Aiman was barely a year old when his parents left the forests. They left for some reason or other, but never told Aiman. They were able to establish a home just south of some high elf lands, and lived in peace for a while. In this time, Aiman learned to garden, cook, archery, and became quite skilled with a pair of small hatchets that his parents owned. He was taught to be a free-thinker but to always base their conclusions on reason, and to not make too many assumptions without proof. Thinking back on it, at a later time, this likely had something to do with why they left the forests, but he couldn’t say for sure.
At age 15, Aiman decided it was time for him to set out and explore the world. He didn’t think his parents would let him leave, as they had always told him that it is better to live despite the world rather than with it. Due to their sentiment about the subject, Aiman left without saying a word. One the second day of traveling, he found a rabbit that had been caught in a trap. Aiman hadn’t ever seen a device such as this, because his family never used animals for food. Feeling pity for the innocent creature, Aiman let it free. Aiman gave it some of the berries he had packed with him, and continued. Throughout his walk, the rabbit followed him. When Aiman settled down to sleep, the rabbit stayed with him.
He was woken to the sound of an arrow cutting through the air and the shouts of deep-voiced people. Startled, he found the hatchets he had brought with him and looked around. There were five people, covered in metal plating and weapons drawn, that were walking slowly towards him. After Aiman explained that he was no threat, they seemed to relax, but required that he come with them. Aiman didn’t have much choice, so he went without a struggle.
They traveled together for a few days, heading towards a nearby town. On the way, the five people explained that they were soldiers and that there was a war going on. Apparently soldiers made a considerable sum of money from fighting, and they also felt like it was their duty. They explained the concept of honor, and fighting for something more than self-interest. This inspired Aiman, because it was much different from what he grew up being taught. He asked if he could join the soldiers, and fight for them. After arriving at the town, Aiman was able to join the Norland army and began training.
Aiman stayed in the army for four more years. His stay in the army ended at a fateful battle. To most, it is known as The Battle of the Bloody Road. Aiman had been cut across his right side, and was bleeding out near a small rise just north of the river. The bodies of fallen soldiers surrounded him. And, while it might have been just the trickery of the eye, he swore he saw the body of the rabbit he had saved from the trap years ago, with an arrow impaled straight through it. After seeing this, he passed out.
Days or weeks later, he could never tell, he woke up to a group of healers tending to him. He was able to make a decent recovery, with minimal scarring or lasting injuries, but never got that image out of his mind. He had heard of deities and supernatural forces from his fellow soldiers, but had never believed in any himself. But he couldn’t find any other explanation for what he had seen, and what he had felt. Following this, he left the army and began to explore various faiths.
While many faiths didn’t appeal to him, a librarian mentioned that wood elves usually followed The Aspects. This became a focus of his studies for some time, but he could never quite make a connection.
Aiman was certain that the dead rabbit had been a sign, and that the violence was to be prevented from starting again. He joined a small group called the Circle of Peace, which was rumored to be lead by a druid. In one protest, many of the Circle got tattoos of a symbol which, in some language, meant peace. The head druid had suggested this, but they never explained what language it was.
Eventually the group was disbanded due to its ineffectiveness at stopping the violence. Most of them had the tattoos removed by healers, but Aiman decided against it. He felt as if the symbol helped him stay focused.
After the Circle disbanded, there wasn’t much keeping him to the city. He decided that he should search for the Wood Elves in order to reconnect with them. On the way there, he stopped by where his parents had lived, but found it abandoned. While Aiman wished he could see his parents again, he also knew that there was no way of finding them now.
When Aiman finally reached the elves, he was not immediately accepted. He tried to connect with them, and learn more about the Aspects, but he had no clue of their culture and was terrible in conversing with them. While he was able to learn more about the Aspects, he was never able to fully connect with them as much as he wished he could.
He spent the next two years with the Wood Elves, but eventually left when he made no significant progress. He had never felt fully welcome with the Elves, and never fit into any of their Seeds. He wandered the land ever sense, staying in some places for a while but almost always left after a while.
