Tunnler

Damien comes from a long line of outlanders. Upon the flooding of Anthos, his ancestor, Darius Silverkin, sailed to the new land. Darius, a former soldier, eventually found himself disillusioned with the constant conflict and war and decided to set sail for lands uncharted, and there his lineage grew until Damien came along.

Damien inherited his wanderlust from his parents. He largely grew up on the sea, roaming from port town to port town, only occasionally settling, but never for long. Despite his nomadic upbringing and lack of noble blood, his parents cared about his education, and tried teach him enough to navigate through society when he needed to. He muddled through the the “book learning” but where he excelled were his hard skills such as sailing, swordsmanship, cartography, and a bit of the arts and humanities (though to be frank he mainly did these to appeal to the lasses in port). Though the book work was often drudgery, he often found himself drawn to tales of the land of Arcas, specifically the Eternal Library in the Silver State of Haelun’or and the Under-realm of Urguan. He had a great respect for the knowledge and skill of craftsmanship that these lands were likely to possess, and had always dreamed of eventually seeing them

When he was about 14 years of age his family’s ship was dashed upon a rocky outcropping in a turbulent storm. The damage was devastating and the ship was cleaved clean in two, separating Damien from his parents. The next morning Damien found himself washed up on the outcropping with nothing but his father’s axe, and his mother’s sword. Each of those weapons had been handed down through their respective families and he knew that they would not have left their grasp if not for the worst. He never found their bodies, and he hopes that they are still out there, but in his heart he feels they are gone.

As luck would have it, Damien ended up shipwrecked near the Meranesian Islands and was found by a group of passing Tuvati fishermen and taken in. Damien lived happily among the Tuvati for 4 years, learning their crafts and how to sail, and even receiving the traditional tribal tattoos from the Tuvati tribe that took him in (he keeps them hidden most times as a precious reminder of his past), and was even betrothed. On the night prior to his wedding, as he had just finished receiving the tattoos of his betrothed’s tribe (as is Tuvati custom), he received word that his bride to be had fallen gravely ill. The tribal elders did not believe she would make it through the night, so after consulting with her and her family, they decided to hold the ceremony then and there. She died almost immediately after.

Damien was all but broken. Within the next day, following her wake, he spotted a ship sailing nearby and without a second thought, he took his small vessel, sailed out and offered his services in exchange for transport away from the land where he had experienced such pain. He found himself among privateers and though not pirates, they often found themselves taking contracts that few other legitimate tradesmen would consider. This was a turbulent time in Damien’s life. His work with the privateers often took him to the edge of what may be considered “legal” but he never compromised his own moral compass (though he may have a few illegitimate children in several port towns). It was often dangerous, but he felt alive again. Damien that through all of his misfortune, he had the privilege of having three families: his parents, the Tuvati, and now this group of privateers, but in the back of his head he always feared that the same fate would befall them as well, especially considering the life that they led. With this in mind, he thought it wise to set off on his own. With many a tearful farewell, he hopped on his vessel, and set out.

It wasn’t long before he found himself in yet another storm, but he was ready this time. He’d learned much from his time with the Tuvati and the privateers and he navigated the storm relatively unscathed. As he sailed the next morning,  he came across a vessel which was not so fortunate, this is where he met a survivor, Mem Hecanen. Damien pulled Mem from the water and tended to his wounds. He found that they had much in common and were able to commiserate with each others’ stories. Though he hesitated having a traveling companion, the man was a kindred spirit, and had just lost all he had known. They were two sides of the same coin. He recognized his friend’s pain, and wanted to be there for him however he could.

After realizing Mem’s intense fear of the ocean, he thought it time for a few more land-bound adventures, which begins their journey on Arcas. In his previous travels he had heard tales of the Free State of Sutica and thought that may be a wonderful first destination, though he was concerned about the state of the war between Sutica and the Holy Orenian Empire. Religious zealots were never content letting others live their lives their own way, and he doubted that would change on Arcas