Poor Jinir.
Let’s examine a character, who while not the main’ character of the books about Alos, very much has left his imprint. Jinir Yallow. Former Tarn of the City in Blue, then High Prophet of a god he didn’t even want to be associated with.
Jinir was born lucky, he was gifted a powerful connection to the magic in the City in Blue. Far more than most ‘knacks’ his gift, the ability to repair almost anything as long as it wasn’t made with magic, made him a natural fit to be the Tarn of the Commons. He was loved, he was popular. As his popularity grew, so did his ambition. Like Mikol Nese, the Tarn of the Healers, he felt that the City needed stronger leadership than just a governing council. A single strong and popular hand could remake the city into something more.
And Jinir felt like he was that man. He set out to make it so, along with Rauger, his defacto eyes and ears for the city, and Ralta, his enforcer, Jinir was set to make his move. Sadly, for him, Mikol moved first and Jinir was horribly injured, and presumed dead.
For a time, this was the end of Jinir, who could foresee how things would change though when Myriam entered his world. Jinir had hidden himself away, scarred and bitter, he waged a war against the spire, and all those who lived there. And above all, Mikol Neese. He could not seek a healer, for then Mikol would know he was alive. So, he plotted and schemed, and did whatever he could to survive.
Calling himself the ‘Downtrodden Lord’ Jinir moved slowly to regain power in the commons. He made himself into a champion of the lowly and poor. And then, Myriam VolFar entered his world, and changed everything. For Myriam was a healer, a powerful healer, and since Mikol wanted her dead as well, she was perfect to do one thing, heal Jinir Yallow.
Healed, Jinir moved openly now, as rumors spread of his return. Making his presence known, he openly worked to reclaim his position, and ultimately usurp whatever power Mikol had. No one knows what would have happened, if not for the birth of Sartum. When the god struck the City, and thanks to Mikol’s arrogance, was able to throw down the City, Jinir’s chance at power fell apart, or so he thought.
Yet this was not to be, as Jinir was captured. Not by any normal human, but by Sartum himself. Sartum needed a human who knew power. And while Jinir was not ideal, he was capable, and more to the point, afraid. For Jinir, deep down, knew himself to be one thing, a coward.
Pressed into the service of Sartum, Jinir became the High Prophet. A useful figurehead for the early faith, Jinir proclaimed the wisdom of Sartum, how wrong Jinir had been to use magic, how with Sartum, humans did not need anything else.
He founded the Anchors, with the backing of Sartum. He was behind the idea of the Houses, the great centers of knowledge across the northlands. And as time went on, and he became less useful, he was cast off, left to drift. But Jinir never forgot the truth and made sure that the truth was written down. For it was Jinir who made the secret gate. It was Jinir who left the journals and truth that Layten and his friends found and read.
And it was Jinir who even now, centuries later, has shaped events about to unfold.
Jinir Yallow might have just saved all of Alos.
