a particularly difficult battle. Both play stronger and more involved roles in Book Two: Serpent Empire.
So what about the dark past shared between Ryoku, Katiel, Dagger, and Joey? You’ll have to read on to find out the truth of it all, and something even deeper than what the surface shows. And you won’t have to wait long – Book Two rapidly approaches the editing stage. The cover art for Serpentine Empire has been ordered and will be revealed soon! If you’re eager, you can check out a preview of Book Two here (mobile users will have to view in Desktop View). In addition, there will be news on the game development side of things coming in 2023. If you want to see what I’ve done so far, you can check out my game dev profile right here.
Stay tuned for that, and check in again soon!
Sovereign Soul 