Mark of the Champion | Tia

Bandit life has never been for the weak. Seeking to escape the tyrannical grasps of the high lords, many inhabitants find themselves fleeing to the Wild Lands of Elysia to start anew. There, ravenous beasts creep around every corner of the forest, patiently lurking, hiding in the crevices as they await their chance to feed. Wildeland inhabitants band together to form new villages with their own rules and laws, however, depleting resources fuel unscrupulous behaviors. Stealing, murdering, rifling, are all suitable actions when the alternative is starvation. Nearby towns, wandering travelers, and even weaker encampments become targets when needs aren’t met. For Tia, this was an ordinary life.

As an 8th generation Wildian, Tia began her training before her first steps. As the daughter of her village’s greatest raiders, constant pressure from her tribe had always been applied to force her to live up to her parents’ prestige. With no room for error, she had an unwavering dedication to her training, until one day when destiny would intervene. While hunting, she discovered a family, a malnourished and impoverished woman and child, stumbling their way through the forest’s depths. Tia, a veteran survivalist as an adolescent knew that without aid, the harshness of the Wildehart Forest would quickly and easily consume them. She created a shelter in the forest and watched over them. She brought them food and supplies and in return, the woman taught her new languages, spells, and the history beyond the Wildeland. A year passed, long enough for Tia to work up the courage to defy encampment laws. She brought the family before her tribe in the hopes of adopting them into the fray. However, much to her disappointment, refuge was denied and the family was cast out. A distraught and worried Tia, gathered what she could and abandoned her camp in protest. A decade of bouncing from camp to camp followed as she continued to sharpen her skills. Tia, with her adopted family, forged a new home in the forest, a safe heaven for all who are lost, a sanctuary from the harsh realities of the world.