Drek Orenaid

Sailing across a dangerous ocean in a dangerous time of year was, all things considered, the most hair-brained thing that I have ever done, and probably will ever do, in my entire life. But what is life but a leap of faith?

— Drek's journals

The name of Drek Orenaid is known throughout Sedesta for his exploration, but people quickly forget his humble beginnings and why he set out on his voyages to begin with. In addition, what he proceeded to do once he returned home is never discussed beyond the obvious publication of his findings. To really understand the legend of a weddelar that Drek was, one must know the entirety of it, not just the parts he committed to writing.

Birth and Early Life

Drek was born into a minor merchant clan in the city of Welgis, so he spent much of his childhood watching boats leave the well-known De'arian port. During one of the many border clashes between the Republic and the Kingdom of Loria, he was sent semi-permanently to live in Sunport. It was there that he finally trained to be a navigator and grew close to his religious cousin Castor Orenaid. He also learned how to read and write during his education, giving him the means to write about his later exploits.

Travels before Kerath

Drek spent much of his young adulthood on various trade routes, helping larger vessels navigate the treacherous waters of the Dragontail Sea. He got a very good grasp on the Vatarian Galley in particular, which would turn out to be very handy for his later voyage to the west. He and Castor often went on trips together, Castor often staying behind in Zatas in order to pay respect to Getranus. Drek would sometimes join her in her prayers to the god of trade and coinage, but he mostly left her to her rites.

Voyage to Sha-din-ko

That attitude quickly changed when Castor began to get visions of a strange relic of Getranus. This was, of course, the Jug of Getranus, an ancient magical item crafted by the Free One himself back in the First Era that would confer great wealth and generosity on the user. Castor also discovered through her visions that the Jug was located in a temple in a land so far from home that it may as well have been on another plane of existence. Drek, simultaneously wanting to prove himself as the best navigator in the world and also to support the pilgrimage of his cousin, agreed to take her to this land, and the rest is history.

A Quiet Life

Contrary to the poetic and bittersweet ending of his journals, Castor returned to Sedesta furious at himself for abandoning his sister in a foreign land, no matter how happy she seemed there. He decided to exorcise this frustration by editing his story and making it public, but even that felt like a poor compromise. He retired to the Lorian countryside, using the funds from the commercial success of his book to purchase a villa for himself. Rumours claim that he lives there alone, the disappointment of his "failure" making him drive away anyone who might try to talk to him or live with him. He lives there to this very day, sixty-odd years later, and it appears that time has done very little to heal his broken heart.

Relatives

Castor Orenaid

Species

Weddelar

Birthplace

Welgis

Gender

Male

Eyes

Dark blue, shining

Hair

Short, ruddy brown curls.

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Dark and tanned from many years at sea.

Sha-din-ko as sketched by Castor Oreniad

Drek's Journals

These are known to be the most important piece of literature about the lands of Kerath published in the sixty years that Sedestans have known of the continent's existence. An edited account of Drek's voyage with his cousin to the lands west of the Thousand Stars, these journals chronicle every twist and turn in the journey. From the storms they experienced between the ports of the Stars and the great and terrible hurricane that their ship barely survived, to their arrival and experiences in Sha-din-ko, the journals offer an important insight into the minds and thoughts of the first Sedestans to arrive in this foreign land.
Drek had the journals vetted for spelling errors, clarified rare terms, and eventually got the compiled accounts published through a bookbinder in Lerdelore. It is now one of the most-published books in the city's history, just behind the the Hymn of the Eselar.