Jayalah, Way Maker of Sakatee

Jayalah is a dwarven miner turned Way Maker of Sakatee. They were raised in the Hubris Caverns in the mid-west region of Qix by a well-respected family, under the name of Drenba Hunder. Along with most dwarfs there, they grew up learning how to maintain the caverns, as well as how to mine the valuable minerals still being uncovered in areas that were still unfit for the coloney to expand into.
Their life was peaceful, and they earned a good name for their hard work and steady aim with an axe. But they weren't satisfied. They hungered to explore beyond the caverns and the nearby countryside, but their family and friends urged them to remember the terrible curse that afflicted most of surrounding realm of Lifahya, which caused those who walked abroad to rapidly age and die within a few scant years.
Denba tried to be content in their work and at home, but they couldn't rest. Every night they woke up in the early hours after vivid dreams that they could not remember, but which left them hungering for new sights and fresh faces. They would pace the colony for hours afterwards, often arriving at work exhausted, to their companions' concern.
One night when they woke and left their family quarters, they were apprehended on by a priestess of Sakatee, The One Who Guides and Answers. Sakatee followers were rare, and their priests even rarer, as their temple was small and mostly ignored, given that most of the inhabitants followed Ustah. Additionally, Sakatee's followers were rumoured to take fairytales and folklore as truth, and to have little sense among them.
However Denba was exhausted enough, and driven wild enough, that when the priestess beckoned them to follow her to the temple, they went without a thought. And as they arrived and drank in the new sight of the crystal-floored cave, underneath which a strange river could be seem flowing, teeming with bioluminscent life, their heart was a little eased.
The priestess, named Kiya, told Denba that they had been chosen to be a Way Maker of Sakatee. Her goddess had told her of a new group of followers she would call to be Way Makers, who would walk the cursed lands outside without fear, and slowly cleanse them. However, they would only be safe as long as they did as She asked, and destroyed any road they encountered, making it anew. This would be exhausting work, and might take much time, but they would not be alone. Her power would strengthen them, and guide them in their work, and in time, other Way Makers would join them. The new roads they created would be infused with her divine influence, and this would spread outwards, eventually cleansing all the land.
Imagining themselves a fearless explorer and a hero who would allow their people to walk the lands of Lifahya free again, Denba eagerly agreed. But Kiya warned that while this was an honoured vocation, there was a price to be paid. Denba could never rest more than three days in the same place again, or the curse of the land would creep upon them and they would age and die even more rapidly than they might have otherwise. And by taking the mantle of the Way Maker, they were committing to this journey until the land was free of the curse.
Denba was troubled by this, and left the temple without answering. But the dreams continued, and slowly they began to remember the contents. Flashes of empty cities, strange jewelled citadels reaching into the heavens, heavy dark seas crashing against cliffs that were themselves covered by flocks of strange birds.
Sakatee was showing them the world that could be theirs. And Denba could not resist.
Less than a week later, they took their leave of their saddened and confused family and friends, and went back to the temple. Kiya took them beneath the crystal floor, and urged them to dip their feet in the strange river, among its odd but beautiful fish. As they did, their feet first burned and reddened, began to glow with a their own odd golden light. Kiya gave them a pair of study boots, which both concealed the glow, and would prevent Denba, now renamed Jayalah (First Among New Paths), from becoming footsore or overly weary in their lifelong trek. They were also gifted the tools they would need to dig new roads, and some minor magical items that would assist them in removing old ones.
Finally Jayalah had to take their leave of Kiya too, and made their way up through the caverns, past the many enclosing walls, past the watchers who tried to stay their path, until it became clear that Jayalah was on a divine mission now. And then Jayalah was out, and into the strange world of Nataya at last, in a long-cursed realm where few had trodden in decades. They walked a mile or two, until they came upon a road, and there they began to dig.
It's been twenty years now, and Jayalah still walks Lifahya. They have twice encountered other Way Makers in that time, but did not spend long with them, as all had their own paths to make. While their life can be a little lonely, they have never regretted their choice, delighting in exploring the world, and watching the influence of the curse slowly be beaten back by the work of their own hands and feet. They may never be able to fully share their experiences with anyone, but they are at peace with this.

Alignment

Neutral Good

Current Status

Building the new roads of Lifahya, healing the cursed land.

Age

54

Pronouns

They/them

Sex

Nonbinary

Gender

Nonbinary

Presentation

Androgynous

Eyes

Deep green

Hair

Shaven

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Tanned, reddened skin from many years of living outside.

Height

4ft

Belief/Deity

Sakatee