Shfinô

Name: Shfinô Nwîné Mwl Raswma

Born: 1260MA in Pfunlumw, Pwrlw, Malomanan



Enslavement
Shfinô /ʃfɪno/ is a Pwrina miner who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the year 1281MA He was visiting Lem Pars, the island inhabited by the Lemne, to buy a rare breed of livestock of fine quality which his old shepherd father sorely wanted to graze in the upland Pwrdda (adjective of 'Pwr') hills. But while he was there a Lemne rebel called Corocoga had been raiding Imperial outposts and colonist settlements with a small army of men as part of a stand against the Antagan Empire's rule over the island. In return the Empire sent out a small force of imperial soldiers to show some force on the island. The imperial soldiers did some light raiding and captured prisoners, they captured anyone who had the misfortune of simply being there, including Shfinô. Shfinô tried to tell the soldiers that he was Pwrina and not Lemne but they didn't care a wind's breath about it. The imperial forces loaded the prisoners into a ship and chained them below deck and sailed far, far away from Malomanan. During the long journey on the sea Shfinô tried to speak to the other prisoners but the Lemre language was unintelligible to Pwr, though his words caught the attention of another Pwrina named Rôfofi /rofɔfɪ/who also got captured by the imperial soldiers. The two formed a quick alliance as they both shared a homeland. The ship sailed all the way to the City of Antagan itself, the heart of the Empire in the continent of Henda. When Shfinô was lead out of the ship a whole new world met his eyes. The sun shine bright and hot, too hot for his pale skin. The city roared with the sounds of a bustling day, the buildings rose high and were numerous in number, this city was *huge* in the eyes of a Pwrina whose homeland is wet, cold and rainy. He and Rôfofi were then loaded into a large wooden wagon which transported them to the outskirts of the city which still lay within the walls though far away from any home or building. They were being led to the Antagan silver mines, whose silver pays the massive army and fills the rich man's pocket among other things. Good enough for the Empire, though very unfortunate for Shfinô as they were mined by slave miners which were obtained by capturing people from foreign lands. See, the Empire didn't care if Shfinô was Lemne or Pwrina, all they knew was that he could work and make them some money and he by chance happened to be a miner himself. He was quickly put  to work with slaves captured from around the world, he toiled next to Wasgar prisoners-of-war, next to Lemne rebels, next to Tokaḳ nomads, next to Venicones poachers and also Antagan criminals. But what struck him most was the woman and children down in the mines, as for generations slaves have been out to work in the mines, some of these people were born into slavery and have known nothing else but the master's lash. Shfinô was now among the lowest class of people in the 'glorious' Antagan Empire. Shfirô showed Rôfofi how to swing a pick to avoid the punishment of the overseer who gave any slackers a seeing to. For years he and Rôfofi lived as slaves and managed to pick up the Tåns language and became a part of the slave miners subculture. Understandably the slaves weren't too happy about their situation and decided to fight for their freedom. Before they left the mines and headed for the city they had to get rid of the mine's overseers. Shfinô snuck up behind one and swung the point of his pick right between the overseer's neck and shoulder, killing him. Once all the overseers were taken care of the slaves marched into the centre of the city and made some noise which the imperial ears weren't happy to hear. They shouted demands of freedom, to be let go to return to their homelands. But their shouts were answered with cold steel. The miners only had their picks to fight back with but regardless they caused a massive riot in what would be known as the infamous Håkyrlīnša nar Gīrarajys 1286ū (in the Tåns language meaning "Miner's revolt of 1286"). Shfinô managed to kill a soldier and steal his sword and escaped the city while the chaos ensued. Rôfofi wasn't so lucky and like many others he died in the revolt. Shfinô tried to get on a boat back home but was quick to avoid any ships flying blue sails, as blue is the colour of the Antagan Empire which was hunting down any miners that escaped. He managed to get passage on a Wasgar boat which was on its way to the Moicha city of Ỳrjému, from there Shfinô got on another boat captioned by a Shúwúne man named Ol, which went to Terchne territory and from there he walked a long journey to his Pwrdda home which he hadn't seen in 5 long years. He found his father's shieling and was reunited with his family. When his father first saw him his first words to his son were yw lofàfiw sàwa, gŵara mw? (you forgot the livestock, didn't you?).

Life After Slavery
Shfinô, after his 5 years of slavery (1281-1286MA), came home to his family. Not entirely traumatised, but shaken by the period of slavery, he would never work as a miner again. His embrace with his father and mother didn't feel as warm as it had, his younger brother Éddo was no longer the impetuous fool. In fact, he had a wife and a young baby, and a herd of his own and also had become chief of the village. Shfinô was no longer in touch with his home. His experience of being captured and enslaved had left him with a deep and personal hatred of the Empire, this would influence his actions later in his life.

After his return to the homeland he couldn't settle into everyday Pwrina life, he felt a hole in him which was to be filled by purpose, and that purpose was to end the miner's slavery in Antagan. He called on his chief brother for aid and support in the form of a handful of men and supplies and set sail back to Henda in 1288MA. He lived in Antagan under the guise of an Mine Overseer where he could gain acess to the mines and talk to the miners directly. The miners were still shaken by the events of 1286 but Shfinô tried his best to instill courage in them. As the Miner's Revolt of 1286 shown the miners alone couldn't fight against the imperial army so he called upon the enemy's enemy, the Wasgar Confederation. He travelled to Gon Balum and other Wasgar cities to convince them to supply weapons and other supplies to him which he would then smuggle into the mines. Initially the Wasgar weren't interested as they had bigger issues to deal with, but he convinced the many of the Wasgar by saying that by arming and aiding the miners they will have an allied force within the city which would fight if the Wasgar should attack the Antagan city. Antagan has great wallsmand an excellent defense so trying to attack the city was always a struggle, but if an allied force that is already in the city could attack from the inside and open the gates for any Wasgar troops outside. With this fact Shfinô managed to secure a deal with he Wasgar and acted as a middle man/diplomat between the slave miners and the Wasgar. For years Shfinô kept this up, slowy building up the confidence of the miners and secretly training them how to fight properly, after getting lessons himself from the Wasgar military, preparing for an attack but most off all...waiting. All the while he still recieved some aid sent from his brother Éddo.

Through one slip up it is discovered that he wasn't quite the Mine Overseer that he disguised himself as. He was captured and tortured where it was revealed that he had deals with the Wasgar Confederation and that he recieved aid from his chief brother back home, though the Empire never discovered his business with the miners which remained secret. In answer to learning that Shfinô recieved aid against the Empire from a Pwrina chief Antagam sent a small fleet to Pwr territory as ashow of strength. This ceased all aid from Éddo as his people were shaken by the presence of the impressive imperial force. During the meantime Shfinô managed to escape and fled to Gon Balum where he could hide safely for the time being. Under a much stricter disguis he once again entered the mines to plan another uprising that would coincide with a Wasgar attack. Though that attack would come untill 1301MA. The Wasgar and miners together managed to take the city and as per Shfinô's agreeement the slaves were freed. some of the freed slaves found their way back to their homelands, but for some that wasn't possible such as the Birn tribesmen whose homeland is the far away continent Makūtevnag. Some did manage to get home however by capturing an Imperial ship and sailing home. Some slaves that didn't find their way home banded together and headed east away from the Empire and built a small settlement. (This diverse group of people speak multiple languages but speak Tåns in common, though in want to shed the imperial tongue they adapt a local language albeit with their own influence). And that ends the story of the Miners and Shfinô's business in Henda. Afterwards he travels back home where he wanders around Malomanan with dreams of Sumric unity, but they are just that, dreams. The Lemne's situation bettered as all the conflict meant that the Empire drew back all forces to fight in Henda. Though settled Antagan colonists remain which is a source for conflict yet. Malomanan as a whole won't fight against Antagan as the Empire left it alone and the Moicha have trade deals with them and have turned down offers from the Lemne to fight against the Empre. It is only Lem Pars which felt the brunt of imperial greed so only the Lemne have actual cause to be against the Empire. Though Shfinô's hatred of Antagan is a personal one due to his ensalvement, though with his brother Éddo as a chief it gave him an advantage in terms of getting some help in terms of a few men and supplies though Éddo did so as a brother and not a slave sympthesiser.

When Shfinô's work with the slaves had finished, he returned to his homeland where he was reunited again with his family though he still had wanderlust in his blood as explained in a speech from Shfinô to Éddo:

"Greetings, dear brother. The years have passed, but our bonds of family have held fast against the time and tide. We have grown separately, but we can join together once more. I have had a vision, growing clearer by the day, ever since I left on my journey. I saw the mountains at dawn, the ocean at sunset, and the different lives of many throughout the day. They are all so different, yet so close: so few times was I turned away, so often was I welcomed, as a stranger, into the home. Throughout my journeys I saw a common vein run among the people of the land. A similar face here, a similar enscription there. I saw a shadow of the Sumnë, the First Nomads, watched over the deer of Malomanan, until the Evil Wolf Ôä Éru scoured the land with his maw and took the deer from our ancestors, scattering them, so that they formed small communties around Malomanan, never again united. Until now. My vision is of a New Sumnë, united against the Antagan menace, the vile oppressors who are, at this moment, occupying Lemne territory - we must make haste and defend our brothers of old!"

It can be said that his constant travelling and want of unity of the Sumric people can be a metaphor for wanting unity in himself (he led quite a hectic life, which seperated him from his family and home). So, he upped sticks and he became a nomad, wandering throughout the land of Malomanan, gathering wisdom about places afar. He saw the warlike, yet culturally similar Terchne; he saw the cities and nilaf fields of Moicha, their bitter rivals the Foranía, who had strong horses and stronger stone fortresses; he saw the isolated yet fascnitating Lericnaté; He once again traveled to the Lem Pars, and shared stories of Antagan cruelty. On his return to the continent, he met a band of nomads, who called themselves the Somoñi, who invited him to join them. With the Somoñi, Shfinô learnt more about the nomadic life of the Sumnë, the ancient culture of Malomanan, from which all the cultures he visited descend from. Shfinô imagined a world where the Sumnë could rise again, and tame the Antagans so they could no longer harm his people as they do in his mind. It was during his time with the Somoñi that he met wife, the cunning Fjorþe with who he had a son.

Family
Father: Iné

Mother: Éfono

Brother: Éddo, a local Pwrina chief

Wife: Fjorþe, a Somoñi nomad. her name comes from the Somi fjorþ 'moon' + -e 'female dimununitve suffix'

Son: Aran