Yungssen, Lost to Conflict
Whilst Santos was a young scholor, learning to become a Lorekeeper, his village's hunting party had come across a tragedy. washed along the riverbank between neighbouring village Hjialen, and Santos' home village of Pelliceras were the bodies of several travelling settlers, either attacked by another group, or washed along the rapids, most of the group had perished, the survivors were taken back to Pelliceras and nursed back to health. All but one of the survivors thanked the Titan natives for their hospitality, but wished to return to mainland Specia, to mourn those who had not survived, the last of them a young Tiefling boy was completely lost.
The Tiefling's parents had tried to escape the cruel subjegation of Alti's aristocrat families, taking thier only son with them, perishing in the journey, leaving the boy without a home of his own and nowhere to return to. Concerned about simply leaving a child out in the wilderness of Ti-Ant-Liund, a concensus was reached to take the boy in as one of their own. Asking the boy's name, he meekly replied "Yongshien Glorastum." In the Titan's accent, they pronnounced his name "Yungssen-Gloarstuum Pelliceras." At first he tried to correct them, but would soon simply change his name to simply "Yungssen of Pelliceras." When adressing others outside of the community.
After a few months, Santos and Yungssen met on a small hunting and fishing expedition, with older hunters teaching the younger natives how to hunt game and fish in the rivers and lakes. The usual spears and javelins were far too unwieldy for Yungssen, his phisiology not suited for Titan-centric weapons and tools. Seeing him struggle, Santos, having learned how to craft smaller tools using a notebook from one of the deceased settlers, made Yungssen a short bow and several crude arrows, even carrying the smaller hunter of the same age on his shoulders to get a better vantage on his targets. Together they had racked an impressive haul for young hunters, outpacing even some of the older generation with their unorthodox skills and teamwork
Between the hunts, the two boys became fast friends, sharing meals together and trading simple commodoties they had made, like dice and leatherback containers for parchments, Santos had taught Yungssen of the tribe's past as well as helping him become semi-fluent in Titanian, and in return, Yungssen helped Santos better understand the Common language, and more intricate games like chess and Merchant's Share. Well into their teenage years the two had become inseperable, neither's name couldn't be mentioned without thought of the other.
On Santos' 18th birthday, he was formally promoted to Village Lorekeeper, to celebrate, he wished to take Yungssen on a small hunting expedition alone, Santos wishing to become Oath-Brothers with Yungssen, declaring him as close as to warrent kinship.
Later in the day, when looking for Yungssen, a large rival camp of Titans attacked Pelliceras, using unfamiliar weapons to what they had all known, and accompanied by other smaller soldiers, non-Titans. One of the larger warmongering tribes had made an alliance with a more advanced civilisation, and they were just as bloodthirsty as their Titan allies.
The fighting was fierce, it was the first true battle Santos had experineced, grabbing a woodcutter's axe he had fought through many of the smaller soldiers to search the village for Yungssen. Just as he had lost hope of finding his dear friend, Santos saw Yungssen surrounded by Titan warriors and armoured soldiers, fighting for his life, when Yungssen was struck by a magical bolt from behind and fell. Santos flew into an uncontrollable fury, hewing through soldiers and warriors left and right even breaking his axe, he fought with the broken shaft, discarding it in another titan's clavicle. Almost reaching his brother, the soldiers turned to face Santos, bracing for the charging giant to barrel through them when the leader of their group shouted a single word. "Stop!" the figure pointing their finger at Santos directly as he stopped in his tracks, fists still tucked, body covered in blood. "A fiesty one, this Titan." The figure had remarked, some soldiers still worried that Santos would begin towards them at any moment.
Santos' mind had not settled, and was in turmoil, he wanted to charge towards these invaders and killers, none the less rip the head off of the figure that harmed Yungssen, but every feeling in his mind bayed for blood, but his feet remained still, and couldn't fight the compulsion to simply stand in place and stare the soldiers down.
The leader figure turned towards another Titan, the warrior chief who led this invasion, and said to them, "We shall take both of them." The titan looked at both Santos and Yungssen, replying, "Both? that wasn't the deal." Looking displeased with the sudden change of plans. "No, but I do believe you'll find yourself extremely well off, as compensation for the sudden change." the smaller leader looked unfazed at the larger titan's anger, and even less so of Santos' boiling rage.
The figure snaps thier fingers, and begin to grab a hold of Yungssen, dragging off his limp body, whilst Santos watched, he was struck with a similar bolt as Yungssen, all of his senses began to numb, and he felt as his limbs grew slack, until eventually, Santos hit the ground with a large thump, his last sight, seeing Yungssen being put in chains.
A day later, Santos had awakened, in an unfamiliar place, a city in ruins with brick and stones littering the surroundings, he is bound by thick shackles and accompanied by other Titans he had never seen before, as well as many guards, similar to the soldiers that invaded his home. Looking around in a panic, he could not find Yungssen anywhere, before long he was taken away once again, bound in servitude as a slave within Specia mainland.
Santos has never seen Yungssen since, or heard if he had met his fate. Silently to himself, he swore an oath to find Yungssen once more, alive or dead, and to never again let something like this happen again. Even today in his Mercenary work, beneath his calm surface, Santos carries this oath, driving him forward when the odds begin to mount against him. Maybe one day he can see Yungssen again, and introduce him to his new family, and the people that helped save Santos' life.
