Cluster Elder Council member and Mystic Cluster Leader, Vyrrik Kotov, and his

wife Clan Panacea member, Dovysia Kotov are proud to announce the birth of
their granddaughter, Aliyka Meshaiko. She was born to Clan Panacea member
and Clan Healer Alyskra Meshaiko and Brute Cluster Leader, Kyvy Meshaiko. She
is the little sister to Clan Brute member Dovryk Meshaiko.

This was the announcement made the day Aliyka Meshaiko was born into her
clan. Word spread quickly and gifts started to arrive. The youngling was gifted
with books of each clan type. Clan Mystic gifted her with a beautiful spell book,
bound in leather with her name in gold script across it. Inside was everything a
caster would ever need to know in order to hone their skills. Clan Lyrical
presented her with a lute that had a beautiful forest scene painted on the front.
Should she
choose the lyrical path, the lute would be her greatest weapon. Clan Panacea
provided her with multiple text on healing both herbal and spell. There were 4
textbooks in all, bound in vibrant shades of blue, green, red and yellow. Finally,
Clan Brute presented her with a short sword for training purpose it was almost
ornamental with its gold and jewel encrusted hilt.

It was common for the tribal clans to send gifts to the younglings for in a few
short years their paths would be decided. However, it was very uncommon for
such ornate pieces to be given to a new babe. Her grandfather was the reason
for such opulence. He was the cluster Mystic leader and elder council member.
Well known for his intelligence and flawless spell casting. He was a great
teacher and respected member of society. It has been told that he was offered
the chance to lead the Tribal council, but he refused because he said his
influence was better served in his cluster.

Many say that the reason he declined was he had fallen in love with a young
feline. The family moved in to Shipʼs Haven with little fanfare. Dovysia was
watching the young elves play in the meadow when she first saw Vyrrik. He was
striking at 6ʼ5”, slender yet toned with orange fur covering his body from head
to toe. His eyes were as blue as the sky and when they met her emerald green
eyes she felt a jolt and knew in that moment they would be paired. Vyrrik was
captivated by her tall stature. Most of the females in his cluster were less than
6ʼ, but the beauty before him was almost his height. She too was short furred,
tawny in color, but what made her stand out the most was the jet black mane
that flowed down her back. It almost looked like a wig made of human hair. The
females of his clan had no hair on their heads, only fur with little tufts on their
ears like him. It was this day that made him a hero to the wood elves, for one of
the elves wandered away while Dovysia and Vyrrik stared at each other. It only
took a few moments for the elf to stumble upon a mother bear and her cubs.
Vyrrik sprung into action saving the young girl before she was attacked by the
bear. The wood elves thanked him by offering him a cloak of protection.

Many years passed before Vyrrik and Dovysia would marry and have a child.
Alyskra Kotov was born after years of trying to conceive. She was her parents
sparkling jewel, beautiful and wise. She was as tall as her mother and had the
same straight black hair. Her fur was a mixture of father and mother as she was
tawny like her mother, but had faint orange stripes that zig zagged over her
body. Alyskra followed in her motherʼs path and joined Clan Panacea and
became a healer. This was how she met Kyvy Meshaiko. He was a very large
and intimidating figure standing almost 7 feet tall. His solid black fur helped to
define his muscles as he moved. Kyvy was a sight to behold in the sparring area,
often times using unorthodox moves to outwit his opponents. His cockiness got
the better of him one day and he ended up with a large laceration on his side.
Alyskra had just finished her schooling and was but 20 years old when she met
Kyvy. She was tasked with healing his wounds, but became so nervous upon
seeing him that she was unable to focus and heal his wounds with her magic.
Trying not to embarrass herself she grabbed a bottle of red liquid believing it to
be a healing potion. It was actually fur remover, used when surgery is required.
The story goes that she applied the liquid liberally along his side, so much so
that he was bald for months after. She felt horrible for her mistake, but Kyvy
found her to be charming. He wanted to learn everything about her and why he
hadnʼt seen her in the cluster. She explained that she went to private school
near her familyʼs plantation and was taught the family business in her down time.
She was shy, the polar opposite of Kyvy. They wed six months later at the young
age of 20.

Dovryk Meshaiko was born a few years after their marriage. He grew to be
strong like his father, but had his motherʼs temperament. He was tall like his
father, with short black fur and tawny stripes that ran along his back and hind
legs. He had tufts of tawny fur on the tips of his uears and striking blue eyes like
his grandfather. It came as no surprise to anyone when he joined Clan Brute to
follow in his fatherʼs footsteps. Dovryk was 10 years old when Aliyka was born.
He was quite fond of her and very protective of her from the start. She looked
nothing like him with her emerald green eyes, tawny fur with orange stripes. Her
hair was long like motherʼs hair but it took on more of a black green hue, the
green was more noticeable in the sunlight.

Aliyka was two years old when she accidently cast her first spell. She saw a jar
of cookies on the counter that she couldnʼt reach and used mage hand to grab a
few. He grandfather was watching while this happened with a smile across his
face. He instantly began tutoring her and teaching her everything he knew, for
he was sure she was going to be a great caster one day, possibly better than
him. When she was 5 her grandfather retired and her father took over running
the plantation. He spent most of his time in the city, so Aliyka only saw him on
weekends unless she traveled with him to work in the shop.

Ali attended the same private school as her mother. This school included the
children of the wood elves that were employed by her family. Here she learned
Elvish, Goblin, and Halfling in addition to Common. She also learned about the
history of her people and the battle that was lost to the dragons. When school
was out she would work with her mother and learn the family business of indigo.
After one long day of work Aliyka had a great idea that she shared with her
family. She told them the plantation was large enough to support two types of
crops and it would give more wood elves jobs. The idea was to grow juniper. The
berries could be harvested and sold or be used to make gin. When the trees
died the bark could be stripped and boiled to create brown dye.

Her parents sought the approval of her grandfather. He was very impressed with
Aliʼs plan and insisted they start right away. That was 10 years ago and now her
family is one of the richest in the area. Unfortunately, her grandfather would not
see the wealth they built as he died shortly after the family began planting. Ali
was very distraught over the death and took a long time to mourn. She spent
months living with her grandmother worried she would leave too. It was during
this time Ali learned all about her grandmotherʼs travels and her exciting
childhood.

A few months ago her grandmother died, right before Ali finished school. Her
grandmother left Ali her grandfatherʼs cloak, her grandfatherʼs quarterstaff,
large sum of gold, and a letter written shortly before her death. The quarterstaff
was carved from oak and at the top was a large emerald arcane focus. The oak
was carved in a way to securely hold the arcane focus. The cloak was just as
beautiful. It was handmade by the elves and dyed a dark green, so dark it looked
almost black. It was trimmed with silver and green. The inside of the cloak had
small pockets to keep money hidden from thieves. The letter was about how
much her grandmother enjoyed telling Ali stories of her adventure. She
encouraged Ali to go out into the world and seek her own adventures while
young.

A lavish party was thrown the day before Ali was set to leave. Her parents had
already paid for passage to the mainland, acquired her room and board for a
month, and told Ali to write whenever she needed anything. Her father gave her
a small 2 ounce bag of juniper berries, 16 ounces of family gin, and three 2
ounce bags of indigo. He told her it could be of use for trade later.