Name: Shilanna
Shilanna was raised in a small hunting village. She was a happy girl, the daughter of one of the most successful hunting party leaders in the town. She and her sister spent most of their days tanning hides and making clothing out of the hides her father was able to provide. The town was known for its yearly fur fair. Every autumn, men and women traveled to the small village and for one week out of the year the townsfolk sold rare pelts, furs and other trophies from its hunting excursions. The fair was so successful that the town’s people were able to support themselves for the entire year from one fair.
Shilanna was content, until one day men came to her village bringing death to her people. The village hunters were away tracking huge game, leaving the town almost completely defenseless. The invaders came only a few weeks before the fur fair, when inventory was at its highest. They ransacked the village, burned homes and slaughtered women and children. Next, they began loading the expensive furs to take with them back where they had come from.
Shilanna was one of the lucky ones. When the invaders arrived, she was on her way to see her boyfriend and pay him a surprise visit. Seeing the danger from afar, she was able to hide from the attackers. Moving quickly from one hiding spot to another, she stayed out of harm’s way while she tried to return home to help her sister and mother.
She never made it there. In the middle of all the horror, she was found by a brute of a man. He was not dressed like the other assailants. He approached her, wearing some of the most fearful armor she had ever seen. As he approached, she became so scared she thought she was going to faint, but instead her eyes began to glow. Her hands started to vibrate and without warning she emitted a blast of energy that shot towards the approaching man. It was weak. It knocked him back a step, but he shrugged it off. He stopped, tilted his head as if he were thinking for a moment and to her dismay, he continued to approach.
He took her against her will from her village and rode with her deep into the forest. He did not harm her. He fed her and even provided a warm cloak to make her more comfortable in the damp air. The trip seemed to take forever, but eventually the forest opened to reveal a small town. It was filled with many species. Miniatures, Dwarves, fairies, humans and more, all living together in harmony. The town was full of life, magic and nature.
The man took Shilanna directly to the leader of the village, a beautiful mage who spoke in a tongue Shilanna didn’t understand. The man spoke the language and was talking to a woman in an animated way. When they were done discussing things, he turned to Shielanna and told her that she belonged here.
He said, “You are of their kind. You have the magic in you. Your family is dead. Stay here and be what you are meant to be.”
Before she had the opportunity to question what he had just told her, the mage left. She had no choice but to stay. She didn’t even know where she was, let alone where to go from there.
Years passed and eventually Shilanna began to thrive. With the help of many of the townspeople, she became quite powerful. She learned to love nature and understand the balance of the forest. She became appalled at the thought of hunting for trophies and learned that some people were afraid of her kind. Shiellanna’s world slowly changed.
The mysterious man who delivered her to her new life visited often. She came to know him as gentle, although his scars and weapons told another story. He told her he fought to protect people like her from the ones who hate. They became great friends and eventually lovers.
Shilanna often thought about her lost family and the boy she had once loved. She had accepted that all of them were slaughtered by the ones who hate. It made her sad, but she also developed a happiness in her peaceful village. At the current time, Shilanna is becoming more and more unsettled, as reports say her village is increasingly becoming more at risk of being discovered by outsiders. Every day is a day closer to the time when she may again face evil invaders. This time she won’t run, but be forced to stand alongside her people and fight.