Aheryah, the Human Monk

NOBODY knows where Aheryah was born. Some say he didn’t know either. Most of his childhood seems to have been a lonely one. He wandered through Ganareth without staying in one place for long. To tell you the truth, the life he led before he met Oshyr, the one who was to be his master, is of little interest and importance. Same thing for the way they met, quite commonplace, on some road somewhere. Before this moment, nobody could have believed Aheryah would be one of his best disciples. The monk’s immense wisdom and his principles made Aheryah follow his teachings.

For many years, Oshyr taught him the importance of knowing the strengths and weaknesses of every living species on Ganareth, in order to get ready to fight some of their representatives when the time comes. He also associated this knowledge of populations and animals with fighting techniques. Oshyr had an excellent technique that used the body alone as an incredibly fast, and strong weapon.

When the time had come to part their ways, Aheryah had become a monk with so much knowledge, strength and wisdom that some say he was as strong as his master. There are many legends about the deeds he accomplished afterwards. One of these legends talks about the way he chased an army of ferocious outcasts from a region that was living in terror. These bandits used to attack, kill and rob, anyone who dared to travel on the roads which prevented cities from trading.

Aheryah was traveling alone through this land when the bandits ambushed him. He had become surrounded by many criminals ready to kill him. After launching verbal abuse at them, he ran through them and began to flee. Although he ran much faster, the bandits started to chase him. When he came to a cliff, he climbed up with great ease and waited for them. They climbed up too, although with much greater difficulty, and Aheryah could fight the faster ones as the others were still climbing. As they reached the top of the cliff, the monk killed them one by one with his bare hands. His perfect knowledge of their body weaknesses allowed him to kill them with one blow. The result was quite astounding: as his pursuers, mad with rage, climbed up the cliff, the fastest fell back down, struck down by the Monk’s blows. No bandit survived that fight. Driven with blood lust and revenge, they all ended the same way.

The town leaders wanted to show their eternal gratitude and offered him a staff of great value, crafted by the greatest craftsmen and magicians. This powerful, enchanted rod used rare metals and moonstone inlays that granted the bearer supernatural powers. But only a wise mind that knew about its powers could use it. Nobody knows where his possessions ended once Gothar, the One, brought him back to Him. Some say he gave his manuscripts, the result of Oshyir himself, to one of the disciples that walked along with him in the last years of his journey on Ganareth.