Break the Cycle
Karna’s parents were former slaves to pirates, used to scout waters and hunt for them. After fleeing from them during a skirmish with rival pirates, they took to land to live as humble merchants, away from the dangerous seas that held them captive. Water Genasi off the coast of Basar were uncommon, but they used this to entice customers with exotic goods and knowledge. They lived in fear that their captors would one day return to them, and in turn although they ran, they were never truly free. During their time there, they had a baby girl. Shortly after, tragedy struck. The pirates returned. The pirates were raiding villages on the coast in search of more bodies to capture and use. Was it fate, no matter where they go would the cycle never end? Karnas parents refused to let their baby grow up in slavery as they had. They wrapped her in a basket and placed her in the nearest river, leading to the ocean. The let the sea take her, praying they weren't monsters for leaving their baby to the unknown.
Raised by Pirates
The Unchained - Known for their wise leader Orwell Paxton, who vowed to always live free, and was never caught. Orwell Paxton personally oversaw Karna's growth and raised her not as a vicious sea dog, but as a free spirit of the sea. He passed when Karna was 15, and things were never the same. Second in command Sevrik Corvus took over as Captain of The Unchained, and began taking more violent actions to accomplish his goals. Wealth was all that mattered under his leadership. Karna stayed with The Unchained for a year after Orwell's death. Sevrik Corvus led a deadly raid on a coastal city, killing many of the innocent men and woman defending the town. Karna stole the merchandise from her own ship, and returned it to the grieving families. As reward, they offered her their best ship, a brigantine with old sails, and covered in cockles. When Sevrik Corvus found out Karna had disappeared and the loot was gone, he vowed to have her head one day. A pirate never goes against her own crew. She would never show her face in Beggars bay again.
Power and a Dream
At 16, Karna fled The Unchained and traveled to the coast of Neverwinter. She survived off of petty thefts from nobles, living life day to day. She never let her situation define her, and kept a cheery outlook on a bleak situation. She sailed regularly back and forth from Neverwinter to Sasserine, performing odd jobs, and mastering her craft at sea. At 19, a fellow sailor in Neverwinter mentioned that they had lost some goods off the coast of the Forest Of Ancients. They told tales of hearing whispers from the forest, calling to them. Too fearful to stop and venture the land, Karna took the opportunity to gain some good graces and check out what was going on. As she approached the coast she began to hear these whispers, but to be afraid is to be chained. She pressed onward. She searched the woods and came upon a hut, flowers covering the area, smoke leaving the chimney. This is where Karna would meet Gwyndolyn, an Elven warlock woman. Gwyndolyn called Karna by name, before any introductions were made. She seemed to be expecting Karna, as impossible as it seemed. She explained that she was waiting for her, but she would not say how that came to be. Gwyndolyn explained that the whispers were not coming from a ghost or monster, but from the sea. She offered a trade: if Karna could find the cause of the whispers in the sea, she would teach Karna all she knows about Warlock magic. Karna sought to be strong like Orwell, so she accepted. Day in and day out Karna searched the sea, unable to find the cause of the whispers. Karna trained for 4 years with Gwyndolyn, who never seemed to grow impatient with her lack of success. Karna often spoke of a place Orwell mentioned when they were together: an island called the Untamed Isle, a place he believed to paradise. A true freedom. One day, Gwyndolyn told Karna that she had taught her everything she could, and she should search the sea again. Karna searched again with little hope, but this time was different. The whispers were clear and called her name directly. They became louder as she swam closer. A cave appeared in a place she had searched a hundred times. In it, a spear protruded from a stone. She grasped the spear as it called her name. Suddenly she became dizzy, unable to breathe, and then as she closed her eyes, she reopened them as she lay on the beach off the coast of the forest. She held the spear in her hand. Excited to tell her master about her find, she ran back to Gwyndolyn's hut. But when she arrived, the was no hut, no flowers, no trace anyone was there at all. Karna let out a small sigh and a smile. She had found the power she sought. She spent the next year sailing, taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Strong enough to fight on her own, she lived free, free to chase Orwell's dream, and find what lies beyond the world.
