Fienahdel

Family

Fiji and Fiena grew up together in the underdark with their mother Feyleyna and step father Roke. Our biological father was a surrawn genie named Sawfvatore who recognized the strength of a drow woman by leaving her to bear children alone. That’s how mom likes to put it. And she did manage quite well as an herbalist and apothecary.

I always loved watching her work with the plants and would help her pick the dew bugs off the underside of the leaves of her garden. And as we did not spend much time with the “normal” thjodanalfen children I started making friends with the small creatures of our cavern.

Father, the one who raised us, was a fisherman. Fishing with Father was the only time Fiji didn’t seem to be crawling up the walls of the caverns.

Fiji and I were close as children. We would play in the caverns of the underdark, Fiji catching rats and exploring uncharted areas like a true adventurer. Sometimes we would find caves with strange critters and neat plant growth I thought mom may like samples of. But Fiji would always go to fast and too far and I would be begging her to slow down. If I fell and scraped my knee she would concede and check my wound and we would return home. I loved the comfort of the enclosed walls and intimate spaces in the under dark.

Sneaking Out

I too craved fresh air once I got a taste of it.  Fugi and I used to sneak out and go topside to a small enclosed glade with a waterfall and willow trees and moon bloom flowers. But the most amazing thing to me was the way the nonceliling of the world glittered and the way the air moved around us.  Fuji would swim and I would lay under the stars staring up at the night sky. 

Fiji Wants Adventure

As we got older we left the glade to our child hood and found new adult pursuits. I would would be for hire to help the other druids find plants and animals and sometimes people they were looking for in the wide expanse of the under dark.  We lived in a small enclave about three hours walk from Ceybyd. Fiji was our community's spiritual leader, but that, too, seemed to just be one more thing anchoring her there. I never understood why she was so eager to leave.   We had everything we needed there.

So, it came as no surprise to me when on our 27th birthday she announced she would be planning a trip topside.  I would be sad to see her go but I felt mother needed me here to help her with her gardens and I couldn’t imagine leaving all my critter friends.   I was honestly really mad that we weren’t enough for her and that she could leave so easily. We got into a big fight the night before she left.

Departure Day

Bags packed, Fiji was saying her goodbyes to Mom and Dad and some community members from Evinshar's shrine, and she paused at the mouth of the cave looking for Fiena.   But I was waiting for her at the glade.   When she came out I called to her, “You didn’t think I would let you have all the fun now, did you? I’m coming with,”   and we set out on our adventure together.    Always together, my sister and I.  It is how it must be.