As a member of the Kalanue tribe, Jehu was raised around the red rocks in the north of the Eyktolian desert. His body was refined by chasing goats among the rock formations, his reflexes by hunting the wild livestock that gathered in the shade of the stones. All he knew from the world outside the tribe was the stories told around the night fires, news from the Suli who lived near the Eypharians and from the Benshiran shepherds encountered with their sheep. Jehu was raised a typical Chaktawe boy among his family and tribe, rambunctious, mischievous and active.
Until a year after the Djed storms, the time of the Searching, the ritual where a young Chaktawe meets his guardian, and perhaps receives a word from the gods. Jehu was anxious but excited about the rite of passage, unafraid to venture out into the desert alone to receive what every Chaktawe was given during the Search. All began well, he was able to find water, hunted bowback goats and found viper cucumber and hik fruit.
One night, a pair of Eypharian jackals slipped into his camp and attempted to steal a goat Jehu had killed. He fought them off with his spear, but tripped over a rock and struck his head. In the feverish hours that passed in semi-unconsciousness, Jehu heard a voice like running water. The words spoken were disheartening, for they told him he was not ready yet for his guardian, but that the answers to his questions would be answered beyond the Burning Lands.
When dawn broke, Jehu awoke, devastated at the word, which he attributed to Eywaat or Makutsi. Dejected, he returned to the tribe. The next few years, Jehu was treated differently. Not openly, and not cruelly, but with a mix of pity and uncertainty. Why was he not given a guardian? Is he cursed? Eventually, it became more than he could bear. The words he heard during the Searching echoed in his head. Would he dare leave the tribe?
Finally, after overhearing the conversation of several girls about him, mocking him, Jehu decided to leave, three days after his eighteenth birthday. His parents resisted but he would not be dissuaded, and he left.
Jehu found his way to Anhatep. It was his first encounter with a city. Uncomfortable with the busyness and walls, he did find the strange new kinds of people fascinating. It was also the first time he witness the use of Reimancy, something that would occupy his interest from that moment on.
Jehu found work as a laborer, since there was still much construction in the rebuilding after the storms. He was a quick learner, and began to grasp the basic concepts of building structures, pleasing his employer. But, eventually, the mistreatment by Eypharians in general, who saw his as a savage, compelled Jehu to leave. Using all his savings, he joined a trade caravan leaving Ahnatep for Riverfall.
In Riverfall, laborer work was hard to find in a city of hulking male Akalak. But an opportunity of a life time came along. Adventurers were arranging an expedition across the waters to the shore of Falyndar to bring back various exotic trade items. Desperate for work and excited for an adventure outside of high walls, Jehu signed up as a hand. His ability to find water was toted as an advantage, as well as the fact that his limited need for freshwater would not impact the ship's supply during the trip. The expedition was a success, his ability to exist in the wild lending some assistance while he learned as much as he could from the guides. Jehu accompanied the traders several more times, learning more about the jungle each time.
The jungle and the beaches were so different than the Burning Lands, yet he found their isolation and richness almost homelike. Whne he head of the journeys to the fledgling settlement Syka, Jehu could not imagine a greater adventure, or a better place to make a home. Maybe there, he would find his guardian.
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