Milara had been an adventurer for quite some years before meeting Kaius. She’d lost many friends over the spanning decades, and had been travelling, looking for work as her adventuring earnings dwindled. They met when she tried to sell some things to him, and haggled over the price – Kaius knew the value of her sword just as well as she did, but deliberately tried to bargain for far less than it was worth to exasperate her before going in for the final deal – have dinner with him, at the very least – he could not help but be enchanted by her elven beauty.
Taken aback, she agreed – and that’s how the romance between the two of them began. Eventually Milara decided to retire, and start a family with Kaius, despite his being human and the liklihood she would outlive him. Not long after they wed, they welcomed their firstborn, a son they named Theron, into the world. A couple of years later they welcomed their daughter Tanis, and finally a few more years later, they welcomed the birth of their second son, Talyn.
Milara had some skill as an artist – a skill she’d picked up during her adventuring years, and she created things to complement her husband’s wares – as such, they led a reasonably comfortable life as part of the middle class.
The only oddity in their lives, was Tanis.
At first, she was just like any other child. Then small, strange little things began to happen’ a display of temper that was somewhat unusual; slight shocks when she became upset – things of that nature, although minor, were concerning. When Tanis was about eleven, Milara wrote to her brother Deshka, who was a practitioner of magic (as well as sword), hoping perhaps that he could help, as these changes had not abated like she and Kaius had hoped they would.
Unfortunately, before they could hear back from Deshka, Tanis had been noticed by someone. In the middle of the night, they broke into the Delgado house, and took Tanis away, leaving a ransom only a nobleman could play in her place.
The merchant’s guild her father was a part of had arranged this. The Guildmaster saw her as a bad omen, and felt that such an unusual child being around a member of the guild (though not neccesarily related) was causing the guild’s ill-fortune, so he hired a group to spirit her away, and ensure she would never return.
The guild’s involvement was unknown to the Delgago’s, however. Distraught over the loss of her daughter, Milara did the one thing she knew she could do – come out of retirement. She donned armor and sword, kissed her husband and sons good-bye, and set off to try and find Tanis. Sadly, her fate remains unknown.
Once a year, on the anniversary of her kidnapping, a new note is received by the Delgado family, giving them hope that Tanis is at least still alive, though they cannot hope to pay the ridiculous ransom set in front of them. However, on the 5th anniversary of her disappearance, rather than a note, Tanis herself came home.
Deshka had become a part of the family by this point, trying to help Kaius ensure his daughter’s return by imbuing his crafts with simple magic so that they would be worth more. Tanis was relcuctant to talk to her father or brother’s about what had happened to her while she was imprisoned by her kidnappers, though gradually warmed up to her uncle, and told him of her treatment and how she managed to escape – by mimicking what she had seen of other women in the locations they held her, and seduced the leader of the group that held her. It was a slow process that gradually won her freedom, and she fled to home.
Thinking about her ordeal only made her uncomfortable, so instead her uncle taught her what he could. Knowing her mother had gone out to search for her and had not been heard from since did not make things any easier for her mental well-being, so Deshka kept to the simpler things at first, by teaching her how to fight. Once he felt she had a good footing in that area, he explained their family history to her .
Sometime in the past, a copper dragon had mated with an ancestor of theirs, and some of that bloodline seemed to be exhibited in what little she was able to do. More than that, however, she seemed to exhibit another ability – that of air elementals, with her little shocks. Deshka was unsure exactly how the family came to be exposed to this latter ability, but assured her it was there nevertheless.
After a while, she grew to trust Deshka, though her feelings confused her. She wasn’t sure precisely how she felt about him, and made what was, in hindsight, most probably a rash decision – to run away. She had been back with her family only four years when she penned the note to her uncle that merely said “I’m sorry – please keep them safe.” and left, taking what few possessions she had with her, hoping to be long gone by morning.
These days, Tanis tries finding work when and how she can, which is how she ended up in Kintargo in the first place.