Haven - Watchers of the Sands

"I'll never forget the heat. The scorching sun. The lack of relief. Trying to muster the energy to take just one more step into the shifting sands, hoping to find life beyond the next dune. But there wasn't any. Just miles and miles of unrelenting sand.
I was going to die. I closed my eyes as I collapsed to let the sun claim me as Her own, to never again see any light but Hers.
But after the darkness, the light returned. And with it, cold water from a cloth held against my forehead."
Gelill L'Orren, Mihlajian merchant

Career

Payment & Reimbursement

The payment that Haven receive is strictly from donations by anybody they assist. Charity is not mandatory, nor do the Haven demand it of those they help, but natives recognize the beneficial karma that can manifest itself from rewarding a good deed.

Perception

Social Status

People don't actively seek out to become Haven, normally. There is a superstition that comes with the territory, since many believe that the Haven are wights or living corpses who have sold their souls for a second chance at the world of the living. Haven have no place in cities and settlements - not only do they oppose such establishments, but they are not normally welcomed with open arms, despite the aid they provide.

History

It is said that some people feel a calling from the sands, straight from the Hollows. If this impulse is acted upon alone, the individual is usually never seen again. Or at least, they are not recognizable in their new form. Haven are the result of becoming one with the desert itself, of understanding the sands and the many inhabitants who live among the granules. One of the Lost can emerge as a Haven in a few weeks, or it may take years before they are seen by another living soul. Nobody can recall who the first of the Haven was, how many there are, or if they are even able to be trusted. The tales of their helpfulness are always accompanied with insistence of truth.

Alternative Names

One of the Lost - Derogatory

Type

Religious

Demand

Many merchants owe their lives to a Haven, especially those who attempted to cross through the Hollows without taking the proper precautions first.