Age: 23
Alignment: Good
Personality: Adventurous, mischievous, playful, stubborn, determined, over exaggerates
Occupation: Cattle Rancher (Occasionally takes shifts at one of the saloons as a bartender and earns additional income through gambling)
Home Region: The Corral (Originally Valara)
Powers/Abilities/Skills: Cattle Rancher (Occasionally takes shifts at one of the saloons as a bartender and earns additional income through gambling)

Other Associated Regions: Valara

 Raeden was born to elven parents, hailing from one of the orders in Valara.  Her father, Arbane, was one of the protectors of the order, serving alongside his brother Aureum to keep peace and ensure the safety of other members.  He was a masterful horse rider and a skilled hunter, and yet very kind and gentle.  He was known for his ability to de-escalate situations and maintain order without the use of violence. Her mother, Kaleana, had a more fiery spirit than her father, but she was also very kind. She was loved for her storytelling, even though she had a tendency to over-exaggerate for the sake of the tale.

When Raeden was just 6 months old, the eleven order was approached by a group of high ranking soldiers from Steam City.  The war with the Shadow Realm had taken a downward turn and they were requesting aid to assist their struggling forces.  The order's council met and discussed who they would choose to send.  Immediately, her father volunteered, explaining that his duty to protect extended to all, and that his aid in the Shadow War would ensure not only the safety of his people, but of everyone.  The council agreed to his request.  Her mother was next to volunteer.  She was highly attuned to nature and would be the most adept at communicating back to the order without fear of being intercepted by the enemy.  She would send updates and messages home through birds, or wind signs.  

In all, 5 others volunteered for duty, knowing their return home may not be for a long time.  Most were without children, but Raeden's parents had made a heartbreaking decision, and they had made it to ensure their daughter and everyone they loved would be safe. No part of their decision was easy, but they had both felt a strong calling within them, a sign in both of their hearts that this was what must be done. 

After much discussion, Raeden was sent to live with her god parents, a couple living in The Corral who had long been her parents' most treasured friends.  It was a hard decision taking her from the village of her people, but after visiting the oracle, it was decided that it was what was meant to be.  For an unknown reason, their daughter was destined to grow up apart from the elvish people, though the oracle also told of her future return. The old woman explained to the young couple that it would all be clear in time, adding that fate sometimes has a funny way of working things out. There was a reason Raeden needed to go there. In their hearts, both her parents had felt that it was the right choice, and the oracle had confirmed it. Her god parents were her parent’s most treasured and dear friends, and they knew they would treat her as their own. 

And so, Raeden grew up on a small farm in The Corral, a land nearly devoid of magic, and not without it's fair share of trouble.  Her god parents became her aunt and uncle and they raised her in a home full of love and happiness, telling her all the stories they knew of her parents.  From time to time, her parents would send her messages, a rustle of leaves, a cool breeze in summer… When these things happened, Raeden would feel a sense of love, that her parents were okay, even if she didn’t understand why she felt that way or what the feeling really meant.

Like her uncle, she became a cattle rancher, following in his footsteps.  She also worked some shifts as a bartender at one of the many saloons, despite her aunt and uncle's disapproval. The saloons were rough and the people were rougher.  But Raeden was fascinated by it all.  She loved hearing their stories and even learned to play cards, becoming so good, she actually took to a little gambling on the side.  She learned to talk tough and hold her own in a land where magical beings weren't very welcome, often wearing a hat to disguise her elvish ears.  Though word eventually got around that she was an elf, it all died down soon enough.  She had a charming personality and was well liked by those who knew her. She had an energy and a playfulness to her that people were drawn to, able to sweet talk herself out of trouble on more than one occasion.

Though she was generally well behaved, she did have a rather wild and mischievous side to her. She got caught a few times playing card tricks at the poker table, and even got in trouble for a few nights out on town that got a little too loud and disorderly.  When you grow up dirt poor in The Corral, there isn't much else to do other than work and get a little crazy when the sun goes down.  Her greatest act against the law was when she stole a horse that she later named Clyde. He had been abused and overworked by another rancher and Raeden wasn’t going to tolerate that. After confronting the owner about the mistreatment, things escalated, ending with Raeden mounting Clyde and taking off. Authorities were soon at her door but she got off without much fanfare. Agreeing to pay the farmer off for the horse, everything was soon settled.

Raeden always had an adventurous heart and grew to long for more than what she knew.  There was a whole side to herself that she didn’t know, but now she wanted to fill that missing piece inside of her in. She knew what it was like to be a cowgirl, now it was time for her to learn what it meant to be an elf.

After mustering up the courage, she told her aunt and uncle her plans to visit Valara and try and find where she came from.  The stories of her parent's past had always captivated her, and now she wanted to see everything for herself.  She knew virtually nothing about being an elf, and she believed this journey would help her discover it. Her aunt and uncle both teared up at the news, knowing they would miss her dearly, but they knew this was important for her and that it would be what her parents would want.

Promising them she would return within one month's time, she told her aunt and uncle her plan and took off on horseback.