Grodine

Ayla (meaning oak meadow) was born 22 years ago and was the first child of Sylva and Fraser Yardley. They lived in a small 2 story cottage situated next to a small stream and covered by the shade of some oak trees on the outskirts of Irrinor.

After seeing the effects of war and turmoil her father decided he wanted to teach Ayla at home instead of sending her to school. He wished for her to know all the essential skills required to survive in the uncertain times ahead and believed that school would only teach biased information which would be useless to her.  When Ayla was 5 her father taught her the basics of using a bow and she would often practice shooting some hay bales in their garden. Her mother on the other hand, would teach her how to pick fruit and identify various plant species including the likes of Crimson Vase and Alabaster Leaf. Over the next 5 years she would spend every morning studying and learning the theory and history of the land, with her afternoons occupied with alchemy, hunting, foraging, and orienteering lessons. Her weekends were spent swimming and playing with the animals in the village and  she did travel to the village, she was often stared at, especially by the local children her age who would question why she was not attending school and why she would hunt.

When Ayla was 15 she was sat down by her parents and told she was going to have a baby brother. The news was a nice break from all the negative talk recently regarding small raids and wars across the land. She had overheard her father talking in hushed tones with her mother only weeks before about the possibility of the raids coming closer. Over the next few months Ayla helped to collect items to trade and sell for baby essentials, and a little while late, her mother gave birth to a healthy baby boy which they names Oakley, after the small oak tree in the back yard. 

During a steaming hot day a year later, Ayla's mother had received a couple of alchemy ingredients. Oakley was crying non stop and her mother, in her frustration had picked up the basket too quickly and her hand slipped and pricked a thorn of drakes tail. The fever came as quickly as the prick, and she was carried up to the bed by Ayla's father. He spent the next days placing cold cloths on her head, however, the fever never seemed to stop. What was most worrisome was that the prick site had grown red and inflamed with infection. Ayla felt hopeless and tried to find something to help using the knowledge her mother had taught her. But all attempts were futile as 2 days later her mother passed away from the fever and infection and was buried in the local graveyard.

The next 3 months were very hard, Ayla's father became bitter and angry, somehow believing the conclave and dark elves for her death, thinking they were the only ones who could have sourced such an ingredient. In the meantime, Ayla took care of her brother, teaching him the basics of their language and keeping him occupied. When the news broke out of a large raid at a village a days ride away Ayla's father ran to gather some of his friends and took off in haste during the middle of the night, leaving behind his trusted bow. The raid was much bigger then he had thought, the village was burning and people were running everywhere. His friends got lost in the crowd and whilst travelling under the beam of a burning house it collapsed, trapping him underneath. 

After the loss of her father Oakley was taking to the village care house, where he will he taken care of and taught by elders until Ayla is 25. The elders also wished to remove Ayla from her home, but after proving adept at taking care of herself and her sheer knowledge, she was allowed to stay in her home, with fortnightly check ins by a village carer until she will be 25. 

Ayla now 22 is still  upset by the loss of her parents and now displacement of her brother, although it doesn't sting as much as it used to. She now puts all her time into learning how to use her fathers bow and study more alchemy. She has even started to explore more of the world and has begun venturing outside of Irrinor, although she still has to return every 14 days for her check in. She is excited for the day she turns 25 and is trying to earn as much money and make a reputation for herself, so that when the day comes to claim Oakley, she can give him the best life possible.