Ancient texts record a nameless mage, always moving just beyond the light of recognition.
Tanek's true birthplace remains a mystery, but the first records show his appearance in San d'Oria.

All he ever wanted to do was learn. Living with his family he began learning magic. He only learned white magic though, for he believed in the All Mighty and that the Holy Magic would be all that was needed.

All this fatefully changed when he was only ten years old...

During one of San d'Oria's bloodiest civil wars, his family was caught in the middle. They hid him away in a closet when the armies came. He trembled in there, praying for the safety of his parents. Slowly, the sounds of battle faded. Cautiously, he left the closet in pursuit of his family.
He found them by the door to the house, they had tried to use their magical ability to try and not allow the armies near their home, and Tanek. They received mortal wounds, and were losing blood fast.

Tanek tried everything he could think of, but they did not work. All he could do was watch his family die. He gave them a proper burial and from that time forward he dedicated himself to the dark arts of magic. Still retaining the knowledge of the holy ways, he soon became well known as one of the greatest mages, and then disappeared.

Many years passed by, in fact, Tanek was all but forgotten during the Shadow Lord's assault on Vana'Diel. He had remained neutral, or any contributions he had made were unknown to either side and thus lost to history.

Tanek is generally a man of few words, since he never really gets involved with others often. However, he was drawn out of his complacency when the army of the Shadow Lord tore through his village one night. Apparently on the move, they traveled quickly trough the village destroying several buildings but not stopping to completely decimate the town. Knowing he would never be able to live a quiet peaceful life until the dark forces were removed from Vana'diel, he sat out on a journey to see how the battle was progressing and who was winning.

He set out headed east towards the capital of the Federation of Windurst. Being a center of a major kingdom would certainly provide him enough exposure to the struggle for the world, but would also allow him to retain his anonymity since he was in such a large city and could blend in with the rest of the travelers. He soon took up a residence there in the city and began studying on the past decades, the evil that had spread across the land, and the innovative ways mankind had devised to slow and defeat the dark lord's minions.

Throughout his studies, he heard countless stories of children becoming orphans and wives becoming widows. Tanek had never forgotten the magic he had learned in the past nor how good he was with it. He realized that although he had a lonely childhood due to the loss of his family, others didn't have to suffer the same fate. He became determined and passionate in his desire to do what he could to see that other families were not torn apart like his was.

And as he made preparations setting out with the feeling of being able to conquer the entire evil army, luck was with him. It was not unusual to see children laughing and playing in the city. But those who were mature enough to realize the dark times they lived in constantly walked around with solemn faces and determined looks. As he was leaving the green city he saw a group of people gathered on the side the road laughing hysterically.

Curious as to why these people were so happy, he approached them cautiously. As he neared them, he realized they were gathered around a Hume and an Elvaan who were recounting an adventure they had just got back from. The story included several instances of fierce battles and wild nights in taverns between Windurst and Jeuno. He had happened to walk up on the Elvaan recounting one of the nights he had to drag the Hume out of the middle of a bar brawl that was started because the Hume, in his normal evening drunken state, said a few unkind things about a few local heroes that happened to be in the bar that night.

They got to the part of the story where the fight really started to get heated. The Elvaan began recounting how bar stools and chairs were being thrown around the room, one even hitting the Hume in the chest and knocking him to the floor. Seizing the opportunity, the Elvaan grabbed the Hume and drug him outside to safety while the fight continued inside.

Just to illustrate the ending, the Elvaan reached over and picked up a blue-haired Tarutaru. He easily lifted the little guy over his head and then threw him towards the Hume, hitting him straight in the chest. Both of them fell to the ground, a little shaken from the unexpectedness of the event, but unhurt. This illustration caused the group to break up into even more laughter, including the Tarutaru and Hume.

Tanek decided to approach the closest member of the group to him, which was a large Galka sitting and resting on a nearby tree. He asked a simple question, "How is it that you guys can be so happy with all the sadness surrounding you in the world." The Galka just looked at him and said, "Follow us and you'll see." He had found what would soon become the group he called his own family.