Leiynmikayla "Kayla" Holt

Human Ranger and graduate of Strixhaven University with a degree in Arcano-Archaeology. Currently a Meridian of the Thirteenth Zenith in Horizon.

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From Arcavios, born to an established, wealthy family with holdings including a large forested highland area on which (permitted) hunting/trapping/forestry is allowed. Over the past few decades, the hunting grounds have become more dangerous, with otherworldly beasts native to the Underdark showing up - first rarely, then more regularly. These monsters seemed to be coming from the deepest parts of ancient caves and ruins that dotted the landscape, though there were far too many such entrances to block them all.   Raffinas was a half-elven ranger who had tended the lands since Kayla’s grandfather’s time. Kayla often preferred to be out in the woods learning from him rather than tending to the “proper” pursuits of an aristocratic young lady.   During the early days of these aberration incursions into the Holt family forests (when Kayla was around 13/14-ish), Raffinas took her out with one of the lowland orc hunting parties, led by the hunter Garothbu. A few of these orc bands had been the last holdouts still willing to buy and use hunting permits despite the newfound dangers. During the night, one of the hunters, Turge, killed one of his companions in the act of stealing from the group. Everyone pursued him through the night until he was finally cornered. Turge pulled a pair of throwing axes, and Garothbu tried to talk him down, though of course things couldn’t go well for him even if he did go quietly.   Becoming increasingly agitated, Turge ranted about how they shouldn’t have to “suffer the rules of the elves and humans,” and on this thought he struck out, throwing an axe Kayla’s way. She instinctively sidestepped the axe (mostly, it grazed her leg), and loosed an arrow. It sailed true, and Turge fell to the ground. Everyone fell silent for a moment. Raffinas came up to Kayla, and gently asked the frozen girl “You’ve just fired an arrow at a target. What’s the next step?” This mechanical process she knew from hunting helped her to move forward from her stasis: confirm the kill, collect the arrow.   Garothbu has considered Kayla an unquestioned friend-of-the-tribe since then. Due to a mishearing of her foreign-to-his-ears name, he calls her Claw (“A strong name. Small but deadly!”). She calls him ‘Bu, and he is a good friend to have, especially now that he has since become leader of his tribe.   As Kayla got older, the dangers in the woods increased, and Raffinas cautioned her to stay away, though she wasn’t very good at listening. One day in her mind-teens there was a particularly brutal attack of a hunting party, which Raffinas went out to investigate. She followed, eventually learning that aberrations, including a mind flayer, had been found deep in an old tomb full of strange glyphs. Raffinas fought to cover her escape, but was outmatched. He caused a cave-in, crushing the Illithid, blocking off the portal it came through, and saving Kayla at the cost of his own life.   Afterwards, the sightings of monsters waned over the coming years, and the woods became safer again. Kayla found a new reason to pay more attention to her studies: trying to learn more about the magical ruins that had caused so much hardship, and the creatures responsible for Raffinas’ death. Her mother was overjoyed to see her daughter now more interested in getting into a good university like Strixhaven, thinking this might mark a turn back towards respectability. Though despite her newfound drive, the young woman is no less of a wild child than she has been her whole life.    

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Mike is currently working to catalogue Kayla's experiences while at Strixhaven Universityin a Heroforge-laden journal.