Akron of the Four Winds

Akron is the fourth of five children born to Rowan, the head chieftain of the Four Winds People. (The other children, from eldest to youngest, are 2 sons and 2 daughters). In his prime his father was an extremely gifted warrior and was reknowned for his conquests in the field of battle. Above all, he was incredibly feared for his cunning military strategy. Through arranged marriage Rowan married Iome of the River-hawk people, bonding the two powerful clans and beginning the process of uniting the 7 major clans of the plains.

Like all plains children, Akron was trained early in childhood on how to fight. Over time Akron was taught military strategy, because as a son of the Chieftain this was expected. Training to fight was often disguised in childhood games that adults showed their children; attending and helping hunting parties also honed children's skills. Akron found such skills to come naturally, and often as a child and younger adult he excelled in these games. He even was able to finish within the top three teams in the annual tournament of Draka (1) held at Dwindell (the main encampment of the Four Winds people), and once his Pack (2) even captured first place at Orden (3). Akron and his Pack chose to fight in the east along the mountains because this was reknowned as one of the fiercest fronts, being the home of formidable mountain giants and near the Eye People (5).

Akron spent 4 years on the eastern front before returning with his Pack for a new assignment. Now 22, Akron had witnessed the deaths of 3 of his Pack members. Particularly devastating was the death of Talia, Akron's lover. Upon arriving home Akron had found it very difficult to revert back to the civilized life that his home was compared to that of the front. Worse, with the loss of his lover he had no desire to remain in their childhood home.

Over the weeks both Rowan and Iome could see the anguish in their son and decided the best thing was to send him on an assignment that involved traveling without exposing him him to the hardening life of the front. With those thoughts in mind, Rowan sent Akron as a diplomat to Bohan to finalize a horse deal he had been working on with Lord LaPlace. He figured that his son was a good candidate due to his ability to survive in harsh new environments; Akron also had some of his mother's gift for recognizing economic possibillities. For his part Akron looked forward to the assignment. As the third son he would never be his father's heir, and the skills he would learn would give him new opportunities in life. because he would never be the heir to his fathers seat of power. With his parents' blessing, Akron set out for Bohan. (Of course, had he known more about Bohan he would have left that stone jungle full of untrustworthy people on his list of places to never visit.)

Notes

1. Draka is a fierce sport of horse riding where teams try to place a dead goat to the opposite side of a field, while battling against another mounted team trying to do the same.
2. Pack, among the horse clans, is a group of 8 warriors who train and fight together. Pack members trust each other absolutely.
3. Orden is a game of skill and prowess that takes place very three years. The three best Packs from each of the 7 clans meet in Dwindell and then venture out to find a golden horse. The teams are given clues that lead to further clues, and eventually to the prize. By tradition the path to the prize is very dangerous; further, clan veterans have been known to create additional "obstacles" for their competitors. Small skirmishes often break out between teams in the wild. Typically the hunt take 7-10 days during which a large festival takes place. At the end of the game a huge celebration honors the winning team. Beyond great respect, the winning Pack is given the choice of which military assignment it would like.
4. The Eye People were the reason that Rowan was able to unite the 7 great horse clans of the plains. The great clans had a long history of warring among themselves, and long blood feuds often undermined all attempts at peace. Rowan's grandfather had joked years before that the clans could never be at peace with each other---who would they fight? Battle had always been integral to their way of life. Despite this, Rowan saw the clans as one and envisioned the true power they could have. Over years of negotiating (which his marriage was part of) he was able to get the clans to listen a little more at a time. The festival of the Orden was started by Rowan both to build skills but also to help unite the clans. Until the fighting began with the Eye People, however, Rowan had not truly succeeded in uniting the clans. Over the last decade, as the fighting and the strength of the Eye people have grown, the great clans have finally become one. With this unity their military and economic might has increased. Rowan introduced many plans that have combined trading of all the clans' resources to significantly increase the wealth of the plainsmen. He has done this by establishing several markets, sending emissaries to learn of market needs, and---most importantly---charging a toll for caravans to travel through the plains. It should be noted that though these ideas were introduced by Rowan, his wife Iome suggested them to him. Rowan was also very wise in diplomatically appointing several keys leaders from the great clans in various positions of power to keep them happy and to keep the semi-structured government balanced.