Paela

## Paela Greenbough

Paela Greenbough was born to Adharan parents on the Island of Soldhavi. She was raised primarily in the port city of Kingsgate. Her father was a dock worker who helped to process incoming trade shipments from the other continents. Her mother worked primarily as a seamstress. She spent most of her childhood sneaking to places she wasn’t supposed to be, attempting to satiate the curiosity and boredom that is bred when a child’s known world consists only of a small area. Their small, third-floor home overlooked the part of the dock where the Sacrosanct were offloaded annually. Every year, there would be a small parade of the Sacrosanct through Kingsgate as the Sacrosanct were taken to the Sacrificial Altar deep within the forests. When Paela was a young teenager, she watched from her bedroom window as the Sacrosanct were lined up along the cobblestone streets; hands bound in front of them so that their identical tattoos could be seen lining one arm. Paela typically didn’t watch the parade; it made her uneasy to know that all of these Sacrosanct would soon be dead, but otherwise she didn’t think much of it. But that particular day, one of the Sacrosanct slipped her binds. The woman cast a spell that threw back the guards, and she began to run. However, she only made it a few dozen feet before she was recaptured. A guard slammed into her, and knocked her to the ground. As the woman scrambled to stand, the guard held her head and smashed it into the hard stone ground until the woman stopped fighting. He then slung her limp body over his shoulders and walked her back to the group of Sacrosanct. One of the larger sacrifices, an Orc by the looks of him, was made to carry the girl, who seemed to still be alive, but just barely. Paela watched as the parade began; six Sacrosanct walking and one being carried through the city streets.

After that year, Paela waited with dread for the days that the Sacrosanct arrived in the port and were lined up below her window. She watched them as they were marched towards the jungle, knowing that they would never be seen again. When she was older, around seventeen, she snuck after the sacrosanct, and followed them through the jungle to the Sacrificial Altar, which was a large stone building fortified with ramparts and heavily guarded. She tried to gain entry, but was unsuccessful. From her place in the jungle, she heard sacrificial rites begin. That’s when Vasha-Qa appeared beside her in the jungle and encouraged her to leave before the first sacrifice. When Paela refused, and asked Vasha-Qa to help her save the Sacrosanct, Vasha-Qa recruited her to join the Da’Chata. She was left with a series of clues, and if she could find the Da’Chata Rebel Order, then she would be admitted to the Order.

Paela followed the clues, and was led to a series of caves on the eastern side of the island. The caverns had clearly been inhabited at one point, but not for some time. Paela waited for three days, and eventually Makid-Ja appeared. She was given a final series of tests, and upon passing them, Paela was welomed to the Da’Chata Rebel Order. From that point forward, Paela lived a half-life among the Adharans, spying on them for the Da’Chata. Paela became a merchant between Soldhavi and Adhara, and used her travels to other continents to build a network of support for the Da’Chata Rebel Order in every continent on Andromara.