TheBeagle

     Nina's parents tragically died when she was at the tender young age of 27.  She may have been 9 years into adulthood, but she still thought like a child.

     Nina was born in the city of Helena in Arcas, but as a toddler, her family had to immigrate to Almaris.  They had inherited land in Arcas, but as immigrants to Almaris, the family was now left with no land and few possessions.  Furthermore, her aunts and uncles took advantage of the immigration to start new lives, distancing themselves from the Canonic Church and the traditional, sophisticated lives of the Heartlanders in favor of adventure.  As an only child, her parents were the only family that she knew.

     Growing up as a Heartlander, Nina learned how to take care of the domestic tasks of daily life from her mother.  Her father was skilled at combat, like many Heartland men, and, as a member of the Brotherhood of the Golden Crozier, he used his skills to fight against the evils brought into this world by the pagans.  A patriotic man, he also fought to protect the Holy Orenian Empire's sovereignty by fighting in the Sedan Rebellion.

     Nina's family wasn't rich.  They were not members of the nobility and had no fief, but they were not as low as the peasants who worked the land of the lords and ladies.  As a child, she dreamed of being nobility in a distant land.  Although she was born into the lower rungs of the social ladder, she was still taught to read, to paint, and to sing, as these are fundamental parts of Heartland culture.  Through these creative endeavors, she fostered her imagination and intellect.  As she grew older, however, she set her eyes on a seemingly more attainable dream than being nobility: being a mother.

     Nina had plenty of childhood friends, yet once they became adults, they all started to drift away from her.  Nina, unlike her peers, never lost her childish enthusiasm for new things nor her irrational fears of large bugs and strange people.  As discussions with her friends moved away from "Which animal is the softest?" to "whether or not high elves have been predestined to hold their faithless philosophy", Nina found herself moving away from her friends.  Eventually, her peers got jobs, married, moved away, or died, and she was left alone, a poor Heartland girl with no prospects.

     For 9 years, Nina lived with her parents as an adult, and then her mother died in her sleep one dark night.  Five days later, her father died of a broken heart.  

     Nina was an only child, and her extended family lived far away.  They were adventurers and merchants, and she could not live with those kinds of people, let alone find them in this big, wide world.

     Nina got a job as a maid for a noble lady to support herself.  She had once dreamed of being noble, and here she was, working so close to her dreams yet so far from them.  For 2 years, she struggled to make ends meet and she struggled even greater with the loneliness in her heart.  Then, the noble lady died and Nina was no longer employed.  29 years old, without a family and without a job, Nina felt empty.  She thought back to her childhood dreams and reclaimed her childhood imagination and hopefulness.  The world was still filled with beautiful creatures and enchanted forests, strange lands and powerful rulers.  She could still be anything.  She had fallen so low, and her life was now so hollow, that she had nothing to lose by venturing out into the great unknown.  So, Nina stuffed what little she had into a sack, walked to the edge of the city, took a deep breath, and ran back to her shabby shack.

     Nina cried for a few minutes, gave herself a pep talk, and returned to the edge of her city.  She took one tentative step onto a road leading into the city.  She let out a cute little scream and hopped back behind the border.  Like a child testing cold water, Nina began carefully making her way further and further onto the road, each time getting a little further.  A passing merchant stared at Nina, wondering what kind of evil spirit could be causing her to act so strangely.  After six attempts, Nina had finally built up the courage to stay on the road.  She felt a rush of freedom, and rather than fighting it, embraced it and ran off into the distance.  She was going on a grand adventure, into the strange unknown filled with heathens and monsters.  She was going to a nearby city to find someone to teach her a trade.   (Not my idea of an adventure, but hey, you've got to give Nina some credit.  She's pretty shy, you know?  Don't judge!)