Ouy’s story began in the rocky coves set into the mountain foothills of Kali, his home village. Smaller than the rest of his six siblings, Ouy was the “runt” among his litter. From early in life, Ouy struggled to prove his worth to his brothers, being timid and cautious where they were bold and reckless. Ouy’s respite from his brothers’ exclusion was his sister, Ery. Her compassion towards him distanced her from their brothers, but provided hope to Ouy. Ery eventually found purpose as an apprentice to Kali’s elderly therapist, while each of his brothers crafted different kinds of tools.

Aside from his sister, the only thing that seemed to lift Ouy’s spirits was the thought of becoming a Shah’min. An order of druidic healers inspired by wildlife, the Shah’min traveled the forests of Iunn, seeking new life and integrating nature with communities of Iunnian people. Visits to Kali of the Shah’min were treasured memories of Ouy’s. It was the only type of village gathering at which Ouy would put himself to the fore, asking questions and hoping to learn more about how he could join the Shah’min someday.

Several years into training himself to become a Shah’min, studying and meditating in nature, the mountain above the forest began to rumble with the first signs of volcanic activity. Then the fateful day came when Ouy woke from a meditation deep in the forest to the thunder of the volcanic eruption. He raced towards Kali, approaching with dread as he watched his home buried in a fiery cloud of ash. The pyroclastic flow would have taken him too, if not for the great stone arch collapsing into the forest before him. Coughing through the dust, Ouy set out to search for survivors, calling for Ery and his brothers. Ouy fell, devastated, as he learned that Ery had been in the village, along with three of his five brothers.