Valannor

Born to a poor family in the city of Reza, Chryssa had no illusions of her family’s status. Her mother, Alyssa Stormsong, was the daughter of an herbalist, and though she sold her medicines and concoctions when possible, her occupation was not the best source of income. Her father, Aleksander Stormsong, had learned carpentry and metal working from his own father, though this, too, did not provide enough income for the family to be considered “well off.” They had the means to live, but not much else. Growing up, her parents had many disagreements of how she was to be raised. Her mother wished for her to pursue the same path she had, and study medicines and botany. Her father, however, believed she should learn essential skills more typical of a man’s upbringing. While this caused many a fight or squabble during her younger years, her parents eventually acquiesced to each other’s requests and struck a tentative balance, with the two resolving to teach their daughter everything they could. From both her mother and her father, she learned many valuable lessons. From her father, it was the value of a good work ethic, and to be present in the moment. To watch the movement of the saw, and measure her cuts twice. To watch the movement of the hammer, so that she didn’t waste a nail. To carve carefully, lest she waste any wood. Her mother, for her part, taught Chryssa what she could about medicines and herbs. Of how to turn various herbs and plants into valuable medicines and salves, and of what flora were poisonous or dangerous to interact with. Her mother taught her the value of compassion, and it was through her mother’s teachings that Chryssa began to take the Haesini values of Northern Honor to heart, and embrace the traditions of her people. Chryssa, for her part, was a very enthusiastic and studious child when it came to her parent’s teachings. There were many occasions where she had begged her father to bring her along on fishing trips and hunting expeditions, or for her mother to take her to gather medicinal herbs and wild berries from the forests. Even on the occasions where she was forbidden from accompanying her parents, she still occupied herself with helping whichever one had stayed home, when she wasn’t playing with other children, that is. Her favorite activities with the other children tended to be simple games such as catch or tag, and perhaps her favorite, wrestling with the local boys. Though her feminine frame left her at a disadvantage compared to the other boys, she enjoyed tussling with them nonetheless, and over time even became able to take some of them to ground with enough effort. Occasionally teased for her unladylike behavior, she laughed it off and continued living her life. After all, why should she have cared about being a lady? She was happy right where she was. As she reached her tenth year, her father began to take her on further and longer expeditions, often spending weeks at a time away from their small home. Though she missed the comfort of her room and the warm blankets of her bed, she threw herself into this new experience head first. It was on one of these expeditions, on her thirteenth year, that she personally killed and gutted her first deer. Arriving home, her family chose that night to celebrate, making a small feast between the deer and a small bowl of various wild berries her mother had collected while they were gone. By the time she had turned fifteen, despite the practical and worldly knowledge passed down to her from her parents, her formal education was still fairly average. She knew how to read and do basic maths, but anything beyond that. She became far more concerned with assisting her parents to pursue anything beyond such, at the time. This dedication leaked into other aspects of her life, causing her to lose older friends and spurning any budding romance that may have existed prior. This continued for another four years, before it would all ultimately come to an end. Her parents had become ill, though even her mother could not figure out with what. Chryssa cared for her parents as best she could as the illness began to take hold of their bodies, causing them to grow sickly and pale. Knowing they would die, perhaps sooner than they would like, they gave Chryssa their final wishes. They wished for their bodies to be cremated, and instructed Chryssa to spread their ashes as far as she could. They asked for her to make them proud, even in death. And they begged her to seek a better life for herself, that they knew she could do better than either of them ever had. Chryssa promised them their wishes would be upheld, tears in her eyes, as she sat at their bedsides. And when they had finally passed, Chryssa gathered their ashes in a large sack, resolving to fulfill their final wishes to the best of her ability. And thus, she set off into the world, leaving her sleepy family home behind.