Early life:
He was born in the land of Andaria during the tumultuous 3rd century, an age of strife when the Three Kingdoms waged relentless war. Of his parentage, the chronicles speak little. Some whisper that his mother was but a poor farmer, forced to send her child to the palace, there to serve as a humble steward. Others claim he was a hidden scion of royal blood — a prince regent destined for the throne.
But all tales agree on this: within the stone halls of the Andarian court, the boy named Qutb was raised and taught, and in the shadow of kings he grew wise beyond his years. He mastered the sword and the lyre, the arts of statecraft and the mysteries of the Eight Virtues. In all things he excelled, surpassing the brightest of his peers.
Yet, as he neared manhood, a veil was lifted from his eyes.
One season, while traveling beyond the palace walls, he beheld four sights that would shake the foundations of his soul:
- First, a once-mighty knight, now withered and frail, leaning upon a staff to stand — the ravages of time mocking his past glories.
- Second, a scholar, lost within the grand library, his mind fractured, words broken — wisdom decayed into madness.
- Third, the people of the city, in violent uproar against deceitful merchants — rage born of corruption and betrayal.
- Fourth, a lone seer in the deep forest, who had cast aside all wealth and renown, seeking only to uncover the root of mortal suffering.
These visions troubled the young Qutb. Though schooled in the Virtues since his youth, he now saw their limits laid bare. No Valor could halt the body’s decline. No Honesty could restore a shattered mind. No Justice could undo the cycles of greed and grief. No Spirituality alone could end the endless wheel of suffering.
In the quiet of his chambers, he pondered long upon these truths. At last, he knew: the Virtues, though noble, could not alone deliver the world from sorrow. There must be another path — one yet unseen.
And so it was that on the dawn of coronation, Qutb vanished from the palace, slipping away into the mists without a word. His quest had begun — to seek the way that ends all suffering.
