Liu-Shen
Legacy Name: Liu-Shen

I was born and raised in a village of Scribes, a society marked in adulthood by our full-body tattoos, from the roots of our hair to the ends of our fingers and toes. We were taught since childhood secrets of the world... and it was these secrets that bound us to our village in the heart of the forests. Leaving the forest was forbidden; we knew too much, and contact with the outside world could lead to a leak of these long-protected secrets, and thus a possibility of knowledge abuse. This is how we had lived for centuries, forever in these woods, away from prying eyes and other people except other Scribes. Everyone accepted and embraced this way of life.

Everyone except me.

Don't get me wrong. I listened when they taught me all that stuff. But I didn't care much about it. It wasn't natural to be stuck in one place, in this village where everybody knew you and the forest was the only thing you ever saw day in day out. I felt trapped, tied to a fate that I didn't ask for. I wanted to see the outside world. I wanted to meet the people out there. I wanted to see everything with my own eyes, experience everything with my own five senses. For me, spending the rest of my life in a forest sitting on my thumbs just to protect some thousands-year-old secrets wasn't right.

So I ran away. All Scribe children were tattooed at the same age; before that could happen, I had to leave. Not alone, though; I wasn't stupid enough to go waltzing off into the unknown on my own, nor was I brave enough to. Still... I guess I shouldn't have asked Len-Lien. Of all people. She was my closest friend, and one of the very few of our age who knew about my issues about our traditions. But she was in line to become the next attendant of the Venerable One, and who didn't want an esteemed position like that? I had no choice but to strike it out by myself.

Traveling alone... well, it could've been worse, but that didn't stop it from being lonely. It was much harder than it could have been; since I was by myself I had to be extra careful, gauge my risks before daring to take any (if at all), constantly watching my back. I knew that anyone with half a brain would see a single kid running around by himself as an easy target, so I was always on guard, wary, expecting the worst. In a sense though I enjoyed this freedom, this ability to make my own choices and see this outside world. There were so many different things I had missed out on, and I was amazed at how sheltered the Scribes were. Not that I didn't feel any regret - every so often, I'd get a pang of homesickness, missing the familiar faces, missing Len-Lien. But those would soon pass with each new experience that came my way.

It was through my aimless wandering that I eventually reached the place where I would call home. Even with all my caution and rationing, I was still just a kid, and the long travels and constant moving about had run me haggard. That was how he found me, sprawled on the ground half-conscious, starved. He and his friends accepted me with open arms - some less so than others - and took care of me, nursed me back to health. He introduced himself as Aleyn - just your run-of-the-mill guy, nothing special, but with big dreams.

"Why don't you stay a while? The more the merrier, and you look like you could use a home."

It was the first time since leaving the Scribes village that I was shown any form of compassion. What else could I say but yes? And so that was how I found myself here, with Aleyn and his friends. Living with him has been a blessing - nothing I was in need for,