Everleigh

Everleigh Sturdyfoot was born in the halfling village of Brandybrook in 1772, the daughter of the late Bodo Sturdyfoot and Eilyse Proudmead. While still young by halfling standards, her family migrated to Almaris, becoming residents of the newly established village of Bramblebury in the Dothonion forest near the capital of the Elves. Here, she met her future husband, Tomlin Cottontail, who she married on the beach of Bramblebury in 1805. In 1807, they brought their bundle of joy, a daughter named Lyselin, into the world. Sadly, Tomlin, a fisherman, was lost at sea when his fishing boat capsized during a storm in 1814. Everleigh was grief-stricken and retreated from the joyous world around her. She descended into a depression and left Bramblebury with her daughter, moving into a tiny burrow in the wildlands between Elvenesse and Krugmar. In 1816, her cousin, Branden, died in an accident, leaving an orphaned son, Owen, and an elderly father, Oren, behind. When she learned of their plight, she returned to Bramblebury to care for them both, slowly working through her grief for their sake. Now six years after her husband’s death, Everleigh shows signs of her former good cheer. She has resumed operating her small food cart, selling her delicious meat pies and root medley. She cherishes the time she spends with her daughter, young ward, and uncle.

In 1351, a small group of halflings became trapped in the Verge during the evacuation of Aegis. Among them was Clan Sturdyfoot. The harsh environment of the Verge changed the personality and lifestyle of the surviving halflings, making them harsher, stronger, and less joyful than their ancestors. For over four centuries, they remained trapped in the Verge before finally discovering a portal leading to the world of Almaris. They fled through it, arriving in a world completely unknown to the Verge halflings, a world full of lush life and fresh air. Everleigh Sturdyfoot was born in New Dunwood in 1772 to the late Bodo Sturdyfoot and Eilyse Proudmead. She attended the local church school, and frequently daydreamed about the oceans, trees, and wildlife she read about in the remaining books brought through from Aegis. As an adherent of the True Faith, she attended services at her Uncle Oren’s chapel. Both parents died before her 33rd birthday, and she lived for a year with the family of her elder brother, Bordin. In 1805, she married Tomlin Cottontail and had a daughter, Lyselin, in 1807. Tomlin was killed in a raid against New Dunwood by the creatures of the Verge in 1814, leaving her a young widow. Devastated by her loss and angered by the shortness of life in the harsh Verge, Everleigh descended into a depression that even her faith could not shake. It took the death of her cousin, Branden Sturdyfoot, in 1816 to rouse her from her sorrow, as she became the caretaker of her elderly uncle, Oren, and his young grandson, Owen. Realizing that her grief was affecting her daughter, Lyselin, and now caring for a household of four, Everleigh regained some of her previous cheerfulness. Now five years after the death of her husband, she is able to see the joy and beauty in life again, especially in the amazing lands of Almaris with their natural beauty and interesting people. Before her husband’s death, Everleigh had operated a small food cart in New Dunwood’s market. Specializing in stewed netherwort and spicy pigman pork, both made with secret family recipes, she was a successful and popular cook in the settlement. She dreams of bringing her recipes to the people of Almaris.