I grew up in a small lumbering village in the southern hills of T’u Lung, a country to the far east. Our entire village loved knowledge, and at least partially worshiped Oghma, god of knowledge, and my family was one of the stronger supporters of him. Although we loved knowledge, my family was so poor that we couldn’t afford me any schooling. They hadn’t gone to school either, so I didn’t learn much.
Since the oppressive, corrupt T’u Lung government didn’t allow anyone but the troops and guards to have weapons, we learned at an early age how to fight unarmed and with self carved branches. Anyone who spoke up and voiced their opinion was executed; either hung or beaten to a pulp, depending on the offense.
One day while I was away lumbering, my family was hung for objecting when a town official said that T’u Lung was the best country because it gave so much freedom to its people, which was obviously a lie, as T’u Lungians, or T’unians, had virtually no freedom. Because of not only their death, but the cause of it and many other deaths like it, I vowed to preserve truth.
I knew I could not go on living there, both because it would be too sad for me and because the authorities would hunt me down and have me hung as well, so I gathered my belongings and went to a monastery of Oghma in the southern reaches of Shou Lung.
Although I had traveled to the Yengso Rocks, a place of spiritual enlightenment, and many of my fellow monks hadn't, I was still one of the least, if not the least, wise person in the temple. Because of this, I learned to shut my mouth and open my ears. I was the most quiet monk, but also the most improving monk, because I, unlike so many others, actually listened to what others were saying. I considered all opinions and then chose my own. Because the first step in preserving the truth is learning it.
At the temple, we not only debated and read, but also practiced self-defense with each other. We learned throws and sweeps, how to break a joint or bone, and other techniques, but mostly we learned how to manipulate ki, the divine life force. We learned how to use ki to speed up your movements and attacks or to dodge someone else's attack. Some of the monks that had been here longer even knew how to do advanced things, like weakening the ki of an opponent's body
Eventually, I figured I had learned and recuperated as much as I could at the monastery and that it was time to go back out into the world. I took with me only my robes, my staff from back home and a few 4-pointed thrown projectiles called throwing stars.
I traveled from Shou Lung to The Dalelands, only stopping to rest and eat. Then I went to Sembia and Cormyr. From Cormyr I traveled to The Reaching Woods, and then to Neverwinter, where I became friends with Sildar, a local knight that was also a member of the Lord's Alliance. I stopped street fights for him sometimes, mostly it was just a matter of knocking both drunks out, and hopefully they would be sober by the time the regained consciousness.
Sildar hired me, along with a group of adventurers, to bring a wagon of supplies to Phandalin for his friend, Gundren Rockseeker. We were to bring it to a store in town, called Barthen's Provisions. The people in my group were Turenim, an idealistic priest of Hope, Faith, and Charity, Lee, a veteran that turned into a ranger, Atilius a bookish wizard, and Pippin, a child rogue. And so my adventure begins!
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