Solemthidin and the Onshakr Circle

Before the rise of the First Empire (Shakhnur), Sekh Anoob was home to fractious bands of warring tribes, scattered throughout the desert. Then came Solemthidin – an especially gifted boy from the Narq'uf tribe whose destiny it would be to unite all who, like him, showed magical talent, and through their efforts aspired to bring peace to the land. Born to a merchant family with the given name Solleh, Solemthidin grew up learning tactics of shrewd negotiation. While in apprenticeship to his Uncle Alahur, head of their tribe, he came to know important members of the various other tribes well. His knack for languages enabled him to pick up almost instantly each tribal dialect and master it, sometimes within days of hearing it. The family began to rely on him more and more for these abilities, and before long, he was placed in charge of all major trade talks. At this time, even he did not realize the true depth of his gifts.
Word of the young talent began to spread to the furthest dunes. Beyond the petty business of brokering deals, Solleh skillfully listened to the tribal elders, presented solutions to their problems, defused impossible situations, and, little by little, earned the trust and respect of diverse and opposed factions. Most in the family did not seem to mind this shift in role from a strictly mercantile one, as the boy had surprisingly managed to double their wealth in under a year. However, his older brother, Lipan, bitterly jealous of the brightness of Solleh's star, hid away a darkening heart. Though he loved his family and even his brother deeply, for Solleh to claim his vaunted position broke with all convention and tribal law. As eldest brother, his Uncle Alahur without children of his own, the honour was meant for Lipan. Many among the tribes bitterly opposed Solleh and his message of peace, preferring to cling to their ancient feuds, and it was not long before a group of them located Lipan's weakness and befriended him, in hopes he could become a tool of the boy's undoing.
Their plans worked all too well, and after months offering Lipan lavish gifts, fine wine, and beautiful women, they finally appealed to his avarice. Desirous of all that would be his without Solleh in the way, Lipan resolved to his benefactors that he would cut his brother adrift. One evening, while the rest of the family made camp for the night on a long trip north, the two brothers went out into the desert hunting near the great maze of caves at Ferrak. Unknown to Lipan, a small group of Solleh's enemies – assassins - shadowed the pair. Lipan lied to his brother, saying that earlier that day he had seen a small herd of Qui (like deer) head into the cave. Solleh was then young and impulsive, and Lipan knew he would rush in. His original hope had simply been for Solleh to get lost in the caves. He did not foresee the band of assassins poised to strike.
At the cave's mouth, Solleh found himself standing alone within a circle of blades. His hunting bow offered little aid, and his small side dagger was batted quickly from his hand. A flurry of brutal slashes rained down upon him. Panicking from last-minute guilt, Lipan flew to his brother's rescue, and, as he was well-trained with the sword, saved him – barely – from death, but not before suffering a mortal wound himself. At least one or two of the remaining assassins fled, content by the looks of the bleeding boy that their job had been done.
Immediately following the boys' disappearance, the family sent out a search party, but discovered only the bodies strewn about the cave's mouth. The tunnels of Ferrak are known for their complexity, and after a more careful search was organized, no trace of Solleh was to be found. The search was abandoned, and the family headed back towards Najwati, their ancestral home.
Solleh awoke to find himself surrounded by dead bodies, including Lipan's. He quickly made sense of what happened, but did not run back to his family to tell them. Some presence in Ferrak lured him further into the caves. He wandered for some time through the darkness, never tripping on a stone. Finally arriving at Ferrak's dead centre, Solleh heard the voice of Will, which ignited a power dormant in his blood. There he would stay, listening carefully to each new whisper, learning the ways of magic for three years.
Though he entered a boy, he reemerged a man – and a changed one. Three years of instruction from the Serpent were like three hundred from any other master: Solleh was now a sorceror with power unrivalled by any contemporaries (so it is contended). Across the time spent in Will's tutelage, Solleh also rethought his role as a peacemaker. His attempted assassination made it clear to him that most in the tribes were unready for peace. When he returned to Najwati, no one could believe their eyes. He asked that the tribes be gathered, and so they were. He declared openly that he now saw the host enemies that in his ignorance had once been invisible to him. There may indeed be a path to universal peace, but this base element would always seek to undermine it. Solleh - now going by Solemthidin - chose six young boys, one from each of the major tribes, who, like him, shared the gift of magic in their blood, and led them to apprentice with him. Through them, he said, and the organization they would form, he would continue to work towards the inner liberation of the people. It is considered an act of compassion for Solemthidin to have done this, for should their tribes have been discovered their arcane leanings, the boys would surely have suffered exile, or worse.
And so, the Circle was formed. Its members:
Solemthidin
Seporet Rakh of Tpoth
Mudamir Al-Banaa
Hakarut Shon
Yakr Mizn-Terriq
Tellu-Amareth
Bithak Sullad

Returning into the heart of Ferrak with the newly assembled group, to the very spot he sat learning with the Master, Solemthidin carved with his staff into the rock. From it was an awesome sanctuary hewn, which would be called Onshakr, after which the Circle derived its name. Countless tales tell of the Circle's exploits out of Onshakr (common volumes exist in the library of every Son, with unabridged texts restricted to the Temple of Sadak) but no amount of searching has revealed its precise location - if anything of it remains to be found. The Trial of Ferrakwi still takes place at the venerated cave, but these days it is forbidden for Initiates to wander around inside, as the Trial itself takes place in the more surface tunnels.