Hirudo Hijam-faj niv Talvos

Hirudo Hijam's-son (or simply Hiru) is the sovereign leader of the Emirate of Najer. He was the second Governor of the Central Najer territory and is the discoverer and leader of Nahrayn.

Biography
Hirudo was born to a Najer father, Hijam, and a foreign mother in Najera'jad, a few years before the dissolution of the Sterling Crownlands. His mother vanished for unknown reasons, only leaving him with an unusual name. With his mother largely absent, he was raised almost entirely by his father, who was a minor Seyoh before the discovery of the Buried Bells. Hiru learned of the Najer ways and traditional religion. He spent his childhood in Najera'jad, until he was around eight years of age. With the instability of the Crownlands, his father became part of a war effort, from which he did not return. The Crownlands were dissolved shortly after, leaving the Najer people vulnerable and scared. Thankfully, Hiru was adopted by a local tribe of nomads, where he continued his education and further embraced the traditional ways of the Najer. He wandered with them for years until he reached adulthood, at which point he set off on his own as an independent nomad. He primarily traveled around Najer, occasionally visiting neighboring countries such as Alamayn and the rare, risky foray into Simulami.

On one such travel, going from Wobambi-on-Sea to Central Najer, he was caught in a sandstorm. He eventually discovered an outcropping that he thought could protect him from the storm. Upon reaching it, he discovered it was an ancient statue, unburied by the wind. He took shelter by it, intrigued. The next few weeks would be spend excavating the surrounding area by hand, until a whole courtyard had been revealed. Excited by this discovery, Hiru began a concentrated restoration effort, gathering many culturally-minded Najer, mostly scholars and religious roving tribes, to assist him. The discovery of ancient texts in underground sparked a furor, and it was here that the name of the place was discovered: Nahrayn, which is to say, Two Rivers.

Over six years passed, and in that time, Nahrayn grew from a collection of tents and simple dwellings to a massive city-complex. Hiru guided the efforts of the city and its restoration, allowing new life to spring from the remains of the old.

After some time, Nahrayn had grown to become an established city in Najer. Hiru maintained good relations with the other nearby cities, and developed a friendship with Ironjaw, the governor of Central Najer, especially as Nahrayn attracted more citizens and business to the region. Eventually, the call came of an invasion to the west, and Hiru volunteered to go on a scouting mission, alongside Just_Shooter, to go survey the foe. They established relations with the invaders, who called themselves "Salem," but were quickly spurned, any attempts at diplomacy shut down.

The Najer Civil Coast guards were mobilized, and led by their war councilor, Irabella, they marched on the insurgent's fortress. They quickly swept away the opposition, garnering much popular support within Najer for their clean victory and timely response. Hiru was prompted to join the Coast Guard by it's leader, Shooter.

Only a short while later, Hiru would receive word from Ironjaw of pressing concerns, ones that would necessitate the governor stepping down from his position. Hiru's prominence had not gone unnoticed, and Ironjaw wanted him to become the next governor. Although sad of the prospect of Ironjaw stepping down, Hiru accepted, and began receiving training in statesmanship.

Shortly before Hirudo's official instatement as governor, he was afflicted with a terrible dream, wherein he saw Najer laid to waste and his culture erased from history. Unsure if it was a premonition, or merely his nerves, he nonetheless swore to prevent that future from coming to pass.

Hiru began to grow into his governor role, while continuing to develop his city, Nahrayn. The city saw a rush of foreigners and opportunistic criminals, necessitating some stricter protocols. It would also be designated the capital of the province, and accordingly, Hiru oversaw the construction of a massive palatial complex that would serve as a meeting place and city hall for the region.

Some time after this, word came to him that Ironjaw had died defending a small village from a bandit attack. Devastated by this, he entered a period of mourning, distraught and disheartened. At some point, he would visit the ruins of Murmudas, a ghost town in his province. Frustrated and sad, he blacked out, eventually ending back up at Nahrayn.

Despite this, he continued his duties as a ruler of a city and a governor of a province. He held the first Central Najer provincial meeting and continued welcoming many new citizens to the city. Hiru would also help the Najer Armed Services expel several squatter settlements during this time, growing to be close friends with Shooter, who had been promoted to the Commandant of the Najer military by this point.

Eventually, the Dixie squatter group would declare a hostile takeover of Najer's neighbor Solitudinem, kicking of the War of Solitudinem.

Trivia

 * Hirudo is related to the previous Emir of Najer, Dmitrio von Sturgeon.
 * His mother's ethnicity is unknown. It is possible that she hailed from Plagos, or somewhere in Eldham.
 * Since Najer don't generally have last names, Hirudo took on the surname "Hijam's-Son" in order to fit in better among foreigners.