My very rough response…
He is both a formidable (former) warrior, unusually strong and robust even among those of his past profession, yet he is also comically gentle, passive, and defenceless against other characters half his age and one-fifth his size (i.e. Freyja and Krista). Little can upset or unnerve this character, although attempting to upset or harm one of his few friends is a great way to attain his undivided (extremely hostile) attention.*
*Don’t give a machine gunner a reason to do his job ~ The Fat Electrician.
Dov Shaul. Dov is Hebrew for ‘bear’ (a teddy to his friends, a grizzly to his enemies). Shaul is Hebrew for ‘an honoured gentile’. Dov is agnostic Norse (Viking) Pagan, and his family have a generations-old bond with the Jewish community.
Dov once served in the Australian Commandos (scout-sniper / machine gunner). Dov enlisted at the age of 18, and left the Army at the age of 24. Dov is now Freyja’s mentor and close companion, and Krsita’s housemate, verbal punching bag, (secret) close friend.
Is that a joke, a death wish, or both? ~ Primarch Corvus Corax Dov Shaul.
Dov would probably laugh at the thought of some civilian challenging him. While in the Commandos, Dov represented the Army for inter-service, and inter-armed forces, AFL and boxing matches. He rarely lost. If any of Dov’s new housemates heard said civvie threatening Dov…well…Dov would not have time to respond before the offending Rocky wannabe became pink mist.*
*There is no physical way to get unalived faster than to screw around with the girls’ Dov ~ The Fat Electrician (edited).
*A real man? I was raised among and raised by real men. I was trained by and have fought alongside real men. You are a sad imitation, a pathetic mockery of a real man ~ Hannah, to the Rocky impersonator.
None at the moment, although Krista has plans.
No, but yes. Unknown to Dov, he is part-clone (ref. Freyja). When Dov resumes his Commando exercises, as a part of Freyja’s training, Dov surpasses his previous physical peaks attained during his Army service. Dov’s already impressive healing rate is also revealed to have received a discrete boost, thanks to some undisclosed gene editing conducted while the (medically) comatose Dov was in Dr Lander’s care.
Dov believes he is average to moderately attractive,* but many of Dov’s new female housemates (from veteran mercenaries to hormonal teenagers) believe Dov fits comfortably within the handsome category.
*Dov never had much of an ego, and his Special Forces career excised the little he had. Dov learnt, in combat, your ego is a bigger threat than hostile fire.
Dov left the Commandos, but the Commandos didn’t leave Dov (physically, at least). However, Dov’s emotions are often his greatest weakness. He is adverse to risking conflict with those who are no threat to him, or those who have no underlying desire to harm him (despite what their outlandish antics suggest, ref. Krista). This has resulted in some unusual friendships where the towering monstrosity of an Aussie was bossed around by a diminutive though iron-willed figure.* A weakness Krista is both keen to exploit, and eager to protect.
*Dov is a veteran of a score of engagements, and a warrior beyond peer, but he is not a leader ~ Helsreach audio book (edited).
*Their need reaches out to your heart as naturally as a flower turns to the sun, and they trap you ~ Exodus (1960s film).
*I pushed you, and pushed you, in search of your limits, only to discover you didn’t have any ~ Citizen X.
In the normal world, Dov handled them reasonably well. In Karen’s world, Dov is often floundering. Dov has to learn, fast, that many of the old world’s morals, ethics, norms, etc, are now irrelevant.* For example, Dov expected Polanski (and Wolff) to be more guarded / cautious about a foreign man becoming their daughter’s (Krista’s) friend, but neither cared. Polanski seemed more concerned about Krista leading their new housemates astray…at least give the jet-lagged Dov a chance to unpack first…
*When you stepped into my theater the outside world vanished, so why does its opinion matter? ~ Dr Lander.
*I was mafia once, now I’m in private security. Both those worlds required a unique set of morals, but I discarded those long ago. All that matters is friendship and loyalty ~ Karen (Lambs to Lions short story).
Also Karen’s mercenaries tend to view Dov’s companionship with the overly devoted Freyja as comical or adorable, and they otherwise leave their new housemates alone (sometimes),** further unsettling Dov, again expecting a more traditional (hyper-protective Israeli) response.*** To be fair, it’s not the most unusual situation the mercenaries encountered among their number.
**Don’t worry about upsetting my fighters. If I say you are kosher, and you respect them, then no problems ~ Karen.
**One, perhaps. Everyone will return on Wednesday. Good luck with their blunt curiosity ~ Polanski.
***Betray my family, break Freyja’s heart, I feed you to the desert ~ Hannah.
Dov grew up on a farm to the west of Toowoomba, Queensland, as the eldest of four children. Dov had one brother and two sisters (twins). After Dov left the Army he lived alone in a Brisbane apartment. Now, Dov just moved into Karen’s fortress-villa situated south of Be’er Sheva, Israel.
Dov’s solitary at times withdrawn nature resulted in Dov only having a few friends in Australia. Now he doesn’t have any parental figures or mentors (that’s his role, in a sense). Although Karen or Polanski or Hannah sometimes act as advisors.
). He is also a necromancer and can manipulate life, summon and communicate with the dead. However, he currently can’t use his magic to its full scope… so far I’m thinking because of a curse.