Born a simple Haenseni peasant, Meero grew up in the outskirts of New Reza, the child of two farmers who tended a piece of the land owned by the then-monarch of Haense, Andrew IV. It was clear to see he was a ‘wild child’ as early as his preteen years. From a young age, he was antagonistic to authority, often finding himself detained by the local guard for blatant disrespect of the law, and getting into fights with other children who antagonized him because of his reputation. For a long time, to many, he seemed to have no ambitions, no interests, no goals in mind, yet it was clear he didn’t want to stay in Haense for the rest of his life. He would often attempt to run away from home, only to return shortly after, realizing that he wouldn’t make it far without food, support, or a basic means of defense. The only time he seemed calm was when he watched the ships shore in and out of the New Reza port.
Little did everyone know that, in reality, this was his true ambition; he had a deep unfulfilled desire to be out on the open sea. He saw it has his path to freedom, as a way to see distant lands and live out from under the thumb of the kingdoms of man. However, this desire would remain unfulfilled until, five years ago, an opportunity presented itself. The new king of Haense, Sigismund II, was coronated, and the port was ablaze with activity, with people coming from all across the domain of the Orenian Empire to witness the event. In the commotion, Meero, at the ripe old age of fourteen, stowed away, running away from home for the final time.
Through travelling aboard several ships, whether through stowing away or offering to work on deck to receive passage, his travels would eventually take him to Sutica, where, using the knowledge accumulated in his travels, he fell in with other sailors, shipwrights, and, most importantly to his story, smugglers. For though he tried dock work, shipbuilding, and working on fishing vessels, none of it truly fulfilled him, and he always felt that the powers that be were always looming above, ready to bend him to their whim. While he was happier than ever before, greatly helped by the way the governance of Sutica operated, he could never feel truly free as a fisherman, or deckhand, or especially as a dock worker. And so, as time went on, Meero would eventually fall in with pirates, who offered him the opportunity for the freedom he truly craved.
Meero shifts uncomfortably, partially to conceal anything he might be carrying under his cloak, and partially to a desire to avoid conversation. He grimaces, and tries to cover his face in his cloak. “I... would prefer to keep it to myself,” he replies, being brisk as to move the conversation along as quickly as possible. When it became clear to him that the man would persist, he broke into a brisk stride to get away from him, trying to avoid drawing attention.
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