Aramaeyis

Aramaeyis was born a small, frail Syndar child in the kingdom of Tielorrien in the year 245 but loved by his parents nonetheless. Miraluya Whisperwind was a performer, recognized for the fluidity of her movements that made her feral syndar traits much more acceptable to others around her. Her husband, Korvarric Whisperwind, owned a small tavern that was always filled with the sounds of music from his instruments and laughter from the patrons. They worshipped the Goddess Lunara and it showed by the love and care they showed one another, and even more so to Aramaeyis. As he continued to grow, Aramaeyis developed small fangs and claws, much to the dismay of his mother who worried it would be hard for him to fit in. Even though Syndar always inherit traits from their mothers she had hoped and prayed that Aramaeyis would be different, but the only Serous trait developed from his father was his “normal skin” and one green eye while the other was blue like hers.
When the undead plague started to ravage the Syndar lands, his parents sold and traded what they could to book passage to the new world hoping to keep Aramaeyis safe. As they made their way to their escape point his father was caught by a a pack of undead. He fought and clawed against the creatures begging Miraluya to take Aramaeyis away.
“Save our son, my love”, he screamed, “And, when it is time, may Lunara bring our love into the mana stream once more!”
The image of his father being ravaged by the undead and his blood quenching the earth itself bore itself into Aramaeyis’ mind. It would be something he would never forget, and the sight of blood itself brought up a feeling of disgust in his gut.
Upon arriving to Madrun, they found a small home in the settlement of New Hope. Fearful that he would grow to resent other Syndar for being shunned for his appearance, Miraluya started to teach Aramaeyis about how important the mana stream really was to their people and also started to teach him to dance. Grief was taking her at the loss of her beloved and she had to leave Aramaeyis with some way to deal with the disgust of others and instead turn it into something passionate and raw. She was surprised how easily he was able to take to her teachings, his body moving in ways even she couldn’t.
He had such control , such emotion, and such beauty to his movements that it left her amazed. Aramaeyis was always at home amongst the flowers and the trees. He danced everyday within the forests claiming the mana stream guided his body and filled him with energy and love. As his mother approached one day, Aramaeyis bowed his head, closed his eyes, and greeted her in the way Syndar were normally accustomed to, “Siala Kay Nu, mother.”
It shook her to see her son in the light. His fangs and nails had grown longer, his eyes shined brightly among the sunlight peeking through the trees, and
he was growing into a man. She sat Aramaeyis down and started to tell him stories of what she did before she met his father. Her dances were a way for her to gather money enough to survive. She danced in taverns and even personally for men and women alike, and watched as they looked upon her in awe.
“You must remember my love and my life, our dance is a form of art and will show people who you really are. You can also use it to alter the emotions of others. All Syndar are born with magic and you will learn to harness yours through your movements. Make them feel them music, the emotions, and the passion your dances bring. The only thing I ask of you Aramaeyis, is to promise to never take the life of another. Your heart is large, and grief is a deadly poison to our people. My prayer is that you never have to experience the destruction of taking another’s life.”
Looking upon his mother, Aramaeyis grew worried but he nodded his head softly and said, “I promise mother, I will only bring joy to those I come across.”
A few years later, Miraluya grew sickly. Aramaeyis remembered her stories of dancing for money, and saw it as a way to try and get some medicine for his mother. Even though she pleaded and begged for him not to go along the same path as her, he wouldn’t listen. Losing his mother was something Aramaeyis could not stomach. Knowing no tavern would take him now, he started to perform in the streets drawing small crowds at first that grew larger everyday as people started to be entranced by his movements. He soon started to learn that people sought him out for more than dances. They wanted a companion, which to Aramaeyis who was shunned for always being different, was an appealing thought. He soon learned however, that companionship meant more than he thought it did.
Men and women alike requested him after being entranced by his dances but it brought about the money he needed to care for his mother. Aramaeyis soon learned that those who he shared a bed with, also liked to share the secrets of others while relaxed. He also found out that some people would pay quite well from secrets learned from others. Among those he danced for Aramaeyis met an eccentric man by the name of Thanderion. He aroused the curiosities in Aramaeyis with his stories of dueling and fencing
and boasted that he himself was the most famous and well known fencer among the land. As Aramaeyis spent time with Thanderion and learned more about the world they were in, he learned of a place called the Brown Chicken Brown Cow. An establishment that excelled at the skills his mother used to display and that he started to learn himself. It was run by a woman named Marrah whose beauty was only matched by the sharpness of her tongue. It intrigued him to learn that everyone there was excepted by her as long as you had something to offer her.
Eventually, the grief took Miraluya. The loss of her husband and loss of her sons pure nature became too much for her. Her only wish was that her son would find happiness in everything he did. The loss of his mother however, stung Aramaeyis like a blade to the heart. She was the only person that truly accepted all of him and loved him for it and now she was no more. Even though he knew she would be returned to the mana stream, the thought of never feeling her warmth and her love again became a pit in his stomach. As the years went on he turned to joys of the spirit and his dances became more feral, more raw. Thanderion visited once again, and upon seeing Aramaeyis in this state, offered to travel with him to see Marrah. He hoped that finding a place where he would be included would keep Maey from going down a darker path. As they traveled they grew closer as friends, and the smile that once used to light Maey’s face was brighter than before. As they traveled they came upon the company of an Ulven
camp. Maey had always regarded the ulven with a large amount of respect, knowing that even though the Ulven were large and beast like, honor was the highest priority to them. As they approached he realized they were armed and the symbol of a great wolf was shown among them.
“It’s the Wardens of the Great Wolf,” Thanderion explained. “They are a band of warriors,
healers, and the like who believe in honor and justice among all things. It would seem we are lucky young Maey, Marrah is one of them.” Maey grew excited upon seeing how diverse this group was. They all seemed to enjoy the company of one another, and even upon seeing Maey’s fangs and claws, looked upon him as they would any other. Thanderion led Maey to a beautiful woman who he soon learned was Marrah herself. “He tells me you have a gift of movement as well as the gift of tongue.” Marrah looked upon Maey studying his appearance. “I heard of a certain feral Syndar dancer who had a way with secrets. We were actually hoping to run across you among our travels. You must know that serving me has it’s perks however, you are mine. The wardens are a group who believe in honor and justice, but we realize that passion and pleasure also bring in necessary coin. Be mine and I promise you a life of thrills, secrets, and music to rile your very soul.” Maey couldn’t resist her. The woman was a master of words, and before he knew it he was nodding his head as Marrah placed a collar around his neck, “You’ll come
to love it, trust me.”
As Maey traveled with the Wardens he grew quite fond of those he traveled with. They all came from different lives and had their own tragedies and they understood him. Even though thinking of his parents always drove sadness into his face, he remembered his oath to his mother. To always bring joy to others and never harm. Some of the Wardens were indifferent about the oath, but respected it nonetheless. Marrah wanted to prepare Maey for a grand event they were preparing for. As the group prepared for their journey, he couldn’t be more excited to see what life among the Wardens and his new friends would bring.