Early Life — The Foundling

Papyrus’s earliest memories are smoke and silence.

When an Orrukai scouting band tracked the aftermath of a marauder raid, they found a handful of survivors—and among them, a small infant in the ruins of a collapsed building. The small Ork baby was weak and frail , but not beyond saving.

By the Law of Lost Children, the tribe took him in:

“Reunite if possible. Raise as our own if not.”

No family was found. No other survivors claimed him. He became one of the Children of the Orrukai, raised not as a guest but as kin.

Growing Up Among Many Peoples

Like many Children of the Orrukai, Papyrus grew up surrounded by a mosaic of ancestries—orcish hunters, human-foundlings, tabaxi wanderers, elven rangers, and more. The tribe’s diversity meant he was never singled out for his origins. What mattered was his discipline, his spirit, and his willingness to learn the ways of the Hunt.

He absorbed:

• The silent hand-signs of Trailbinders
• The winter stories of Hollow Fang elders
• The stalking lessons of Verdant Maw trackers
• The communal discipline that held the tribe together

He was quiet, observant, and steady—traits the tribe valued deeply.

Suzu the Soft-Claw

Papyrus developed a deep bond with Suzu the Soft-Claw, a tiger-striped tabaxi who, like him, was once taken in by the tribe as a foundling. Though not related by blood, the two shared a quiet kinship forged through shared origins and long seasons training together. To Papyrus, Suzu became something between an older sister and a patient mentor—steady, observant, and endlessly encouraging.

Though Suzu had already completed her Drah’kael and earned her place as a full Orrukai, she never allowed that distinction to place distance between them. Instead, she took special care to guide Papyrus along the path she had once walked herself.

Suzu taught him:

• How to move silently even across brittle frost
• How to read truth in a person’s stance, not their words
• How to sense deceit by instinct, like feeling a shift in the wind
• How to survive with wit and subtlety when strength alone would fail

But the lesson that shaped him most came during a winter vigil under the eye of the Hollow Fang:

“A Foundling is not a mistake.
A Foundling is a second chance the spirits give themselves.”

In those words, Papyrus found belonging—not because of blood, but because of spirit and choice.

Papyrus: What do you think my Orruakai name will Be?
Suzu: That is up to the person you become and the spirits

—

The Rite Unfinished — Drah’kael

As Papyrus grew older, he began training for Drah’kael, the rite that would allow him to choose his place as a true Orrukai. Completion of the rite is not granted lightly—it proves endurance, spiritual insight, and alignment with one’s chosen totem.

Mage Academy — The Unexpected Path

Papyrus was first noticed by a member of the Pathfinders Guild who was sheltering with the tribe when their routes happened to cross. The adventurer—himself a former Mage Academy student, as many graduates often recommend promising individuals—observed Papyrus during training and immediately recognized the strength of his potential.

It was well known that members of the Orrukai were already sought out by many guilds for their exceptional skills and discipline. But this adventurer saw something more in Papyrus: the belief that he could rise even further if he added formal training to the lessons he would gain on his journey to become Orrukai.

With quiet certainty, the adventurer approached the elders and recommended Papyrus to Mage Academy, suggesting that the boy’s future would be stronger for having walked both paths—the path of the tribe, and the path of mastery beyond it.

The Academy offered him a place.

Papyrus was unsure. Without Drah’kael, he would leave as one of the Children, not as a full Orrukai. For many youths, that was unthinkable.

It was Suzu who gave him clarity:

The hunt has many paths, kid. If you stay you will learn one. If you go there is a chance you will learn them all.

— Suzu the Soft Claw

“The Hunt has many paths, kit.
If you stay, you will learn one.
If you go, you may learn them all.”

The elders, after long council, agreed.
They believed the Cycle itself was nudging him toward a broader destiny.

Papyrus departed on the winter dawn of Hollow Fang, with an Elder as an escort. There he was thrown into the entrance exam with Lotes Luwain and Alkahan Thims , finding immediate chemistry with the two.

Current Role at Mage Academy

Papyrus enters Mage Academy as:

• A child of the tribe, not yet an Orrukai
• A student with strong natural sensitivity to spirits
• A quiet observer in a loud new world
• A youth caught between tradition and possibility

He wrestles with:

• Loyalty to his people
• Curiosity about his own origins
• The pressure to succeed
• The fear of returning home unworthy

Yet his path is wide open, and for the first time, entirely his to choose.