Rolin

Early Life
Rolin was the first of two children born in Reono in 74 RC. He was a slim, simple-minded kid who spent his free time playing with his friends in the city streets. When Rolin was growing up, he received a basic education which taught him about Shigu and the legendary Rain Silves. He became obsessed with these stories and tried to travel to Shigu on foot, but he got lost in the dense forest and was exposed to a large amount of miasma.

Rolin was saved by a sergal named Mist, a sieg (northerner who isn't a shaman or brave clan member) who happened to live nearby. Mist was already planning to visit the Shigu Dukedom to buy some more books to read, so once Rolin had recovered they set out on a two month journey to reach the capital of Shigu. Rolin learned a lot about talyxian behavior and mannerisms during their journey, since they were accompanied by Mist's talyxian associator, Cloud.

Young Adult Years
When Mist and Rolin reached the Shigu Dukedom in 82 RC, Rolin had a hard time making money. He resorted to taking odd jobs and going on hunts, but since he was still young and inexperienced he sometimes ended up going in over his head. On one hunt, he ended up fighting a couple large dondokos and got his right leg and left ear messed up. Rolin was eventually fed up with this life, and went to school in Shigu Dukedom to become a judge. Rolin was four years into his education in 89 RC when he received word from Mist: all of his family members and childhood friends had died. His parents had died from old age, his sister had died from illness, and his friends had been killed in a skirmish with a talyxian leech. Rolin had no idea how to cope with this, and fell into a deep depression. He could barely muster up the will to get out of bed, or even eat.

Rolin got another letter from Mist two months later, encouraging him to get out of his house and find a hobby. Rolin obliged, and after watching his local weapon smith for a couple weeks he asked if he could give it a try. Rolin eventually became an apprentice after months of blood and sweat, soaking in everything he could about the smithing trade. He went on to work under the local weapon smith until 94 RC, when he had the money and skill to set up his own shop. Rolin's right leg became infected around this time, and Rolin needed to have it amputated and replaced with a simple prosthetic.

Adult Years
Rolin's passion and dedication to his craft demanded the respect of his peers, and he started gaining a reputation for the quality of his weapons. In 95 RC, the damage to his left ear started to cause him irreversible hearing loss, and Rolin would constantly hear buzzing in his left ear. The incessant low frequency noise in his head caused him to be increasingly moody, and the vertigo made it even harder for him to walk. He found some comfort when in large crowds or other places with continuous types of noise, but he felt his best while listening to live music. When Rolin discovered that music could help him with the issues stemming from his hearing loss, Rolin used his profits to hire a musical troupe to play near him while he worked. He claimed that he hired them to "cheer up the place and attract customers", but he actually hired this troupe in particular because he was smitten by one of their members, Lara Finja. Lara was a western/eastern mix with picturesque green fur, who shared Rolin's interest in music and enjoyed the warmth of the forge. Rolin had gone completely deaf in his left ear by 97 RC, which cured the buzzing noise. Lara's troupe left Rolin since he no longer needed music while he worked, but Lara stayed with him and became his personal assistant.

Rolin was in need of a new, modern prosthetic by 99 RC - the one he was using was not made for a sergal as tall as he was. Rolin traveled to Reono with Lara to have a proper prosthetic refashioned for a 6'9" sergal, and returned to the Shigu Dukedom by 100 RC. He was able to walk without difficulty, and this made his job easier, but his height caused him to be plagued with back pain. He was praised for his master-quality craftsmanship, but as he got older he was forced to decrease his workload in order to maintain his health. He still made more than enough cevia, and with this extra free time, he and Lara grew attached to each other. They referred to each other as their significant other, but they never married because they were not exposed to agudner traditions like sergals in Gold Ring were.

Rolin adopted Lara's last name, Finja, in 103 RC because he never had a last name of his own. They would have a child together in 105 RC and name them after Rolin's grandfather, Ada. Ada Finja started schooling in 110 RC, so they could learn about the legendary Rain Silves.

Elder Years and Death
Rolin kept on forging as Ada went to school, aspiring to be a scholar or a merchant. Ada eventually grew up and ventured off to pursue his own dreams, while Rolin and Lara stayed in the Shigu Dukedom. Rolin started getting "the cough" that all blacksmiths eventually develop, and he would eventually close up shop due to his lung and back problems. Rolin passed away from lung disease in 153 RC at the age of 79.