In an alleyway located behind a pretty shabby tavern.
And while that's never exactly a good place to start any
story, Charna's life previous to this encounter remains
a mystery.
The owner of the tavern in question, who would later become
Charna's adopted father, claimed he found the little wretch
cowering besides the dumpsters, estimating that she was about
three or so at the time. He had no family of his own and
zero clue as to what it took to raise a child, yet he took in
the little girl and gave her as much adoration as he could. He
named her, fed her, gave her a language and a heritage, and taught
her many lessons (including how to get rid of unruly customers).
Indeed, she was the apple of his eye...until she reached eight.
His business took a turn for the worse, and somewhere in his
depression,he sought a scapegoat. Soon, the golden girl was
nothing more than a filthy leech and "daddy dearest" was pushing
her farther and farther away. He made her work as a barwench and
took to treating her as nothing more than a faceless employee. But
even with all her strivings and his efforts to raise interest, the
tavern continued to fail.
Thus, in the desperation, a wicked idea was forged. Not even an
adolescent, the twelve-year-old waif was pushed into a world
of sin. violence, alcohol, and sex...with her "daddy" raking in
the profits. Her scarred back serves as a testament to the
years of abuse from the assortment of sadists and clumsy
drunks (not to mention bar-fights) that her "father"s new
enterprise collected. Nearly killed on more than one occasion,
the young girl waved good-bye to the last shreds of innocence
and ushered in nearly six years of pain.
Somewhere between her eighteenth or nineteenth year, the final
straw came when the business took another critical hit, and "daddy"
offered to marry off the battered girl to the highest bidder. The man
who won was a very loyal and possibly one of the wealthiest of her
"daddy"s clients..and perhaps the cruelest. Thanks to Ahriman, Charna
bears a circular scar at the nape of her neck--a gift from both the
man's anger and a hot poker. He was savagely awaiting the chance
to whisk her off and her "daddy" was more than happy to trade her
in for something shiny. It was the night before the tradeoff that
Charna made her escape..
After closing, Charna made one last drink, for her "father", before
heading on upstairs. This drink was special though, considering it
contained a peculiar ingredient--lye. From her perch at the top of the
staircase, she watched him die in complete agony, before collecting
the few belongings that meant something and fleeing the scene.
From there, she settled in a few temporary locations, before
finally ending up in RhyDin. In RhyDin, she held brief stints as a
pickpocket and a devious partner in crime to one of her dear friends.
It was also here that she came to terms with troubling mental disorders
and depressions. Through the Red Dragon, Charna was even able to make
new connections and find a much more functional, adopted family, that
seems to keep growing all the time.
Her time in RhyDin has made her grow up a lot. Old wounds have been
fixed, new ones created. Her body, except for the scars, has been
healed to reverse the trauma, but nonetheless, some damage is proving
permanent. She's adjusted nicely, though, and despite the trouble
she's already found in RhyDin, she still considers it her true home
and safe haven.