Jaired (platinum)
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Origin
The subject of Jaired's parentage was always a rather taboo subject. His mother was a half-Sylvan, half-Tehir Seer and was already considered an anomaly within the Tribe considering her talents. She herself came to the tribe at a young age through a trade and she soon gained respect as a shaman and eventually became considered one of the tribe's leaders. It was in fact one of her visions that lead her to Jaired's father, whom was a disgraced Palestra that had gotten lost in the Sea of Fire while attempting to track the demon that had been summoned by, and then killed his charge.
The Tribe took Jaired's father in and before long he was practically considered part of the troup himself. It is uncertain how many years he lived with them, but eventually they picked up the trail on the demon he had been seeking. With the help of his new family they were able to track it down and gravely wound it, but they were unable to deal the final blow before it fled into the cursed ruins of Bir Mahallah. It was soon after this that they caught wind of a detachment of Faendryl that had been seen searching the Sea of Fire and were no doubt tasked with finding him and bringing him home to face the consequences of his failure. For this reason Jaired's father was forced to leave the tribe to protect them from the certain annihilation that they'd face, especially that of his unborn child since a Faendryl half-breed would never be tolerated. Thus the entire tribe was forced to secrecy and Jaired would not learn the truth until much later in his life.
Upbringing
In many ways Jaired's childhood was ideal. Aside from never being told the truth of his father, he was more or less treated the same as the rest of the children of the tribe. It was obvious that he aged slower and that he was certainly different from his peers, but that was also a subject that was often discouraged. Despite all of his mother's efforts he shared none of her talents as a seer nor did he have any interest in being a shaman, so it was with some reluctance that she turned his tutelage over to another of the Tribe's elders, who also happened to have been a good friend of his father, to learn how to navigate the dunes of the Sea of Fire and become a raider himself. Plagued with a healthy mix of impatience and wanderlust, it would eventually be his knack for getting into trouble that would be his undoing.
During what could be considered his teenage years, Jaired was captured trying to sneak into an Imperial camp that their Tribe had been contending with. Realizing that he had already seen their maps and plans, the captain of their forces decided to burn out both of Jaired's eyes and then had him discarded into the Sea of Fire to die as a sort of cruel punishment. Fortunately his mother was able to use her gifts of sight and send his mentor to recover him. Though the Tribe's revenge on the Empire's camp was swift, Jaired was left blind and crippled for many years.
A Mother's Gift
It was in his blindness that Jaired began to get visions. In them he saw, time and time again, naught but suffering and death at his own hand. In a decision not of his own his mother told him they were going to attempt to restore his eyes. What he didn't know was the price that would be paid, because if he had he never would have agreed. Upon the ritual's end his new eyes opened and the first thing he saw was the face of his mother with a veil over where her own eyes had been. Tears stained her cheeks and to this day he can't decide if they were from sorrow or joy. What he didn't know then was that his mother had seen what Fate had in store for him and that he would need every advantage that she could give. So she gave her son her eyes... and the gift of her sight. What she could not have foreseen, however, was how sideways even destiny can go.
During the time that followed their roles effectively reversed. Jaired's mother had to adjust to being blind and he had to adjust to suddenly being thrust into, once again, training to be the Tribe's shaman. It came with great difficulty to Jaired, and the sudden departure of his long time mentor and the only other link to his father didn't aide things along. They told him he took his Spirit Walk, which was thought of as a last rite of sorts where one would walk off alone into the dunes when their time was at an end. If one were to return from this journey they would be labeled a Spirit Walker and be ultimately cast out of the Tribe, as this was considered a profanation. The Tehir can be a superstitious lot and one should not return from death less they be considered a wraith.
This disillusion combined with a serious of visions came as no small part as to why Jaired ultimately left. He would not return to the Sea of Fire until his mother's death.
Wandering the World
The first civilization Jaired encountered was the streets of Solhaven. He struck out an early living running with a small gang of street rats and it was during this time he proved his worth as a pickpocket and a rather effective cat burglar which caught the attention of a rising Thief's Guild that was lead by a notorious assassin known simply as The Onarian. For many, many years they forged a close kinship as the Guild rose in power and influence. The Onarian was the enforcer and Jaired was the infiltrator. This relationship soured in an instant when Jaired realized they had begun dealing in trafficking slaves. Instead of reaching their destination Jaired betrayed the Guild and set them free. This angered a few rather powerful benefactors and basically spelled doom for everyone in the organization, so to try and save face the Onarian swore revenge. Jaired was then forced to conceal his identity and flee to an outpost on the frontier called Wehnimer's Landing.
In spite of having to start all over again he took to the task with a sense of renewed optimism. He took quickly to life on the frontier and the opportunities it presented. It is important to note that during his entire time away from the Sea of Fire he had not been afflicted by a single vision, but this didn't stop Jaired from succumbing to some rather destructive habits. He took to the drink and an early vocation as a locksmith, but he eventually made new friends and started striking out on his own adventures. In the back of his mind he knew he could be uncovered at any time so he started training more and more with the blade to ready himself for the inevitable confrontation with his old cohorts.
Jaired became so competent, in fact, that he became known as the Lord Marshal and took the lead of a local Militia and even oversaw the construction of a Keep. His adventures took him from one side of the continent to the other, even becoming on speaking terms with and advising the Argent Mirror of Ta'Illistim. His preference for Erithian weapons and proficiency with a katana became as well known as his skill with a lockpick. This notoriety didn't go unnoticed, however, and eventually he would be forced to contend with his past. All of it.
Reunion
Cat was the familiar to one of Jaired's oldest, best friends that had since moved on. The feline's sudden presence seemed to coincide with the return of Jaired's visions and explained that he had been sent to guide over him. This is only a partial truth, however. Cat isn't in fact a familiar at all, but rather the manifested will of a spirit that coopted the appearance and demeanor of Cat since it was someone familiar to Jaired that he would trust. Deep down Jaired knows this, but goes along with it nonetheless. The origin of this spirit and it's ultimate intentions are still unknown but there is no doubting their friendship.
The spirit informed Jaired when his mother took ill and was in part why he was once again being plagued by his tormented visions. Their reunion was bittersweet as he stayed with his mother while she laid in her death bed. It was there, after decades of being apart, that she finally told him the truth about his father and of the demon still hiding in the ruins of Bir Mahallah, and how it now fell on him to finish what had been set into motion so long ago. Demons could wait, however, and Jaired instead spent the time catching up with his mother and telling her all about the stories of his adventures. Before she past she gifted Jaired the ahmdir blue veil that had belonged to his father for a time. With nothing tying him to the dunes aside from a destiny he bitterly accepted, he returned home to the frontier.
Spirit Walker
Cat appeared once again to warn Jaired of the Onarian's arrival to Wehnimer's Landing and helped him prepare for their inevitable clash. Their plan ultimately worked and Jaired was able to defeat his former compatriot, but at the cost of both their lives. It was there, at the intersection of life and the path beyond the Ebon Gate, that he dreamed. In an instant the visions gave way to the moment his father was saved by his mother all of the way to the moment the demon flew off towards Bir Mahallah with his father's blade still impaled through its chest. When he snapped to he was on the streets of Solhaven just outside of Charl's temple. There he was greeted by Cat along with the realization that something was wrong. He was still dead. He was a wraith.
In this new, apparently undead state Jaired was guided by the visions and memories he had just witnessed. The torment and death he had seen for so long were laid bare as he floated over the scorched fields of Bir Mahallah. Wailing spirits of the dead surrounded the ruins for miles, wandering aimlessly save for one lone Lich that seemed compelled to befriend Jaired. The Lich, its phylactery hanging from its neck, served as a guide through the ruins and into the Spire. It was in the deep that it lead him to the demon, and it was there the trap was to be set. A voice warned him, however, and Jaired dispatched the Lich by reaching a clawed, ethereal hand through the Lich's back and stabbed through the phylactery. Once this deed had been accomplished, the sands in the phylactery coalesced and returned Jaired to his corporal form.
Fate was playing itself out. By fleeing here the wounded demon was safe but it had effectively marooned itself with no way to restore itself. The Lich's plan to deliver it a soul failed, and instead had delivered death itself. There would be no great final battle, however. Instead it all ended in a whimper as Jaired pulled his father's blade free of the demon and let its essence bleed away into one last, fleeting shadow.
Epilogue ...?
With his apparent destiny fulfilled and his father's sword in hand, Jaired ventured out and followed his visions to a dusty outpost near the Demon Wall. This is where he would finally find and meet his old man. The former Palestra couldn't help but expect a fight but that notion became quickly dispelled as Jaired returned his sword and stated, quite simply, that he owed him a drink. A request his father was more than happy to oblige. This is when Jaired's real training as a Demon Hunter would begin.
Jaired eventually returned home to the Frontier. He never did quite get the knack of his mother's gift and his ability to use it seemed to diminish more and more over time. He did eventually fall on some hard times but they ultimately lead to meeting the woman that would later become his wife, Leiana. Recent events have caused them to uproot from Wehnimer's Landing and they now live abroad overseeing a fleet of ships while taking various contracts in search of treasure. Their flagship, The Whispering Muse, can usually be found docked at Kraken's Fall. He now lives simply while trying to fulfill his promise to show Leiana the world, but the mantle of responsibility can only rest on the hook for so long.