Kupatwa was left at an orphanage as a baby - he never knew who his parents were, though with his unnatural bright orange hair and horns it was clear that fire was somewhere in his ancestry.
A natural rover, he found it frustrating to remain in one place when there was the world to see, and as soon as he was old enough, he left the orphanage to travel the world.
He wandered for many years, but his obvious heritage and his nomadic nature made it difficult for him to settle in a single place or with the same people for very long, so although he enjoyed meeting new people, he did feel lonely.
His life changed one night, when, after a particularly exuberant night in the inn of a village, he rather foolhardedly decided to travel on to the next town during the night, instead of waiting until the morning.
The combination of a moonless night, an excess of ale, and rough paths soon meant that Kupatwa wandered off the track and was soon hopelessly lost in the middle of swamplands.
As he was starting to sober up and staring to panic, a light appeared before him. With nothing else to do, he followed the light, which led him to Zeldana, a travelling priestess of Ashava, who had heard his drunken cries for help and come to his aid.
Due to gratitude for saving his life, and Zeldana's acceptance of him as he was, Kupatwa travelled with her for some time after that, and though not inclined towards religion before, found that it suited him and was inducted into Ashava's clergy.