Ilyas Sheppard

The twins were born into a strange household - their Shooter father was raised by very strict shooter parents; but he had fallen in love with the Weaver slave that worked as his maid. So the boys grew up in a hidden mixed household. Ilyas was loved utterly by his parents, but his traditionalist grandparents ignored him completely, speaking as if he didn't even exist in the room - or treating him outright as just another slave. They even complained to his father to try and get the man to sell Ilyas when he didn't behave as they wished. 

Ilyas never got a chance to go to school; he was kept at home. But his mother and father both taught him instead - from his father he learned mathematics and history, and from his mother he learned a love of poetry and the natural world. And while his parents raised him, they spoke against the shooter practice of slavery, bringing Ilyas to the conclusion that he needed to do something about this. 

As the boys grew older, Ilyas began to work out and train his body - he and his brother both. And when they turned eighteen they left their parent's house to travel. They started off small, building up their money; Isaac gambled, something he was actually very good at. Ilyas fought in the gladiator arenas, pretending to be Isaac's slave in order to let the two collect bet money. This is what gave them the idea for their biggest ruse, but they couldn't pull it off yet. 

It wasn't until their father, a minor Lord, died unexpectedly with no other heirs, that the boy's grandparents finally acknowledged Isaac. At least a half-breed bastard heir who looked like a Shooter was better than no heir at all. Isaac inherited his father's land, money, and titles - and his mother. She would be the first of many slaves that the twin's would free from captivity. By pretending to be one of Isaac's slaves, he and Ilyas were able to worm themselves into parties on estates, to open and private auctions, and other opportunities for them to collect - and then free - the slaves that were being held and sold.

It was during this work that Ilyas met Yue. The quiet and gentle priestess was relatively easy to free - and as the two brothers escorted her out of Shooter territories, she taught them about the Gods of the world, and how to worship. Ilyas loved listening to her voice as she taught, and began to routinely visit her new ocean-side home whenever he could, to talk to her about books, about the Gods, and about magic. Anything he could think of to stay by her side. Eventually he began bringing her presents - books about magic, little figurines of bunnies and small soft animals, and even his own poetry. Over time, the two fell in love; head over heels, Ilyas asked Yue to marry him one night on the beach, under the full moon.

And so life goes.