Son of the Queen of Tears and an ogrish elder, Joh-ar Warra is the grandson of the Scarred Mother. In his youth, he was a student and scholar, much like his father, but as he grew older, he became more and more removed. He slowly turned away from society and sought the comforts of solitude. He found that even in company, he was crippled by loneliness, so he left civilization and became a hermit. His loneliness did not lessen, but he was not constantly reminded of his loneliness.

He studied more and more, becoming expert on almost every subject. He moved on to learning skills, and over the Ages, he perfected many. But he never learned to socialize, to connect, to be one with others. He remained aloof, alone, separate. And then came the Eschatonic Wars. By this time, he was an old man, but the forces of Terror sought him out to bring him into the wars. He refused, repeatedly, but eventually, he was forced to serve. He turned his magical arts toward sapping the power of his foes.

Through the war, he learned many things about the people around him, and he used his vast knowledge to manipulate many of them. He made a game of driving others to suicide. He found that every lonely soul he forced to death gave him power. The souls lingered and kept him company as well. So he began to amass a small army.

By the end of First Shem, Joh-ar had grown quite powerful. He turned back to his studies, until the Age of the Broken Sword, when he became interested in politics. He began to get involved in Divine politics, and he proved adept at counseling others. He made deals. He earned favors. He gained power. He liked the taste of it, and he decided he wanted more.

And then, he met Sav'kellin, the Withered Elf. Somehow, he made a friend. His whole world was turned upside down. He and the elf became allies and associates, and while the Elf got involved in some power-grabs, Joh-ar counseled him on the best course.

And then, in the Age of Hours, during a power-grab, the Withered Elf was slain. Joh-ar was crushed. He was destroyed, devastated. His only friend in more Ages than he could count had died an ignominious death in a temporal accident. Outraged and desperate, Joh-ar began to research how to restore his lost friend.

An Age or so later, Joh-ar discovered the best route: a trickster he knew of...