House-Carthenwald was once the most prominent of families who were part of the aristocracy of Karstberg, capital and main shipping hub of the Province of Malva. Alena's father, Magnus, was the head of Carthenwald Logistics Magnate, an illustrious company that operated in the Market District, selling and trading rare goods that were gathered from all across the globe. He shared the business with his half brother and Alena's uncle, Venius, yet rebuked Venius' idea that the company should be dealing arms and armaments instead of rare spices and such, as he did not wish to be a merchant of blood. Little did he know this would have consequences. Magnus fell in love later on with Marianne, a beautiful and famous actress and opera singer, and married, where upon later they had a daughter, Alena.
Twas thanks to her mother that Alena was raised in an environment steeped in music and the arts. She loved to hear her mother sing and enjoyed watching her plays and her concerts with her father. When she turned thirteen, Magnus entrusted his business to her, along with all of his riches. It was an action that further angered Venius, and soon he retaliated in violence. One night, a band of mercenaries hired by Venius stormed the Carthenwald Manor. Magnus was slain trying to defend his home and his family and Marianne was later murdered by the men. Alena survived the attack, unaware that Venius was the orchestrator of this vile action. As she watched her family's illustrious and elegant manor erupt in flames, she fled from the city and towards the forest in fear of her own life still being forfeit.
She was attacked there upon by a gang of ruthless bandits, but rescued by a man in a dark cloak and form-fitting armor. He was
Matthias Grimm, the head of a secret and illegal guild of assassins known simply as the Coven of Thorns, not to mention a worshiper of the God of Death. Matthias saw great potential in Alena more or less as a whipped pup that lacked training, judging by the pain she harbored for the loss of her beloved family and noted upon her desire to punish those responsible. So he inducted her into the Coven. It was a baptism in blood for Alena. For the next thirteen years, she endured the Coven's brutal and often fatal training regiment, shattering away the innocence of an aristocratic young girl and shaping her down into a weapon of cold lethality. She took upon herself the most daunting of assignments, often times placing her in the thick of peril, yet she would return successful and unscathed. Yet, after all these years serving the Coven, she still clung to her main goal, revenge....
It wasn't till later upon investigating the ruins of her family home for her own that she discovered the perpetrator of those vile crimes years ago, Venius Carthenwald, now head of her father's company, usurper of her family legacy. And as though fate could not be cruel enough, Venius became one of her clients. Though seething with rage behind clenched teeth, Alena met with her loathsome uncle and a contract was arranged, Venius now seeking to forego business and aspire to higher...more political ambitions. It would be the most prolific assassination ever carried out by the Coven, the murder of Karstberg's Lord Governor.
Months went into planning the attack, Alena and Matthias working tirelessly to make the perfect arrangements for the Governor's death. Soon came the day destined, but though the assassination went smoothly....everything after...fell into Oblivion. Once Alena met with Venius to confirm the kill, she was caught by his mercenaries and stripped of her cloak, revealing her identity to him, yet in fact he knew all along. He tried to have her killed, but without much effort she slew his sellswords and him as well. Upon his dying breath however, he snickered,
Now I've slain BOTH your families.These words, they struck fear into her heart. She raced from the city back to the forest, again that damning smell of smoke looming about the air and the ghastly vermilion glow emanating through the trees. It was just as Venius proclaimed so wicked and arrogantly even in death....the Coven had been put to the sword. Amidst the burning rubble of the Coven Sanctuary, Alena searched for survivors, sustaining a few scathing wounds as a wooden beam graced her shoulder. Neither she could find, all around her the assassins lying dead. But then she heard a cough, ragged and filled with smoke. It was Matthias, impaled by a blade into the wall, yet still breathing barely. In his last waking hours upon the realm of the living, he had but one last request for Alena, his protege.......live, go and seek life elsewhere but Karstberg, fly upon the Raven's wings to sanctuary.
Alena honored his request and with tears in her eyes she granted the suffering old man eternal rest.
From that day on, Alena has traveled from continent to continent, never giving up the life of an assassin. She has still kept with the old traditions as well, taking contracts and fulfilling them at her own discretion. She's made a hefty sum of gold, though she resumes to live a meager existence, hidden beyond the veil of shadows. Now in Garna, she seeks a life of solitude and serenity, but....it appears fate would not deem it so. A letter soon arrived to her by way of messenger hawk as she was lounging upon the balcony of her humble abode taking in the crisp sea air. To her surprise, the letter was addressed to her...from the Garnian Emperor, a call to arms to all mercenaries and sellswords of every kind to aid his Empire.
~"Rubbish."~ She huffed about to toss the letter away, but then again...it would be something to do at least.
