During year 184 the Fourth Era (4E 184) it’s a time of relative peace in the region of High Rock. Count Emmore Juraamont and his wife the Countess Edahna Juraamont are making their way to Daggerfall in order to take a ship back to their home on the island of Herne. On the way they encounter a Baandari wagon that has been near destroyed, attacked by persons unknown. A large Khajiit of Senche-raht furstock male lies dead, and a Pahmar-raht female is fatally injured. Edahna tries to aid the female Khajiit as best as she can, but her wounds are too severe. There’s a mewling from within the wagon, and one of the Count’s guards searches and retrieves a small Khajiit kit, bringing it down to Edahna and the injured Pahmar-raht. Edahna asks if this is her child, and what’s his name? With her last ounce of strength, the Pahmar-raht reaches out and grabs Edahana’s wrist saying, “Promise to take care of him! Jan vaba ahziss athra.” Those are her final words, as she passes right after saying them. Edahna, unable to have children herself, makes the promised to the kit’s dead mother. Not knowing Ta’agra, the language of the Khajiit, she assumes that the words said were, “His name is Athra”.
The Count and Countess make their way into Daggerfall and while they could have handed the kit off to any of the Khajiit there, Edahna keeps her vow and brings him with them on the ship back to their remote island home, where they raise Athra as their own.
22 years later (4E 206), Edahna falls ill and succumbs. Emmore, though a good father to Athra, begins a slow decline of health himself after his wife’s death. By 4E 209, Emmore is on his death bed. Recognizing he is not long for the world, Emmore speaks to Athra and tells him what he must do next. Despite considering that he is their son, he is Khajiit and not of their blood, which means Athra cannot succeed him as Count of Herne. A new Count will be appointed by the King of High Rock and be sent to take over the title, land, and estate. Knowing this would eventually happen, his adopted mother and father prepared and funnelled much of their wealth as could be done so without raising suspicion into a bank on the isle of Auridon – not under the name Juraamont, but under a more Khajiit sounding name of Sohlstavir. Emmore told his adoptive son that he must leave Herne and High Rock, fearing that he could be arrested or worse. He then told him that there was a ship that would sail for Summerset that evening, and Athra must leave on it. Reluctant to do so, Athra finally relented and made his way to the docks with only a small amount of possessions – including an Ice Staff he had become proficient with – making contact with the elven lady Miriilwe Faeal (a name given to him by Emmore) to secure passage on the ship.