Ishmail was born in a desert village where leprosy ran rampant. As a child, he contracted the disease and lost his feet to it before a traveling healer came and wiped it from his village. Ishmail began seeking ways to regain his mobility, and this lead him to learn footless horseback riding, camel riding, and cart driving. This brought him out of his village and into the world, where he would trade his wares with outsiders. He would take his money and buy supplies on the coast, then bring them to the remotest villages. For years, he would make a circuit, supplying any village that still survived. News of his work reached the followers of the Sun Goddess, and they sought him out to honor him. He told them that if they wanted to honor him, they would replicate his work. Many did, and in time, he was declared one of the Holiest of the Sun.

Recently, he has been approached by Abdul ibn Tara'hin to help him root out spies and traitors on Mati.