Aven de Menzaile

     Aven grew up in the southern crystal mines in the western hemisphere. He remembers his parents with fondness, although he will never admit it. His father died in the mines when Aven was young. To help make ends meet, he became part of the water-bearer boys for the miners. Life was hard in the mines, but it became even harder when the Master Merchant showed up in the small town.

     The Master Merchant endeared himself to the adults of the town and soon became the headmaster of the only school in the small village. As the kids learned, the Master Merchant took more liberties with the children. Soon, he was taking them on treks that could last up to three weeks, in which he would perform surgeries on the children. If a child reported the abuse, the Master Merchant would be able to console the parents, and soon, no child reported anything.

     Aven had bio-metal infused into his frame. It was during this time that the water boys found a secret entrance out of the mine. It led into the hollow trunk of the only Watosh Tree around. Here, the boys plotted their escape from the village.

At this time, Aven's mother became gravely ill, and not even the Peace Enforcer Physicians could treat her. Aven stayed at her bedside. Right before her death, Aven's mother confided in him that she believed the children's stories and had confronted the village. She knew she had been poisoned, and because of that, she made her son vow to leave the village.

     After her death, the Master Merchant convinced the town that the children needed to be taken to a special school for a year. Aven and the water boys, along with other children, hid inside the Watosh tree, taking a stockpile of food with them. They hid there for two weeks, waiting to be discovered, which they almost were many times. But the Peace Enforcers arrived, and the Master Merchant decided to leave with what children he could, promising to return. 

     When they left, the children quietly snuck away in the night and departed ways. After a few weeks, Aven found refuge in the Watosh Forest, mad from the voices inside his head. He found berries to eat and water to drink. He fell asleep next to a stream only to wake up in the Hunter Caverns, being saved by the barkeep. 

     Aven spent his life learning the ways of the Hunter Clan and, in his early twenties, became an honored bounty hunter, meeting his soon-to-be stellove, Tiel Lambrie. While Tiel wonders about their love, he does not. He fell in love with Tiel because she let him be himself, whereas his previous love interest (Lidena) coddled him. He found Tiel to be refreshing and safe.

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