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. This notoriety didn't go unnoticed, however, and eventually he would be forced to contend with his past... all of it. More or less at once.
A Familiar Friend
Cat was a familiar to one of Jaired's best friends that had since moved on.