Yahoel grew up among the Shundar-Quah, or Spire Clan, of the Shoanti. The unfortunate child of a Shoanti woman and an elven diplomat from the Mierani Forest. Even at a young at it was obvious to Yahoel that he was different from those around him. This manifested in several ways over the years. Some of it was mundane, simple jokes from other children about his pointed ears. Other things were subtler, the whispers about his fey blood and speculation on whether he’d grow into powers like stories told of some elves having. As it happened, these murmurs and rumors ended up bearing some fruit. As Yahoel grew up he became fascinated with what little magic he was exposed to. The majority of the Shoanti seemed to see magic as little more than a coward’s weapon. Although that did not keep many of the tribes from utilizing medicine men and women, oracles or various druidic practitioners when their people needed them. It was a druid from Yahoel’s own clan who would eventually take him under her wing. The Spire Clan was known to be the intermediaries between other Shoanti clans. They work to maintain peace between the seven quahs. The druid Itoya was generally considered to be extremely wise, honest to a fault and not someone you wanted on your bad side. She was blunt, never sparing a fool’s feelings over their mistakes and held people to a high standard. Yahoel loved her.
His early apprenticeship to her would last through his coming of age rites, Itoya was one of the elders who helped to choose Yahoel’s ceremonial tattoos from among the Shundar-Quah’s totems. She chose the storm roc, saying that he should endeavor to always keep his eyes on the wider picture, to never become mired in the details and personal squabbles of any one clan or group. She encouraged him to learn what he could from all the clans and anyone he encountered; whether it be the archery of the Lyrune-Quah, the oral histories of the Skoan-Quah or the reverence of all animal life from the Shriikirri-Quah. Itoya would be more mother to him than his own mother ever truly was. Between the ages of ten and sixteen he was with her almost constantly, traveling between the clans to listen in on disputes. He worked to emulate her and live up to her expectations. At sixteen she pronounced him no longer an apprentice, but a druid in his own right. She would pass away two years later. It was the passing of that motherly figure more than anything else that would lead Yahoel to seek out that missing connection he had never truly indulged before, that of his elven blood.
The Mierani Forest was home to several clans of elves and at first, he was met with some suspicion. While his lack of kowtowing did not earn him fast friends, blunt honesty and demonstrations of druidic magic earned him some respect among the elves. His obvious respect of the natural life in the forest quickly earned him a spot among the hunters and protectors of the forest. For several years Yahoel learned about that side of him that had never really been explained. He was taught how to craft a bow in the elven tradition, spending a year making one for himself. Over time he gained a name for himself as a fierce protector of the forest. When poachers over-hunted, Yahoel was one of the first volunteers to seek them out and bring them to justice. And elven justice for poaching was death in Mierani Forest, a sentence that Yahoel did not shy from carrying out when it was necessary. Still, while he did not hesitate to take life when necessary it began to wear on him over time. After seeking the counsel of several druids, he decided that to balance out some of the death he would seek to protect life in another way.
So, it was that after living among the elves for three years he left them to head back to the Storval Plateu where the Shoanti still lived for years. Eventually he found a fledgling storm roc that had been abandoned by his mother, for reasons that he never knew. Almost instantly he felt a kinship with the creature. Over the course of several weeks he gained his trust and helped it learn to hunt and fly to the best of his ability. But when he sought to release it on its own, he refused to be separated from him. And in truth he was grateful. It had been a long time since he’d had a true companion. He named the bird Toya, after the mentor that had been his first and most beloved friend. And along with Toya in tow, Yahoel sought to explore more of the land that he loved so dearly. To see and experience more, to learn and always keep his eyes and mind open as Itoya had said he must.
