Moru

[Moru]

Moru the Clanless Appearance Race: Myrian Gender: male Age: 10 Birthday: 79th Day, Summer of 503 A.V. Birthplace: Plantation near Kenash Appearance: Compared to most Myrian boys of his age Moru is a bit small and on the skinny side. His strength is a bit hidden in his wiry build but otherwise his body is well proportioned. The hardships of the last two years caused this lack in development. Only his fluent graceful movements indicate that his lack of development is counterbalanced by speed and agility. Being born to dark skinned parents his skin is is quite dark. An unusual tattooed black mark adorns his left shoulder. It a very old rarely used symbol so many younger Myrian's may not recognize it's meaning. The symbol shows that he is without a clan on his own choice and made a vow to stay that way until he fulfilled a certain duty or mission. After fulfilling that mission a second part can be added to it and it becomes a sign that can be worn with honor because he fulfilled his mission despite all the hardships that came with it and being without a clan. His black hair is cropped short to show his shame of not being able to help his father and friends in a time of mortal danger. Moru keeps it short because for him this is a part of the vow he made. The boys has very dark brown eyes. His only clothing is a very simple loincloth made from two small crude flaps of a soft leather hanging from a rope around his waist. He made it himself about two years ago before he entered Taloba the first time and the leather is stained and frayed from constant use and age. Despite his low clanless status and being a child living alone the boy keeps himself as clean as possible. He tries to bath daily or more often if necessary. A primitive but sharp stone knife is usually bound to his left lower leg. If there is the need for it a self made bola hangs from the rope of his loincloth and he carries a simple wooden spear in his hand. Character Concept Moru is some sort of outcast to his own people because as a clanless boy he stands outside their society. Unable to even help his father and friends in deadly danger the killed them or carried them away into slavery he made a vow to Myri and himself to live without a clan until he found his missing mother or learned about the circumstances of her death. The rare ancient tattoo on his left shoulder and Moru's short hair are constant reminders of his vow and shame for Moru but they cause him to stand out even more in Taloba. Moru is still unaware that his father is thought to be a deserter. The man was whisked away by slavers during his nightly guard duties. With no traces to be found he was finally declared a deserter because it was the only explanation the seemed reasonable. Finding out about this will be a shock to Moru but he will try to set this right too. His mother had been a slave too for many years. Moru never learned what clan she belonged to so he can only go to his father's clan if he one day decides to get accepted. Being seen as the spawn of a deserter might complicate things, especially if he insists that the man didn't desert. Despite the distrust and the hardships this threw at him Moru not only survived but is now trying to earn his place in his rightful society. Reaching the age of an adolescent and the usual rites of passage unavailable to the clanless boy Moru will try to earn his position in the Myrian society by showing his courage and determination in other ways. Ways like exploring secret, dangerous or hard to reach places a boy his age usually wouldn't go to show his courage and determination to go on despite all hardships. This he does not only for other but for himself too. It will show him that he can be as good and strong as any other child in Taloba. He tries hard to earn the respect of the people. He can't impress everybody but if the right ones become aware of it that might be his chance. His father expected problems from his own clan because Moru was born as a slave and that's the reason he trained Moru from his earliest age to have the ability to survive and earn his own place between the Myrians. Moru was orphaned too early so he's not fully prepared but that will not stop him to try. He may be rejected but he will still fight to survive. Personality: The boy has been prepared to master difficult situation on his own by his father for most of his life. He is strong willed and determined enough not to give up as long as there is still some hope. But Moru thinks he is at fault because he was the only survivor as the slavers attacked their part of the Village of the Shining Scales and killed his father. Many the other survivors had been kidnapped and probably suffered horribly by now. Moru had been trapped below the debris of their hut and saw everything but had been overlooked by the attackers. It needed the help of other villagers to free him after the attack. This is a very sore spot for him. In his heart the boy is not really a warrior but more a scout and hunter. Likes and Dislikes: Moru loves it to hunt and gather because it allows him the freedom of being outside the city. There is nobody to harass or humiliate him about not being a true Myrian or without clan too. As soon as he saw the first Myrian tiger he adored them for their strength and power. He thinks there is very little chance they would allow him to bond with one but deep down he longs to do that one day. He visits the place the Myrian tigers are trained as often as possible. He is always ready to help if an additional hand is needed there. To be close to the tigers he adores so much the boy will do nearly anything. The boy likes to bath daily if possible to stay clean as he had been raised to. He dislikes being inside enclosed spaces. Used to being outside and feeling the air move over his bare skin it feels to him like being cut of from an important part of being alive. It's not like an obsession or phobia but it's one of the reasons he choose to stay inside the ruins of the Arena of Ancients instead of regularly sleeping in the root cellar of the Den of Exiles. For the same reason he prefers to go without too much cloths or footwear even if he should be able to afford them. The boy was taught to respect nature and he would never take more from it than is needed. Killing unnecessarily he sees as a crime against nature. Character History As far as Moru knows his father had been a soldier in the Myrian army and a member of the clan of the Tempered Steel as fate changed his life dramatically. He was on guard at night as he went to investigate a strange noise. Some slavers overpowered him before he had a chance to raise alarm or fight back. The few tracks left had been removed by the slavers. The man never learned that he had been declared a deserter by his people. Near the city of Kenash a plantation owner had inspected the slaves. His special interest had been in Moru's father. It had been obvious that slave was a fighter and yet unbroken and that was the reason the man made him an offer Moru's father couldn't refuse. He became his masters loyal guard and was offered a certain amount of money every season to earn his freedom back or use it otherwise. On the plantation he met Moru's mother who was a dark skinned Myrian slave too. She had been on the plantation for many years. After falling in love the two married with their masters consent and on the 79th Day, Summer of 503 A.V. Moru was born. A few weeks before Moru's second birthday his life changed again. Their owners wife had been jealous about Moru's mother for a long time and with their owner away she sold the boy's mother to traveling slavers. As their owner came back he was furious with his wife. Moru's father had been only months away from buying the freedom of all three of them and now his wife ripped the family of his most trusted guard apart. There was no way to buy Moru's mother back because they didn't know where the slavers went so the only thing their owner could do was giving them their freedom and making sure they got back to Falyndar safely. Moru's father feared what the boy had to expect back at his country as being born a slave by enslaved parents. It was unsure that the man's clan would accept the boy especially as he was born to a woman of unknown heritage. Moru's mother had been reluctant to reveal the name of her clan and back on the farm it didn't seem important enough to force it from her. Moru's father thought there would be time enough after they had been free but now it was impossible to know. A severe stigma and burden for the boy. To lessen the impact on the boy his father settled down in the Village of the Shining Scales. His father never told his full name and knowing he was a freed slave from outside the villagers never asked. He made a living by becoming a guard and they move into an old hut on the outskirts of the village that had been left a long time ago. With his father becoming a very skilled protector of the settlement he and the boy got finally accepted as parts of the village. Almost immediately his father began to train Moru into becoming an independent hunter and warrior and what he had to expect out side their village. He did all he could to ensure his boy would be strong enough to claim his own place inside their society and to survive on his own if necessary. For six years Moru had a happy life. Still young he knew all the important things about survival in their area and his other skill became close to or above those of other children of his age. Growing up with them he was accepted by the children of the village and got used to outsiders too because they had been a regular sight in the village. In the summer of 511 A.V. a party of slavers attacked their part of the village at night. After being out hunting for two days the about eight year old Moru was asleep inside their little hut on the edge of the village. He awoke from something crashing through the walls but before he was able to react the simple hut tumbled down on top of him. He was lucky not to be seriously hurt but the debris pinned him down, hurt and in the darkness it was impossible for him to get out there. But Moru was able to see what was going on through the many gaps between the debris. The fight, illuminated by the flames of two burning huts, was short and brutal. With the surprise attack to quickly catch a few slaves gone awry because of Moru's father the slavers now retreated. Still they killed a number of people and took even more with them as slaves. Despite all he tried Moru could do nothing but watch as his friends and fellow villagers had been cut down from the retreating slavers and even more being pulled along in bondage. The arrival of other villagers finally drove the slavers back to their boats and they escaped by water. It was day as Moru regained consciousness as they pulled him out of his destroyed home. He hurt everywhere from bruises, abrasions and lying for hours in a very uncomfortable position und the debris before he had been found and saved by the villagers. But even worse had been the self-reproaches about not being able to help in the fight. Despite his pain he insisted on helping with the cleanup because he wanted to know what happened to his father. In the middle of the carnage at the place of the most violent fights he found the mutilated carcass of his father. Beside him the dead hunting dog they brought back with them and who had been a faithful companion for the boy since then. The pain of his loss nearly broke the boy but finally his training got the upper hand and with it the determination to do what had to be done. Sleeping naked and without a cover he wore nothing but Moru ignored his state of undress and searched for survivors and something usable left behind of their own possessions. The other villagers helped but the only things they found was his primitive but sharp stone knife which he always kept beside his pallet at night and a small pile of thing that looked rather useless at first. The boy insisted on helping with the preparations of the burial of the dead villagers. Most of them had been friend or people he knew well. Despite hurting and being exhausted the boy didn't falter in his efforts which earned him respect from the men and woman he worked with. The only highlight at this awful, sad and exhausting word had been that he found his mothers flute below his fathers body. It looked like a crude flute roughly carved from a piece of bone by a child but Moru knew from the tales his father told him that it was made a very tough piece of bone. Years ago the man explained to Moru how much love and care his mother invested to make this small flute with it's unusual deep resonating sound. Moru was sure his mother played it to him as he was very little but consciously he only remembered his father learning to play sad but heart wrenching songs on it in remembrance of Moru's mother. The boy promised himself to learn how to play these songs too. It was at the cremation of his father and dog that the full pain of his loss finally overcame Moru. There he was all alone without even a clan to belong to. His father murdered and his mother whisked away to an unknown place as a slave. Even his faithful dog had been killed. Suddenly an inspiration hit Moru that gave him new strength. To the amazement of the villagers that witnessed it the boy suddenly stood proudly erect and declared the the was going to Taloba like his father planned for them to do. Next he vowed to Myri and himself that he was going to live as a clanless until he found his mother or learned how she died. The boy was aware that it could take a long time if not his whole life to do this but he was not aware of the consequences this would have on his life in Taloba. At that time it seemed to be the right thing to do. The day had about three to four hours of light left as Moru made his vow. He knew it would burn into the night and after taking a couple minutes to remember the dead he decided to recheck the few saved belongings if anything could be useful for his journey to Taloba. The journey was dangerous enough and he couldn't arrive there fully naked or he would never be allowed inside he figured out. Now he looked over the meager pile of mostly useless debris he was able to recover. He found a piece of old but soft leather and three round stone had been in the pile too but Moru had no idea what to do with them beside throwing them. Lost beside the pyres he found a mostly straight branch too and planned to build a simple spear from it. Luckily he still had his stone knife. A primitive tool used by children but one more than welcome. Half the night the boy worked in the light provided by the pyre to prepare for his journey. One of the first things Moru was taught by his father was never to go into the jungle without a weapon and as soon as he was ready he learned how to make some of the simpler ones if needed. The branch was not perfect to be a spear but using his stone knife Moru made it as good as he could. Carefully he sharpened the wooden tip and hardened it on the fire of the pyre. With this part done he turned his attention to the leather. Making clothing of any sort he never learned but he knew how to cut it into stripes and braid them into a rope. Seeing the three rounded stones suddenly gave him an idea. He made three similar ropes from the leather and bound the stones to one end of each rope. The other ends he knotted together to form a bola. A weapon he surely needed to train with but at least a ranged weapon. There was not much soft leather left but with some thinking the boy figured out how to cut it to make a rope around his waist and two crude pieces that hung down from the rope at his front and back. After long hours of work Moru fell asleep just in front of the pyre with the remains of his father. The other villagers had long since gone but left the boy who was obviously working hard to prepare for his vow and promise to go to Taloba. It was at the first light that an old Myrian man walked to the boy's side and woke him up. Surprised Moru recognized him as the old shaman that lived in the village. The shaman explained that he heard the people talk about his vow and that he was impressed by it and came to offer his support. He told the boy of an ancient now barely known symbol for somebody who vowed to live without a clan until he fulfilled his vow. Then a second part could be added to the tattoo to make it a sign of honor for the wearers determination to go through with the vow. The shaman offered to tattoo the symbol on Moru's shoulder if the boy was willing to do it. Intrigued that somebody else would have made such a vow a long time ago Moru saw this as a sign and accepted the offer of the shaman. The boy went with the shaman and it took the full day to finish the tattoo. Moru learned that getting a tattoo was a rather painful experience but his training helped him to endure the pain. It was not just getting the tattoo on his left shoulder but the shaman showed him the finished tattoo too and made sure Moru was able to draw it. He wanted to ensure the boy could get the second part too even if he wasn't able to visit the village again or it took longer then the old man had to live. The shaman also wanted the boy to understand many younger Myrians wouldn't know the symbol and there might be misunderstandings about the meaning. The next morning Moru was as ready for the dangerous journey to Taloba as he would ever be. The villagers offered him clothing, weapons and food but the only thing Moru accepted was some food that would hold him up for the first day. Taking more would burden him down and he needed to hunt and gather anyway. About the cloths and weapons the boy had a feeling he had to go with only the things he made last night after his vow. There was some discussion because the villagers thought he wouldn't survive that way out there on his own. It was the shaman supporting Moru that ended the discussion and Moru got on his way. With the need to hunt, gather and avoid dangerous predators Moru needed weeks before he reached Taloba. He was quite haggard looking after the exhausting and dangerous journey. It was not a sign of starvation but the result of the hardships his body had to endure on the long march through difficult and dangerous territory. In the last morning he had been lucky enough to kill a not too big antelope and he carried it over his shoulders as he reached the town. The gate was guarded by two guards and their Myrian tigers. It was the first time he saw one of those tigers. Instead of frightening him the boy was just awed by their size and strength. Naturally he dreamed about becoming a rider one day but quickly told himself how unlikely that was to happen. As a sign of what the boy had to expect the guards had not been very friendly as he approached them and called himself 'Moru the clanless' but the skinny boys proud, honest and fearless approach finally got their attention and they allowed him inside. (Flashback planned) Moru decided to offer his antelope to the tigers as a sign of respect. Recognizing this as the gesture from an obviously awed young boy meeting his first Myrian tigers and the boy asked them properly the riders accepted and it made them a bit more friendly. They even told him a few things a boy without clan needed to know about Taloba. One of the things they told him about was the Den of Exiles and they advised him to go there with some prey to offer as it was obvious he didn't have enough money. That day Moru wandered a bit lost through the city and tried to avoid trouble. In the evening he looked for a place to sleep and looked for a hidden corner. It was as bad night because Moru was driven away a couple times over the night. He didn't mind sleeping rough but being awakened by angry shouts or even a kick was not good. Quickly Moru decided to hunt the coming day and to seek out the Den of Exiles. The next evening he was again loaded with a lucky kill across his shoulders as he approached the building. A woman named Riaka approached him and told him she was the manager of the building. Sadly she told Moru that there was no free place in the Den of Exiles. They kept talking and seeing the boy's predicament Riaka suggest the root cellar after a while. For the meat she offered him a meal and that he could use the cellar for a week. After having little sleep the night before Moru agreed. He didn't mind sleeping on the ground and that night he slept well because he was tired. But the place was too dark and narrow for Moru to feel really well who was used to being outside most of the time. Talking to Riaka she pointed out a few places the next morning and she added the Arena of Ancients more as a joke. In the end that was the place Moru liked the most though. Besides rarely staying there Moru kept his little corner in the root cellar of the Den of Exiles. At first it had been meant for only a week but with the boy bringing in meat as well as some roots regularly this somehow developed into a more permanent arrangement. Moru only slept there if something made it impossible for him to stay in the Arena of Ancients but he stored his few meager possessions there and got a meal for the supplies he brought in. The following two years Moru worked hard to survive. At first he was often shunned, humiliated and insulted. The place that offered at least a little protection against the severe rains in the Arena of Ancients was barely big enough for a child like him and well enough out of sight that many who fought out their disagreements there became not aware of him being there. He went out to hunt and gather and at first he had to endure many hardships until he got better at finding food. Even later he regularly stayed out for two or three days before he found something to feed him. The better his abilities in hunting and survival became the more he was able to slowly integrate himself into the city life. By selling food or searched for things he found in the jungle Moru was able to earn a bit money for the things his skills couldn't provide. After some month sometimes he could be seen just in sight of training soldiers, trying to copy their moves. Even more often he could be found at the place where the riders trained with their tigers. At first he had looked from some distance but one day a rider who thought the reason was fear called him closer. Moru didn't need a second invitation because he didn't fear the Myrian tigers. He respected them and their strength and felt awe for them. After being able to give one rider a hand he went there as often as he could to be close to the tigers. He was willing to help out if another hand was needed in nearly any way he could. He wouldn't fall for the mean tricks some of the riders liked to play him. At least not twice of a similar trick. After these two year Moru grew only a little because his body needed all the resources to survive. The boy became leaner and more wiry than he had been before he left the Village of the Shining Scales but lost the haggard sight he had at his arrival. The continued exercise and life of a hunter made him quicker and more agile which made up for his lower strength compared to other Myrian children. There just had not been a reason for the boy to replace his primitive loincloth but with age and constant use it became frayed and stained with old age and constant use. Very few inhabitants would openly say so but over the last two years Moru earned a little respect from some of the people. The boy became a regular sight around the city and every time you saw him he was doing some work, bartering, training, trying to learn or to be of help for the riders and tigers on the training grounds. Despite the hard life the boy lived he was usually surprisingly clean if he was seen inside the city. His meager loincloth showed it's age but even that was more than reasonably clean for a boy his age. After reaching the age of adolescence Moru's next important step above survival was trying to earn his way into the Myrian society. The vow he made and the tattoo surely was a big disadvantage but Moru wouldn't even think about getting out of it. Instead he would even try harder to earn his place in Taloba. Language Fluent Language: Myrian Basic Language: Common Poor Language: Myrian secret communication (animal sounds ...) Skills Skill EXP Total Proficiency Acrobatics +1 XP 1 Novice Bola 5 SP 5 Novice Hunting 5 SP 5 Novice Investigation +2 XP 2 Novice Observation +5 XP 5 Novice Rhetoric +4 SP 4 Novice Spear 5 SP 5 Novice Stealth 5 SP 5 Novice Tracking 10 RB 10 Novice Wilderness Survival 30 SP 30 Competent Lores Poisonous Plants of Falyndar Hunting in Falyndar Being Carried Like a Tiger Cub Hoyta: A Prideful Rider The Tale of the Myrian Tiger Being Near the Tigers, But Not Being With Them A White Tiger Cub Lives Becoming a Laborer in the Tiger Yards Possessions 1 primitive loincloth (leather rope with 2 small frayed and stained soft leather flaps in front and back) 1 Waterskin 1 Backpack (leather; child size) - Flint & Steel - a bit of dried meat 1 Stone Knife (sharp; in sheath bound to his left lower leg) 1 simple Spear (wooden tip hardened in fire) 1 Bola (made from round stones and leather rope) Heirloom: His mothers 4 inch long bone flute worn on a leather string around his neck (looks crude and roughly carved but is made of very dense bone and has an unusual deep resonating tone) Housing Location: Taloba House: A corner in the root cellar of the Den of Exiles (Moru doesn't pay for it but for bringing in meat and some other supplies Riaka allows him to store his meager possessions there or to sleep down there if he needs to do it) Ledger Purchase Cost Total Starting 0 GM 100 GM Stone Knife 5 SM 99 GM; 5 SM simple Spear 3 GM 96 GM; 5 SM Bola 15 GM 81 GM; 5 SM *) Moru rarely has money on his person. Unless he needs some his few bikka are stored at his little place in the Den of Exiles. Thread List 510 A.V. Winter 83rd Day: (Jungle Wilds) Unexpected Encounter 511 A.V. Fall 74th Day: (Taloba: Tiger Training Area) Chance For An Exciting Job