Neron Vakal married his Vantha wife Dulana Frostfawn on his 50th birthday. Neron knew it would be heartbreaking falling in love with a human woman, but he decided to take the risk marry her anyways. It took them five years of trying to conceive a child together. It was frustrating time for the miner and his wife who was hunter, but eventually the gods gifted them with a child. The pregnancy was hard on both of them especially Dulana who had hard time finding energy during the year of being pregnant with her akalak son. This lack of energy put a strain on the young family income, so Neron had to work long hours in the mines to provide for his family. When it was time to give birth to Duron, Dulana barely had enough strength to give birth to him, but she was hardy enough to suffer through the ordeal and give birth to her son; however she died a couple bells later in her sleep. Aferan Duron Vakal was born in the winter of 460AV.
Neron Vakal was a typical akalak father who wished his best for his son, so when the boy was able to walk, the large purple man gave his son a wooden lakan. Even though, all Aferan did for the first month was chew on the stained wood. For the first year of his life, Aferan's father was distant with his son because he was still mourning the death of his wife, working long hours at his job in the mines, and daily martial training. Clearly lacking time during the day, Neron relied on his konti mother to take care of his son while he wasn't at home. However, when Neron had a moment of rest, he would always made time to spend time with his son.
During his first fifteen years of life, Aferan spent his younger years honing his martial arts training in unarmed combat and armed combat with his lakan. Aferan didn't have many friends in Valkalah Academy or in the training halls because the children could already tell that something was off about the quite boy because Aferan's lighter personality hadn't started to surface unlike the rest of the akalak children. When Aferan's instructors started to tell his father about their concerns for his son's mental well being, the normally stoic man got noticeably agitated with them. He was twelve at the time, and Aferan never saw his father lose his temper with anyone. It scared the boy, but he figured his father was only protecting him. From the age of twelve to fifteen, Duron started to notice a change in his father towards him because he always had a look of concern on his face when he watched him train. During these years, he noticed his father seemed to set the standard higher for his son. Nothing was good enough to please the man as he demanded perfection out of his son. As Aferan got older, he noticed his father was less like a father and more like a taskmaster.
When Aferan was fifteen years old, the relationship with his father and him was starting to strain because his “light brother” hadn't surfaced at all. To make matters worse, Neron started to see a konti woman, and he seemed to neglect the emotional needs for his son. Who had started to feel quite isolated in school because he was considered the freak to the rest of his peers. Feeling utterly alone, Aferan started to wonder if his father would even care if he survived the hunt. This feeling started to eat at him inside as he prepared mentally and physically for the hunt. He knew his peers would be more than useless to him if he got into trouble, so he knew that he could only rely on himself if he got into trouble. When the hunt started, Aferan started to notice a voice in the back of his head started to give him helpful advice. When the group found the Glassbeak, the great bird killed four of akalak boys. The remaining boys finally killed the beast with a combined attack of spears and arrows. It was a great victory for the young hunting party, so on the way home, they carried their dead along with the body of beast. Aferan didn't partake in the revelry because he was to haunted by the voice in the back of his head.
From fifteen years to age thirty, Aferan decided his profession was going to be a hunter like his late mother. At the glassbeak feast, his father with tears in his eyes embraced his son. During these fifteen years, Aferan was still plagued with the annoying voice in the back of his mind, so he did his best to suppress it. Aferan used his fathers harsh lessons in discipline as a warrior and applied it to his trade as a hunter. Since his father wasn't a hunter, he asked to be a apprentice under a hunter in the city without the help of his father who was to busy with his new konti wife.
Life was simple for the young hunter because he now felt like he was always under the watchful eyes of his father, but by the age of twenty, he was kind of starting to get concerned that he would never be reunited with his dark brother. Aferan spent most of time honing his skills as a warrior and hunter. He enjoyed sparring with his peers with or without weapons. Around his thirtieth birthday, Aferan with the help of master weapon smiths forged his first lakan. Up until this moment, he was only fighting with a wooden lakan, so the feel of the metal between his fingers was exhilarating. On his thirtieth birthday, Aferan decided to hunt a zith on his own. He knew hunting a zith with group would sort of tarnish the battle if he needed the help from his peers. When he found a lone zith, he ambushed it while it was feasting on small grassland animal. The young akalak slew the fiend, but during the battle, the light voice in the back of his head finally took control over as his main personality. In a episode of rage, Duron, the dark brother, didn't just kill the zith.
Duron dismembered it and brought the bloody pieces of the zith back to show his family and peers. Seeing what his son had done, Neron feared for the safety of pregnant wife because his son seemed to be unable to control the actions of his dark brother. The next day the newly dominate personality Duron was brought before the Council of Elders for evaluation. The deliberations went on for three days and eventually they decided to continue to observe the young man to see if he can control the behaviors and actions caused by the conflicts in the young man's mind.
From the ages of thirty to forty, Duron spent these years rebelling against his father who seemed to be absorbed with his new family. Whenever, they did talk. It always turned into a fight especially when he brought up his "dark brother" Aferan into a conversation. Duron knew that his father had no love for the new dominate personalities that took over his son during the zith hunt. As the fights got worse, Duron decided that he wanted sabotage his father reputation, so he started to get into gambling, boozing, and petty theft. This lifestyle lasted for five years till his father threw him out into the street. Eventually, Duron's life of crime caught up with him, and he brought in front of the Council of Elders to be evaluated after he was arrest for breaking into a house. After the trial, they deemed him unbalanced, so they sentenced him to join the Cerulean Cult.
For fourteen years, Duron had been a part of the Cerulean Cult, and he had to admit that he was grateful for it because it allowed the light brother to manifest fully. All that remains of the dark brother was annoying voice in the back of his head. During his time in the cult, the once reserved and quiet young man was now social able with his fellow Ceruleans. Duron openly admit that the sudden change to his demeanor was the result of him embracing his Vantha bloodline, so unlike his akalak upbringing, he enjoys the fact that he is less disciplined and tends to be more spontaneous with his actions. He just calls it thinking on his feet. This drastic change in his son didn't sit well with his father Neron, so eventually, the visits became less and less till eventually Duron didn't see his father at all. The new Duron embraced the identity of being the reject to his people because it allowed him certain freedoms that the “normal” akalak wouldn't dare exercise because of their honor.
During his years as a apprentice hunter, Duron learned how to be stealthy, but as member of the Cerulean Cult, stealth was considered a art form. Even though stealing was a crime in Riverfall, the Cerulean taught him the basics of larceny like lock picking and pick pocketing because even though these skills are frowned upon in normal society. It was useful skill to get into secure places in the city. Finally, the Cerulean Cult taught him acrobatics, so he could manipulate his body to gain a advantage over his environment or enemies. Today, Duron uses his abilities to learned from his youth and the Cerulean Cult to protect the city from outside and inside influences. |
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