From a distance, Nal Resse`Baelthir might be mistaken for a grizly bear. She is towering and full-framed, with powerful limbs. Nal stands and squats; she never sits. She is always looking around and occasionally sniffing. She rarely speaks, and when she does, it's in phrases, not sentences. A quiet being, she enjoys the serenity of nature and its cadence of sounds. What she loathes are humans and all their cacophony: horses with armored riders, clunky wagons, or noisy adventurers looking for fortune far from home. Nal detests humankind and actively fights against its encroachment. Like a weed, human civilization spreads, and Nal believes it is her duty to cut it back and with good reason. In the untamed Forests of Celdaea, where strength and resilience are revered, Nal, a towering Ursurik with brown fur, stood as a formidable warrior. Nal's early years were marked by the untamed wilderness of her homeland. Her brown fur, blending seamlessly with the earthy hues of the forests, concealed the might that lay beneath. Her saga took an unexpected turn when, through the twists of fate, she found herself ensnared by humans from the distant land of Harak. Captured and thrust into the merciless world of gladiatorial games, Nal's Ursurik strength faced a new kind of challenge. Born into the Ursurik heritage of warriors and to a circle of druids, raised to love nature and venerate it in all ways, she was the sole survivor when a group of human adventurers attacked the circle during her preteen years. The humans, drawn by the allure of new sport, had discovered the Ursurik tribe and sought to capture Nal as a gladiator in their brutal games. She was shackled and shipped to Harak, where she was forced into arena combat. Nal became a spectacle for the entertainment of others. Despite the adversity, her Ursurik instincts for survival and combat prowess soon made her a force to be reckoned with in the arena. After one of these gladiatorial contests, traveling by ship to the next arena, a storm of epic proportions became her unexpected deliverance. The ship, en route to unknown lands, faced the wrath of the tempest, and Nal emerged again as the sole survivor. Washed ashore in Arethane, she found herself far from the chains of captivity and the harsh arenas of Harak. In this foreign Elven kingdom, Nal's strength and combat prowess quickly earned her recognition. The Elves, initially wary of the Ursurik gladiator, soon realized that she was a warrior unwillingly thrust into the world of human cruelty. Nal, though far from her kin, found solace in the Elves' acceptance and a new purpose in safeguarding their lands. Her instincts, once honed in the wilderness, now blended with the combat skills learned in the unforgiving gladiatorial arenas of Harak. Nal, the brown-furred Ursurik warrior, has become a symbol of resilience in the Elven kingdom of Arethane. In the embrace of this foreign realm, she forged a new chapter in her saga, rising from the chains of captivity to become a guardian against the perils that threatened her newfound home. |
