As a child he was found wandering, dazed and confused, on the borders of Black Chase by guardians of Sijan, the city of Mausoleums. Given that he did not know who he was or where he was the Guardians christened him Cognoscenti, which means 'one who knows'.
Given over to the Master of the Chameleon Sept, one of the many chapterhouses within the city of Sijan, he was tested for aptitudes. Found to be more intelligent than the norm he was trained as a Preceptor, or keeper of rules and ceremony and sent to study in the great subterranean libraries of that city. So it was that his name was completed.. Preceptor Cognoscenti Chameleon.
The dim warrens of Sijan are alive with machiavellian machinations every bit as gothic and overwrought as the architecture of the city of decay. Cognoscenti willingly gave himself over to the games of power, mostly for the thrill of danger he found there, something to take his mind from the yawning emptiness of his earlier years.
So it was that as a mere pawn in the game he was instrumental in the humbling of the Dragonfly Sept, one of the most powerful chapterhouses within Sijan. However the powerful are never more dangerous as when they are wounded.
A short time later Cognoscenti was dropped down a deep well, coming to gasping for air in the lower reaches of Sijan's countless levels, where no-one ever goes and returns alive. Alone in the darkness he wandered for hours guided by touch and desperation alone. Eventually he came upon a shimmering light and found himself drawn to it such that he could not have pulled away even if he had wanted to.
He had wandered quite by mischance into a hidden subterranean garden from the first age. An artificial sun shone in the roof somewhere, trees laden with fruit swayed in a sourceless perfumed breeze. While wandering through the garden lost in awe he came upon an architectural folly wherein he discovered an automaton detailed for the instruction of candidates for the Terrestrial circle of magic. As well as the automaton there was robe carelessly draped on a hook on the door which Cognoscenti helped himself to.
Quite undone by his good fortune Cognoscenti settled down to improve himself. He was shocked to realise that what the automaton was teaching him he already knew in some strange fashion, as if he were immersed in memories from another lifetime. It took him some time to get his head around this.
Time passed and Cognoscenti became restless, feeling the need for some human companionship. Feeling thus he set out to explore the lower levels, accompanied by an owl from the garden who had befriended him. After many near misses and many close encounters with unspeakable beings Cognoscenti found himself above ground once more near the Tomb of Five Corners. Knowing this to be too close to the Dragonfly Sept's sphere of influence he made his way towards Nexus and lost himself in the folds of her decadent abundance.
