Around 24 years prior to the current day in the Wolfriders of Malvia campaign, there was a couple that lived in the city of Katzch: Faris al-Khadim, a general in the Katzchian military, and Layla, his wife, a seamstress for the nobility. The couple had managed to become pregnant, but Layla had always been sickly and weak of constitution. When she entered labor, Faris was away on duty, and had to be notified and be teleported home as fast as possible. Midwives and clerics were on hand, but Faris was only able to arrive at the end of the labor. He was informed that his wife had successfully given birth, but there was nothing else they could do for her. They spent their last moments together naming their twin boys: Haidar and Asad. Layla passed, and Faris promised to always love and protect his sons.

Although Faris was still away much of the time, he spent as much time as he could with his sons while home. They would tug on his military uniform pleading for tales of his adventures abroad, and he'd just as eagerly ask about their own adventures at home. They looked up to their father with great admiration, how strong, proud, loyal, and honorable he was, and from their earliest memories aspired to be just like him when they grew up. In Katzch, it's expected that children eventually grow up to enter military service in some regard, but Haidar and Asad never felt like it was an obligation, it was just what they wanted to do, and they studied and trained hard.

Free time was spent together around the city, sometimes with friends, sometimes just by themselves. Haidar and Asad were best friends, never apart, always happy and playing with each other. They'd often just spend time sitting quietly and watching people as they went about their business, like traders making deals, priests performing rituals, and soldiers and guards training and patroling. The two weren't exactly alike, though, beyond the differing fur colors; Haidar was 'softer' and more sensitive than his brother Asad, a bit of a crybaby early on. Asad, however, was always there to rush to Haidar's side, no matter what, and to console his brother and make him feel better. Asad would put on a gigantic smile, and every time Haidar couldn't help himself but stop his tears and smile back.

The boys grew up very happy together. However, one evening, in their 16th year of life, they were at home one night when a knock came at their door. A soldier was there, and in his arms were several affects, including a familiar cap, the one their father had always worn. The two were informed that their father had been killed in action, during a sneak attack by the Malvians at Spearna Pass. Haidar and Asad were devastated, mourning deeply after the soldier had given them their father's things and left. As Haidar was sobbing, he looked up and saw that his brother had put on his familiar smile, despite his tears, and the two held each other, vowing even further to become as great of soldiers as their father, to make both him and their country proud.

The two eventually graduated from schooling and entered service proper, trained in the art of firearms as their father had been and assigned to the Navy. Unfortunately for them, they had been assigned to different ships, meaning that for the first time, the two would have to be separated for days, weeks, even months at a time. But again, Asad was there to be the optimist and to try and cheer Haidar up, saying that no matter how long and how far apart they'd be, they would always be together.

They would have their own brief adventures and stories during their military service, including the day Haidar's ship was attacked by pirates with stolen Katzchian firearms. In all the smoke and flash from the gunpowder, Haidar was suddenly shot in the leg, leaving a massive hole in his thigh. As he sat on the ground in pain, the pirate that had managed to hit him found him, and put his gun's barrel against Haidar's head. A bang was heard, but surprisingly the pirate fell down with a hole in his skull instead. Haidar looked up over the railing of the ship and saw a familiar ship had arrived, with a familiar soldier on deck with a smoking barrel; his brother. From then on, Haidar never had the bullet wound in his leg healed, despite it giving him a permanent limp. It was there to remind him with every step he took of his best friend, the man who saved his life, his twin brother Asad.

Then, 5 years ago from the present day...

(To talk about the picture itself, this is a painting/drawing/portrait within a locket that Milo has worn since the beginning of the campaign. It's obviously of his father alongside his twin brother and himself as kids. The inside of this locket wasn't seen for a very long time for most of the party, although they were aware he had the locket. It was so long, in fact, that this version is a remake of the very original drawing I did of it a year prior.)