Ryiah grew up in a powerful noble family in Katapesh. As a child, she loved reading stories of adventures and imagined herself going on them herself. She would go on “quests” with the other children on the manor where they would get lost in the woods, fight off imagined monsters and find treasure.
When she grew too old to play make believe, she instead entertained herself by sneaking around the estate. She challenged herself to remain unseen and gather “secrets” from her family, the staff, and visitors alike. She didn’t care so much about the information itself - finding politics terribly boring and shallow - but she enjoyed the challenge and being able to continue her “game” of being an adventurer. When she was 15, her father dismissed her lady’s maid because she was kicked by a horse and developed a permanent limp. He felt that it was shaming the family to have her served by a “cripple” and unceremoniously relieved her of her position, leaving her family destitute. Ryiah was furious and humiliated and fought against his decision, but was ultimately powerless to stop it. From then on, she increasingly felt herself trapped in what she saw as a world that was ingenuous, greedy and shallow. A desire to prove herself better than the nobles around her intermingled with the desire to simply keep herself entertained. She began to value the information she gathered on her spying missions, seeing it as a mechanism for increasing her own power, through knowledge.
The young woman found her formal education as a child of nobility incredibly tedious and (in her opinion) useless. She begged her parents to teach her archery, heavy swordplay, and mounted combat. They refused, insisting such activities were not appropriate for a noblewoman. They did, however, allow her to learn fencing which she practiced diligently.
She also became enchanted with Elwin, the court bard and her music tutor. He developed into her mentor and began teaching her about the world outside of nobility. His stories painted an intriguing picture of beauty, adventure (always, adventure), and vibrant cultures and personalities. Though her parents would have undoubtedly disapproved of this heterodox teaching, they were too busy with politics and running their lands to really notice. She became fascinated with the idea of traveling all over the world, meeting people from other cultures and sharing stories everywhere she went. She wanted to create something real and authentic in the world, something not based on appearances and puffery.
Elwin noticed her discontent and suggested she join the Pathfinder Society. The idea immediately took hold, but Elwin persuaded her to complete her formal studies first. She couldn’t imagine why this mattered, but had just enough wisdom and respect for him that she listened. She is now finally beginning to see the value of that education. Her parents were furious over her decision to join the Society and forbid her from disgracing the family by becoming an “adventurer”. Ultimately they could not stop her, and she joined the Lodge in Katapesh, extremely excited about where it might lead her.
(Those with knowledge in Society may be aware of her family name and possibly even know something about the rogue daughter who left the family under some kind of minor scandal.)
