Ta'mas hails from one of the more civilized tribes on the edge of the Blisterskin Sands, his people occasionally venturing out of the desert to trade, but unwilling to give up their primitive ways and beliefs. In a region of warring tribes with strange and solitary religions, Ta'mas was born and grew up remarkably free of mutation or stunting, a quirk that would have been a symbol of low status or divine displeasure in nearly any other tribe.
Living far from the heart of the radioactive wastes, however, Ta'mas's tribal elders had long ago declared "normal" children to be created by the gods in the image of their ancestors—and this allowed him to receive a religious education, training in a tradition that involved ceremonial weaponry and communing with nature.
And then, as these things often go, his tribe was defeated by a neighbor to the south, and his people killed, assimilated or enslaved. Trained a heretic religion and free of mutation, the teenaged Ta'mas was declared cursed by his conquerers and cast out into the desert with no supplies. Relying on his wits and skill, he managed to live off the land for a time, eventually finding his way North to an unexpected bastion of civilization.
Unlike many of the Blistering Sands, Ta'mas was accepted in Nephyx, thanks in part to his normal appearance and the mild accents his tribe spoke with. He has since earned employment and income as a guide to the surrounding outlands, ability to fight off bandits and survive in the desert. However, he remains shy and withdrawn, not completely at home in the world he has joined.
