Fynn Dumont, the Seeker

Many across Ananke know the name of Fynn Dumont - or at the very least, they know the moniker he goes by, "The Seeker." In a society of people content to toil away in their hometowns, worrying only about their own lot, Fynn Dumont sought more. He travelled the lands, mapping areas that were unknown, learning about the things that lived too far away from the towns to be seen, and trying to understand the mysteries of life as so many curious souls do elsewhere.

The Beginnings

Fynn grew up in one of Ananke's small towns, surrounded by harsh lands, strange weather and the ever-present threat of the The Saints of the Source bringing violence. The son of a tavern owner, he was enraptured by the tales told over beer by the few souls who travelled between towns at that time. He dreamed of seeing the wonders of the world around him, heedless of the danger it posed, and over the years the longing turned to impatience with the disinterested folk around him. Why didn't they care? Were they not curious? Were they not interested in more than this simple life?
For a time, he tried to quash this drive to explore. He married, started a life with a wife, even had a daughter, named Rylen. But he was forever a distracted presence at home, his mind always wandering outwards. Eventually, his wife told him to go and see what secrets the horizon held, half expecting to never see him again, but knowing he would never be satisfied until he tried. Fynn left, striking out to see what could be found, causing a stir in town.

The Early Travels

Fynn's first foray into the wilds were a wake up call. Unprepared for the dangers to roamed further from civilization, he barely made it back. While recovering his health, his determination to explore only expanded. He dedicated his time to procuring items that would aid his survival - or inventing some that didn't already exist - and learning the use of weapons to help defend himself. His renewed focus on returning to the wilds actually allowed him to be more present with his family while at home, as the uncertainty of whether he would see the worlds wonders had been replaced with the surety that he would, and with that peace of mind he was able to enjoy the time he had at home. His relationship with Rylen improved vastly, though she still never truly understood his need to endanger himself.
Over the following years, Fynn ventured out many times. Each time he returned with new tales, new maps, notes on creatures he had encountered, and often with new scars. The initial trepidation of the townsfolk over his unusual attitude eventually gave way to interest and excitement, as many of the things he discovered began to yield benefits for the community as a whole. He was able to reach other towns and establish better communications. He was able to learn much about the plants and wildlife in neighbouring areas, some of which were able to be utilised in farming, cooking or other industry. Word of this one-of-a-kind adventurer spread around the other towns, and people were often seen discussing the latest rumours of "The Seeker".

The Awakening

A time came after many years where Fynn had covered much of the accessible parts of the world. His passion still burned for exploration, and on a trip one day, his scope was expanded exponentially. While resting one evening, he sat watching the sky as the moon took over from the fading sunlight. He watched a star, unusually bright... until he realised the star was falling. In fact, it was no star at all. Something was falling from the sky, burning up, and soon he was able to see some kind of sky vehicle plummeting down to crash land among the countryside.
This was a completely new experience for Fynn. Never had it occurred to him, or to anyone, that other worlds might exist beyond theirs! The questions that raised from such an encounter... He rushed to the crash site, but when he finally reached it, he found only wreckage and a corpse remaining. The corpse alone was the discovery of his life - proof that people existed elsewhere! And this corpse had no mutations, or tells (he didn't know this, but the deceased was free of the influence of Erodite found in the water on Ananke), and this discovery piqued his interest in a whole new area. Why were they different?
What Fynn was not aware of was the survivors of this crash. Our BBEG (as yet unnamed) and his crew had mostly survived, and fled off into the wilderness. In time, they would find a foothold, eventually growing to power and influence, but that's for another time.

The Second Phase

With many new questions raised from this event, Fynn's attention turned away from general exploration of Ananke, and leaned into discovering any clue that connected to life off-planet. Had there once been contact between Ananke and other worlds? He also sought to uncover why alien that landed did not display the same mutations that people did on Ananke - after all, they looked completely human otherwise. Were they the strange ones? Or did the offworlder lack something important?
His drive for answers in these areas led him to seek a long rumoured myth - Toshi, the Faded City had been whispered about, but was generally believed to be nothing more than a cautionary tale. Now, Fynn wasn't so sure. He eventually found it, the remnants of the civilization from another planet . He learned enough to form a theory - life on Ananke was not, in fact, the normal way of things. Something very unusual happened here, shaping their world in a way that did not fit with how things should be. He came to the belief that the water was somehow the key to this, and set out immediately to understand how.

The Final Foray

As Fynn began to hone in on the truth of the world, he dared venture into more and more dangerous places. He risked getting past the ranks of the Saints of the Source to scale The Leaky Mountain becoming the first to ever lay eyes on the lake at the summit. Noting the incredible concentration of Erodite, and the increased effect it had on life in the area, he traversed the length of the land, following a river to its very end, where it cascaded into the The Empty Ocean and seemed to disappear.
It was then that his obsession pushed him too far. At the end of his rations and strength, he pushed on, down to the floor of the Empty Ocean, and discovered the hidden way to the core of the planet. Sensing he was so close to the ultimate truth, he continued beyond any chance of return. Descending into the core of the planet, he eventually found the final gateway to the Source itself... but he was locked out, lacking the Vault Key needed to enter and finally understand the reason behind life on Ananke, the truth of how the planet ever came to exist.
Desperate and dismayed, Fynn Dumont died alone, on the cusp on enlightenment, in a dark tunnel underground. His family has not yet learned of his fate, though they assume the worst, and the tale of the Seeker faded into folklore.