Mujir Fadyeka (Fadya) - Background

Mujir Fadyeka (Fadya)

Father: Mujir Badser

Mother: Zarya

Fadya was the second son of a second son. Badser, his father, was only of the second generation in his family to have lived in a settlement rather than following the nomadic lifestyle of the Tengri tribe. Badser took Zarya, a Vagrian, to be his wife in his 30s, quickly giving birth to his first son, Tsahim. Three years later, Fadya was born, and being a second son and of lower worth, Badser allowed him to be named in the traditions of his wife’s people.

Fadya was an apprentice to a Vagrian alchemist in the growing village. The apprenticeship proved to be a good matching, and Fadya learned a great deal, blossoming into his own. When Fadya turned 13, following the ways of the Tengri, he was taken into the wild by his father who began to tell him of the stories of the tribe and the ways. His education into both the cultural and religious stories continued in the evenings and weekends, straining his relationship with the alchemist. When Fadya later learned that some supplies were being provided by grave robbers who refused to rebury the dead, uncertain, wanting to find a balance, he spoke of the matter to others. Once he had revealed what he knew things quickly got out of hand and the Tengri took offense, making it nearly impossible for the supplies to work in the area.

Fadya sought to keep the alchemist in the village, even going so far as to take a position with the alchemist’s supplier, ensuring the dead were properly buried, but things had gone too far and the alchemist eventually left when the protests expanded to include the alchemist.

The Tengri curati took him under his wing, seeing someone who found and brought to bear injustices, even if secretly it had not been Fadya’s intent. His education as a protector took root, learning the art of the blade and the songs and oral beliefs of the Lentrian Church.

With the settlement on the Vagrian border with the Nadir, raids were a frequent occurrence. Despite these constant raids, the village grew in size with the expansion of trade routes between Gothir, Vagria and Drenai, being on a line from Lamess in Gothir to Dros Cortswain in Drenai. The influx of growth brought a richer diversity in ethnic groups, as well as a strong influx of believers in the Source. Where the Lentrian faithful had once held a seat of authority in the community, their position dwindled as the populace changed.

While the new immigrants took a proactive stance, enlisting militia, in keeping with the Lentrian faith, the Tengri villagers did little proactive beyond the building up of the feeble walls. Tengri citizens would readily take positions as defenders along the wall, and participated willingly in assaults by raiders, but they took a stand against active participation in counter assaults tht did little to endear the Tengri to the new populace. When the inevitable occurred after Nadir raids, Fadya buried the dead with proper respect. It was in one of these raids that Badser was severely wounded, losing the strength to hold a blade in his sword arm.

Fadya was apprenticed in his late teens to a physician, his knowledge and skills while an alchemist’s apprentice serving him well in his new position. Fadya hoped to better turn his skill and talents from burying the dead, to saving the wounded. Like all males in the village, he was called to defend the walls however during the seasonal raids on the village from Nadir, and his skill with a blade remained a constant.

Fadya met Larissa, the elder daughter of Gothir merchants in Vagria. They quickly fell in love and married. By time he had become a physician, now in his later 20s, subtle questions and inquires were made over the course of months, a small group of influential Tengri elders eventually speaking to Fadya of the Hadirin sect. Fadya remained uncertain and sought to turn them down, but Larissa pushed him. Fadya accepted and he joined his father in the secretive sect. Within the Hadirin sect, where once he had felt hesitant and uncertain in combat before, for fear of disavowing himself of the peaceful teachings of the Lentrian faith, he soon grew to let go. Megujin, one of the members of the Hadirin sect, took Fadya under his wing, and helped him find that release and sense of inner calm he hadn’t felt before, helping Fadya mature and grow.

Tshaim had grown to become a prominent member of the growing city, having made many contacts with the new immigrants, allowing him to bridge the ethnic and religious divide within the community. Tshaim became a popular figure among both his people and the newer inhabitants and a source of much pride in the family. Rumors soon rose that he might become a member of the city council at the rate things continued.

Lead by a new warlord, Anar, the next year proved to be a violent season and the deaths toll grew during each new raid. Even with secretive raids on the Nadir by Fadya and others in the Hardirin sect, the Nadir raiders seemed limitless and their ferocity unaffected. Rumors arose that Anar carried a demonic blade, while other rumors circulated that he had made a pact with demons, his power rising with each death. When Larissa mentioned having met a small Lentrian sect dedicated to the eradication of demons while on her father’s trade route, it seemed too good to pass up. The Hadirin sect met with the Lentrian splinter sect to see what was needed. The soon learned that a weapon could be forged to banish demons, ward the village from their influence, but it would require the izlek, free soul, of someone, given freely.

There was much debate but eventually the leaders of the Hadirin agreed it was necessary for the good of the village. Unable to fight, Badser offered himself up to forge the weapon to protect the village against the wishes of both his sons.

The ritual took place on the next full moon, ostensibly as a way to master Ishnai’s influence over the demons, and Badser’s izlek was drawn from his body and into a gemstone. Once the ritual was over, Badser’s body still warm on the floor, it became all too clear that the alleged Lentrian splinter sect was in fact a Ishnai cult as they used their magic and fell upon the Hadirin sect. As the melee ensued, Anar’s Nadirii raiders attacked the village, quickly gaining entrance as the Lentrian sect used sorcery to drop the village gate. Heavily wounded, Fadya saw Larissa being dragged by the Lentrian sect out of the wall to horses waiting with a small group of Nadirii raiders. As the sect member carrying the stone with his father’s trapped izlek was felled by an arrow, his stomach clenched as he saw Larissa freely turn and grab the stone before mounting up on the back of Anar’s horse.

Hours later, the battle was over and a significant portion of the village had been slaughtered. Rumors circulated that Larissa had been involved and the growing anger in the wake of the attack fell fully on Fadya. Fearing that the backlash would extend to his brother and beyond to the rest of the Tengri populace, he convinced his brother to distance himself from Fadya and denounce him publically. The act helped secure Tshaim’s position in the community, showing he put the needs of the community over that of his personal interest, and earned his brother’s support and favor. Privately and publically however, his mother, stricken with grief, proclaimed her second son was dead to her, blaming him for her husband’s death (though she has no idea about the ritual) and the misery that fell on the city by both him and his wife’s hand.

In privacy, Fadya proclaimed his oath to the Hadirin sect members to find and recover his father’s izlek and destroy the Ishani cult members, with a special oath of vengeance directed at Larissa.

Fadya soon travelled east, following Larissa’s cult after the split off of Anar’s raiders. He had some luck, finding and slaughtering one of the members of the cult, but with the arrival of Nadir raiders he was forced to flee for his life. When he came across a Lentrian mercenary outfit, he quickly took advantage of the added protection and signed on as a physician. While acting as a physician, he took efforts to try and better understand the rituals involved, and sought out a hypnotist with which to learn from within the mercenaries, hoping to better understand how to free his father’s izlek upon retrieving it.

It was with the mercenary outfit that he came across Gaius Vorenus in the physican’s tent. Fadya was supportive of Gaius while he was unconscious, however, when he awoke blind, fadya quickly took the loss of sight as an ill omen of Ishnai’s influence and forcefully called for Gaius’ death. It was only through reassignment, as well as the vigilance of those Gaius saved, that Fadya did not bring death to Gaius. Fadya’s opinion of Gaius quickly changed a week later after Gaius’ sight returned. Where Fadya had seen an ill omen of Ishnai he now saw the return of Gaius’ sight as a blessing of Shemac and a sign he was important in his own quest. This could only be further solidified in Fadya’s eyes when he learned that Gaius was blessed with psionic talents and even more so by his past position within the Lentrian faith he had grown up with. He did feel Gaius had fallen astray with his forsaking of his faith, something which he plainly linked to the less than perfect vision Gaius was left with, telling the older soldier that his sight would return when in his heart and soul he was at peace and whole in his faith.

When Gaius left the mercenary unit, Fadya left with him, travelling with Gaius for the past year. He is torn in his relationship with Gaius. Gaius is a capable soldier, a solid individual who knows what to do and when and can be trust to take actions as necessary, earning the Tengri’s trust and respect. However Gaius’ doubting of the faith and his blunt, criticizing manner of others in uncivilized tones makes it difficult for Fadya at times. He rides along silently, looking on the more “civilized” Gaius (as he proclaims himself to be frequently) as ill-mannered and barbaric in his own ways. Not that he would ever speak such. He also finds the few stories of the central Lentrian Church’s ways to be almost alien.

He has told Gaius of his personal oath to find and reclaim his father’s izlek before it is used to bring a demon, or a weapon for demons, into the world. He has mentioned Larissa many times, though has neglected to mention that she is his wife to him. Following the trail of the Ishnai cult west, they have recently arrived in Gothir. He hops to find his father’s izlek, learn how to free it, and perhaps shepherd Gaius back to the faith with which he will have his sight returned.

Random notes:

• Fadya is a strong follower of Tengri culture and believes in serving his community, be it a small group or a larger settlement, without calling attention to his acts or seeking fanfare.
• Believes that people should be strong and capable, but never brag of their acts or prowess.
• Believes one should do what is right at all times one can, even at cost to yourself.
• Never speak ill of others, which includes instructing/ordering others to do things. A capable individual knows what must be done for the group, to instruct others to act implies they do not know and are lesser, an offensive comment that might bring on the Fair Ladies. One can discuss what to do, how to share tasks, but never order or imply lack of knowledge. If others do not know what must be done, do for them and hope they will observe and learn. If they ask for assistance, then share and help.
• Share the faith, be true to the faith, but never preach or seek to convert actively. That would imply the other is wrong and call into question their honor.
• Unusual pet: a crow/raven. Soon after making his oath and leaving his home after the Ishnai cult, a crow began to ravel with him and has never left his side. Fadya claims it is a crow, a symbol of Baatar, the God of the Underworld. Others might believe it is in fact a raven, the symbol of Ishnai. It is difficult to determine exactly whether it is a raven or crow, as it is somewhere between the two in size and its feather have both green and purple hints. He calls the crow Nakhu.
• For fear of being ill spoken of by those he kills, following combat he removes the eyes and tongues of those he fought. This is not meant maliciously but done to prevent the dead from telling Baatar of his actions. He burns the tongues and feeds the eyes to his crow.
• As a member of the Hadirin sect, Fadya feels he is serving the community as a whole, sacrificing his own self (both physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually) by acting proactively to slaughter those who would do evil in the world so the greater whole of the community (his tribe, home city, faith, country, world) may take the true road of peace. While he accepts this act for the good, it does leave him melancholy and unsettled, wishing he did not have to do what he does.
• Fadya will bury the dead, having them face east in the way of his people. He will also pray for them afterwards. He sees this as a honorable thing to do. Those who follow Ishnai do not deserve this however, and will be buried face down and to the west.
• Fadya is superstitious and will occasionally read entrails, leave small objects and entreat spirits for protection while travelling.
• Fadya will especially watch for the menstruation of any women he travels, seeking to burn any bloody clothes afterwards. He may go so far as to mix protective herbs into food to be eaten during meals, to help ward against demons for women.
• Fadya does not like travelling at night on the full moon, an especially ill time for travel.
• Sunset, the passing of light into the protection of the shadows and Atai’s protection (and a representation of Shemac’s blinding of Ishnai) is an especially important time, and Fadya would stop to give prayers.