Darya hailed from a family of farmers from the south-eastern border of Rostland, almost by the unofficial boundary of the Stolen Lands. Life there was harsh, and so the people were hardy, no-nonsense folk, for the most part - Darya was a notable black sheep.
Atrocious at farmwork - more for lack of interest and compulsive shirking of her duties than genuine incompetence - she was fairly talented at fighting and prone to violence. That alone would have been tolerable, landing the girl in the militia or among the hunters (where she did end up eventually), but there was also the matter of her character.
She was a dreamer, hungry for outlandish tales from the outside world and acclaim of her own. Furthermore, her rowdy and exuberant nature demanded entertainment well in excess of what was considered proper. Her fondness for carousing, strong drinks and sleeping around caused more than their share of disapproving murmurs over the years.
Perhaps the one person who genuinely adored her - outside of little kids who saw a 'cool and approachable big sister' - was Darya's grandfather, a retired soldier who would often gripe about the younger generations' lack of spine and willingness to obediently toil away until someone came and took the fruits of their labour again. His tales of former prosperity of the Stolen Lands found an avid listener in the unruly girl and strongly contributed to her decision to join the reclamation effort when the word got out.
As such, after a round relieved (due to peaceful resolution of growing tensions) goodbyes, Darya found herself on the road to Restov, in hopes of joining one of the parties chartered to officially claim lands in the southern wilderness.
