Z A R G O N' S . P A S T
(for his stage 1 age I put him at 15, a lil older than normal for an apprentice but it fits his bio better)
Zargon Mardinand the third, or Z as he prefers to be called, was born in Ilidan to a family of weavers. His family owned a well off business that had been in his family for several generations now; it wasn't the most famous nor were they rich, but they always had extra for some luxuries. Zargon is the second son and wanted to take over the business from his father; however his older sister had a better head for running a business not to mention more talent than him. Due to his wish to be the owner (after all, shouldn't a Zargon run Zargon's Fine Woven Goods?) he was always challenging his older sister Zalia; be it in academics, skill at crafts, or random tasks he would make up to try and prove himself the better. He didn't hate her (or at least not too much) but he did resent her. She was better than him in all aspects: except in creativity. Z was always making up new patterns for his rungs and tapestries, always trying to make different dyes or use different materials while Zalia stuck to traditional methods.
His challenges did have one side benefit: he always improved, always got better. Never one to let a defeat get him down, he learned from his experience, grew from it, and moved tot he next challenge.
As a youngling, Zargon was rambunctious and always getting into trouble with his blunt words: his mother did her best to teach him manners.. but it never stuck. He always said what was on his mind an lived with the consequences. Mostly because at that young age he didn't know about the consequences, but as he grew he simply accepted the reactions and consequences and kept on moving. Here is where he learned about the religion of his people.. and began to doubt it. Why would these great beings like the spirits were supposed to be care what small people like him did? They didn't yell at him for breaking a vase: that was his mother. They didn't punish him for not following the rules: that was other people. Spirits didn't bring him bad luck cause he didn't say his prayers for a week... nothing happened when he did that in fact! He respected the priests and honored their gods but he didn't blindly follow nor did he blame his luck on Spirits. It was his own actions and he owned up to them; his mistakes were not the fault of some Spirits displease but merely his own lack of skill or knowledge. It wasn't the Spirits or Gods who made his sister better than him: she was just more skilled and had more time! Surely as he grew up he'd be able to beat her one day!
From a young age, he loved to watch his mother at her loom, the beautiful peaceful designs that emerged always soothed him. His mother, seeing his interest, started him off young; teaching how a loom works, how to weave, and how to create the threads and dye them. He was so proud that one day when he made his first rug; only to have it crushed as his sister presented hers and her father praising her more. Since then he has done his best to meet or beat her only to fail. Though each time the distance between them is less.
When he was 13 his grandfather (on his father's side who was far more religious) decided it was time to take him and his little brother (currently 5) to the Sanctuary and maybe put a bit more respect of the Gods; it wouldn't do for one of his children to bring bad luck down upon the whole family... despite the fact that his son did the same thing. He wanted to try and inspire the same religious faith he had in them, hoping it would help them. Z was amused and went along with it; the Spirits hadn't punished him yet for not really being excessively faithful or religious.. so why would they start now? He honestly thought that the Spirits just lived their lives and ignored mortals like himself for the most part. He wasn't going to piss them off... just like he wouldn't dishonor the God and Goddess since they could ruin him but he didn't see a reason to be so faithful and blind like others he knew. On the way the way there an imp had caused a stampede of Limbara that caught him and his family. Z had grabbed his little brother at the sound of the thunder and tried to get out of the way with his father. His father ha managed to get out of the way but Z got hit by the edge of the herd and the tusks had gouged him across his lower back. His father had pulled him out before anything worse could happen and they hid in the trees.
Instead of going to the Sanctuary, his grandfather turned back: his son needed medical attention and the priests could wait. Z was amused when his granduncle claimed the herd had been spooked to punish him for his transgressions: Zargon merely laughed and told him that the laughing imp they'd seen had caused it, not any spirit. The Gods weren't mad at him: he was alive and healing just fine! Surely that was instead a sign they didn't mind him acting this way? If they had wanted to punish him, he ought to have loss a limb at the least! His father, glad he was alive, stopped the argument and headed it off before it got worse. He did however sit his son down and explain to him several facts of life: and how it would be best if he kept his lack of religious fervor to himself. He and Zargon's mother may have gotten away with being so lackluster but as adults they were better at hiding it and were already established and financially safe... Z not so much. Though their family had gotten a rep for being slightly weird from their creative and imaginative ways of creating their works of art. Z was just continuing in the family way if you asked his mother.
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