Anrü

Heroic kajtlemta and all-around good boy.

TODO: swap out herder backstory for deep-forest guardian backstory.

Anrükédelem, invariably known to those around him as Anrü, hails from the kajtlemta homeworld of Rushédak. Although his parents were deep-forest kajtlemta, they lived lives as nomadic pastoralists, spending much of each year following the continent-spanning eternal migration of the (relatively) docile friendbeast herds and protecting them from the depredations of monstrous predators. Even as a very young pup Anrü spent his days loping alongside his charges in the First Form, rising before the dawn as the herds began stirring from sleep and making camp only when the creatures had found pasture for grazing. His travels allowed him to meet all sorts of folk—but it was the offworld visitors who truly stirred his imagination.

A distant ancestor of his was a legendary hero, one of the band of adventurers whose final quest broke the hold of the malign Deceiver Spirit over the kajtlemta thousands of years ago, although at heartbreaking cost. The divine weapon wielded by this ancestor had been passed down through the generations, broken and inert—until during one of the pilgrimages he and his pack made into the quiet, sacred forests to satisfy ancient custom, Anrü accidentally awoke it. The baiguai presence within the weapon chose to bond itself with Anrü's soul, but Anrü in turn decided to reject whatever quest it had in mind for him.

Wanting to see the galaxy and its manifold civilizations for himself, Anrü chose to leave Rushédak as soon as he could, gathering a tight-knit crew from among his like-minded friends and purchasing an old but trim starship. He did so by selling his ancestral weapon to a visiting atrauéti antiquities dealer, fetching for it a tidy sum and neatly solving two problems at once. He now travels from star to star, world to world, meeting interesting new people and righting whatever wrongs he can. He knows though, in the back of his mind, that he cannot be the master of his own fate forever, and that one day it will be his responsibility to take up his ancestor's weapon and once again defeat the evil his ancestor vanquished long ago.

Anrü is a little short for his age, but it doesn't really bother him. He is a little more quiet and taciturn than most kajtlemta, which isn't saying much. He has a mischievous streak, and has learned that keeping quiet and nodding solemnly at the right time can make him seem smarter and wiser than he really is. Yet he is never actively malicious. He has his convictions and is willing to stand up for them. One thing he doesn't lack is self-confidence, although he is usually level-headed enough to avoid becoming conceited—he has learned the hard way why being an arrogant jerk isn't a great idea. He is can be quite charismatic when he wants to be, and is gradually learning what leadership is really all about.