Aki backstory: Child of a samurai and a scholar mother, the former of whom died when Garlemald first occupied Doma and the latter of whom took him to Hingashi, where she fortunately met a Doma-rooted Sharlayan reader who married her. Lived a pretty privileged life, ran away from home 5 years after the Calamity because he wanted to fight for Doma but his parents disapproved.
Seihan backstory: Kelp farmer in some Yanxian big lake who decided he ain’t gonna farm no more. Went to Hingashi to become samurai. Daimyo wanted his dick so he hopped right on a ship and was a privateer’s prized employee for years. Landed in Vesper Bay and decided he was going to try living on dry land in beautiful Eorzea.