Gita hails from Qadira. Hers were a nomadic people, mystics and scholars, and worshipers of the azata empyreal lord Valani, the Fireshaker. They were persecuted (naively) as the cause of certain wildfires some years ago. The engine behind these rumors was her people’s reverence for fire. For, it is told, where Valani touches the world, verdant land springs forth--although the world is an abundant place fit for man's growth, through nature's force nothing lasts forever; growth requires destruction so good can take root in once-evil soil.
These truths were recorded, copied, and shared in their book of scripture, The Two Truths of Fire, of which every person in the caravan owned a copy. The scriptures involved parables, proverbs, and prophecy as revealed to them in personal revelations--no other such scriptures existed in the world. One prophecy in particular spoke of an eternal winter, and the fated mortals who would prevent it.
Seeking to spread the faith of Valani, and to find evidence for his prophecies, the group found themselves in Omash, in Northern Qadira. Adventurers at heart, they embarked on a mission for the Sunhill Monastery, who were being accosted by the desert fey. In truth, the force behind the attacks was a treacherous mountain witch. They entered her domain, finding the cave in which she dwelled. A harrowing battle ensued. The group was narrowly defeated after the witch feigned surrender, only to unleash a death curse. The hag took the only three survivors, Gita, Faraj, and Sohi, transforming them into birds, clipping their wings, and caging them. Her bloodlust temporarily sated, she packed them within her traveling cart and took to the road in search of fresh innocence.
Nearly a year passed, Gita and her friends serving as slaves for the witch. While attempting to cross the Jalrune River en route to a fair in Golsifar, the witch and her cart toppled over a bridge. The hag was crushed beneath her wagon, freeing Gita, Faraj, and Sohi from the magic that bound them.
Fleeing into the Border Wood, they were attacked first by shades, who froze Sohi’s heart solid. Then they faced water sprites, who managed to hypnotize Faraj and lure him into the river, drowning him. Gita barely escaped.
She found herself in Heldren. With no family or friends to speak of, and without money or possessions, she begged for work as a magical scrivener, slowly saving her coin. Sorrow filled those early days, and there were times when her mind traveled to dark places. But with each passing sunset, and with each silver earned and saved, she began to imagine for herself a new life, be it in Qadira or Taldor. Despite the hostility between the two nations, she found the settlement of Heldren to be quite hospitable and, even if she didn’t care to admit it, pleasant.
But she knows all too well the evils of the world, and still grieves for the loss of her family and friends. With each tear shed, her hatred for witches has solidified, and she still craves retribution. She remembers too the prophecies of Valani. She has begun to rewrite them herself, as best she can remember. Much was revealed through the collective conscious of her clan, and she is just one woman. There are gaps and ambiguities in her telling. Still, the prophecies were cast, and she cannot escape the possibility that she herself is fated to endure a fabled eternal winter.
