Im’yned was always a very shy person, having grown up as an only child, with very few close friends. He didn’t particularly derive satisfaction from interaction with his peers, preferring the approval of his teachers and tutors. He was very bright, particularly excelling in the physical and biological sciences. He was, rather predictably, an utter failure at magic. He would spend long hours of his day with his hair pulled up into a bun, tinkering away at various mechanisms and experiments of his. The burns and cuts that resulted from this were quickly ignored whenever his teacher smile at his latest invention. He was developing into a well-read, intelligent snow elf, but when he turned 15, his life began to fall apart.
The Ma’ari family had a long tradition of being warriors. His father Ry’fel Ma’ari was renowned for his battle prowess. So, when his 15th birthday came, he was pressured into joining the military. He absolutely resented it. He knew he was meant to be a scientist. He knew it in his heart, and he had known it since he was 8. Rather than professing himself as a coward and be called a coward behind his back, he chose to suffer an “accident” which irreparably crippled his left leg, rendering him unable to run or climb without great pain.
His parents were understanding rather than disappointed, a fact that Im’yned was glad for. They didn’t view the boy in the wheelchair as someone to be pitied. They began to view his mental prowess as a gift, rather than just a convenient distraction. He accelerated his studies, working harder than ever before in order to make something out of himself after his perhaps foolhardy choice. When he was 37, he invented a brace that would allow him to walk without significant pain, and on his 50th name day, he left the comfort of the Citadel of Acael to seek an isolated place where he could pursue his work.
(Please tell me if anything is non-canon, like the wheelchair or the level of education available in the Mali’fenn cities.)
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