Judas

Intro
Judas was born into the Shaman Clan in Shigu, 15 years before Rain Silves was born. He was raised communally along with the other young sergals of his village, learning to be in touch with nature and reality itself. His village was located on one of the Colthan Lakes, near the Vetla forest. Judas's ancestors, being simple, named the village "Colthan". Judas was a gifted child, but struggled to live on his own because of how he got engrossed in his work. Once Judas had finally perfected his craft in 0 RC, he left his village in order to experience the world.

Judas visited Reono, where he learned to read and write fluently. Up to this point he had travelled by himself, with his trusty pouch filled with salt and herbs. Judas found Reono's culture to be advanced and a little overwhelming, with all those big buff Easterners wandering about. Judas had always been very skinny, and was 5-6 inches shorter than the average Easterner. Judas's nationality and meek nature made him prefer the company of other travellers, and this is how he met Starr.

Starr was a pudgy southerner who had a knack for Northern herbs and cuisine, but had trouble finding work in Reono because he was lethargic and shy. Judas saw potential in him and offered Starr a job as his assistant, someone who would help keep things organized, take care of him, as well as managing and counting stock. Judas and Starr tried to visit the Lyvank Mountains to gather and experiment on eltus plants, but to Judas's dismay, rising tension between Shigu and Reono had led Reono to block off the Lyvank Mountains from foreign entry. Judas decided to return to Shigu with Starr in tow, but on his way back, he met a village in dire need of his help.

Judas's New Home
On his way back to Colthan in 8 RC, Judas wandered into a village located in the west Thekan, near the Astna Plains and the Lyvank Mountains. This village was home to members of the Sieg clan, Northerners who were neither warriors or shamans. They were a cowardly bunch who were in dire need of faith and medicine, and pleaded for Judas to help them. Judas agreed, feeling that this is what he was meant to do. Judas and Starr moved into a salt outpost outside of town, and began treating the injured and ill who had previously been beyond saving. Judas worked tirelessly until the village was stable, gaining admiration and recognition.

By 10 RC, Judas had been accepted as a member of the his new village, and adopted their clan name as his surname. Starr's helpfulness and care helped Judas immensely, and although Starr could never adopt the clan's name due to his nationality, he was treated as a member. Starr made sure that Judas ate while he was studying, maybe a little too much, because by 10 RC Judas wasn't skinny anymore. Judas was very fond of Starr, crediting Starr as the reason for his happiness and success.

Judas and Starr started being intimate in the following years, since they were always around each other. They started working as equals, talking to each other informally and cozying up to one another. Starr, who learned a lot from watching Judas, learned to mix tasty talyxian plants into their food. On the other hand, Judas began to share Starr's passion for food, and he often overate because Starr was a fantastic cook. Judas would constantly snack on Starr's food whenever he had the chance, which made Starr proud.

War and Tension
Years passed after Judas and Starr settled down, and the villagers were grateful for all they had done. There were still casualties caused by the forest, but sickness and disease had become an afterthought in the minds of the villagers - but they hadn't forgotten the pain it had caused them in the past. When Rain Silves marched on Reono in 28 RC, most of the village's youth left to join her cause. Judas was 43 at this point in time, past his prime and out of shape. He dreaded the thought of his (the village's) children going up against those Easterners, but there was nothing he could do. The villagers that remained needed him now more than ever. Judas found comfort in the arms of Starr, and together, they brought comfort to the rest of the village.

Starr had been having trouble importing foreign herbs, and the war made this even harder. Judas had to use less powerful ingredients while trying to attain the same results, and he came up with an ingenious way of doing so. He dehydrated cheap, less effective herbs, ground them into a powder, and mixed it with talyxian dew to create a powerful concentrate. This wasn't necessarily groundbreaking, it had been done before, but it was a method that had been forgotten because more powerful herbs had been available for generations through trade with Reono.

Aftermath and Death
After the collapse of the Shigu Kingdom in 40 RC, the village was in rough shape. Only a small fraction of the youth who left had returned, and Judas's age and physique made it hard for him to meet the demands of his job. The village elders tried to help Judas by sending him aides, but Judas had grown very close to Starr and didn't want anyone else touching his herbs and equipment. After many years of faith and service, Judas passed away in 45 RC at the age of 60, and Starr carried on his life's work until Starr passed a few years later.

Judas's village disbanded not long after, taking refuge in the Shigu Dukedom. Judas's home, originally a salt outpost, returned to its original use and was a safe haven for caravans going between Shigu and Reono.