Rowan Uchawi

*I've had visions of the beginning. Things no mortal should see, yet their echoes invade my thoughts. In my dreams, I see worlds unwoven with a thought, souls forged in the Cosmic Fire, even what lies in the darkest depths of places unknown. Yet I am cursed to see such coveted things. Their secrets both guide and haunt my frail existence, holding my mind and body hostage to their profound enlightenment. No truth I have dreamed can be unseen, no secret can be unlearned, and no choice unchosen. I am doomed to walk with this for my days, however many cursed days I shall walk.*

## Rowan Uchawi

No truth I have dreamed can be unseen, no secret can be unlearned.

### Relatives

Kimungu Uchawi (Father)Farsi Uchawi (Mother)

## **Appearance**

Standing roughly six feet, Rowan was average from where he came. When he was young, he tattooed himself with the same ancestral markings that every man in the village received and in many ways resembles an ordinary man from his village. His crystal blue eyes and pointed ears betray his Shabti grandmother, who gifted him the same talisman he wears around his neck. Even when in the city, he tends to wear only the basics, a loincloth, and primitive jewelry. Scars line his body and head from his many years of learning to survive in the wild.

## **History**

Born to the Mwangi people of Zenj, Rowan was raised as any boy in his village would be with a loving mother and father in such peaceful times. When the time came for him to choose a vocation, it was the gods that chose him, calling him to master his faith and become a clergy to the divine. It was a proud calling, even if he yearned for another path. His parents, well pleased with the young man they were raised, were overjoyed at what path was lain before their son. With little more than a day to depart, Rowan, leaving all worldly possessions behind, wished his parents farewell and departed on his own journey of faith.

It was soon that his visions stuck him. Alone in the vast jungles of Mwangi, Rowan learned to survive on his faith alone. While he had been called by the very heavens itself, one Goddess spoke with him. Alseta, The Welcomer, who guarded both thresholds and the passage of one year to the next. Just as she was an intermediary and servitor to the other divines, so he too would guide and serve all people. In his dreams she and many other beings would guide him through the depths of the universe, granting Rowan glimpses of the many secrets of the universe, even haunting him with images of potential futures and sacred pasts. Many times, what he learned was more of a burden on his soul than a blessing to his mind and it began to show in his life. Rowan grew distant and distracted on his journey, and often felt isolated from others.

Lost in both mind and body, Rowan, now a man had grown powerful enough in his magic to eschew the need for even the most basic of things, rarely venturing from his meditation to gather more than a few berries at a time. It was only then that he received his first direction, a quest from the gods that would either end in his demise or place him on the crux of power. As he awakened from one of his many days' long trances, he was given three gifts. Firstly he was given wisdom, the wisdom of his ancestors who would help guide him as much as he would guide them. Next, he was granted power, the power to fight for those in his flock and defend those he was charged with protecting. Finally, he was given the tools to help his journey. Before him rested many things, an owl, who gazed at him with the very power of his soul, a book, who faintly clicked with the persistence of a clock, and a wisp, who’s blue radiance mimicked the patterns of a star. With his tool sin hand, he journeyed off to the city that had been the focal point of his visions, Absolum.

## **Personality**

A stubborn man, he has grown distant from most people he meets. His words often lack social nuances and are blunt and direct. He will just as soon scold you as he would protect you. Anyone who proves a strong member of their community may catch his attention for a brief moment, and even a kind word or two. Often times he is found waiting just outside of inns and other gathering places. He has learned the value of both self-reliance and teamwork, and practices both with equal vigor.