His first memories were of his mother. He could still recall the moments spent nestled in her arms, the scent of her foreign perfume, the touch of her lips to his forehead as she kissed him goodnight. He had only fond memories of her, and of his life growing up in the wilds outside of Karlsburg. Aleksey Mathieu Richaird, he had been named. His middle name that of his grandfather whom he had never known, who had died when his half-elven mother was but a child herself. Both of his parents had grown up orphans. Fortunate was he that he did not share their same fate.

The wildlands east of the Archer's Trade Route had been his home since birth. His childhood had been one of seclusion, but he did not harbor any disdain because of this. The boy was a perfect image of his elven father, though his eyes were his mother's eyes. From a distance, any soul could have mistaken him for a full breed elf, but a closer look would reveal the inherent human features acquired from his mother's father, to whom he also owed his middle name.

He had quickly become accustomed to life in isolation, with his mother as his only company. He knew his father only through the stories he had been told, as the elf had vanished long before the child was born. There was, though, no malice behind this abandonment, yet fate had deemed that this family would long be sundered. Many had reasoned that the elf had met his end, and even Aleksey would resign himself to that fact in later years. Though the truth would reveal itself only after the child was grown and long years had passed.

The young Aleksey could recall many stories told to him in his childhood. Of his mother's days spent among the Barony of Riverdale. Of his father and uncle's wild adventures as children. Of names and faces long forgotten in these realms. Yet some things remained hidden to the boy. His father had belonged to a band of elves known only as the Falling Leaf, yet little was ever mentioned of that fact. "Never go to Kisah," his mother had told him. And upon questioning why, he received only a vague answer. "You would not be welcome there."

Though he remained curious, Aleksey trusted his mother's judgment, and did not press the issue further. He had taken an interest in travelling to nearby Karlsburg to hear the tales of the various adventurers who frequented the city, and soon begain training in the art of small blades. The child was gifted, as had clearly been displayed, both in his skill and his intelligence. By the age of thirteen, he was an adept fighter, and had taught himself to play the flute, performing before small crowds in the city for spare silver and gold. Yet deep within, he longed for real adventure, and so set out to journey to Stonegate, where he hoped to complete his training and earn his place in the world.

The free city seemed somewhat intimidating for a boy who had grown up in the wilds. Politics, intrigue, and wars were all foreign to him, having only the knowledge that his mother had bestowed upon him. Still, he managed to overcome his fears, and in time had all but mastered that which his trainers had taught him. It was there in Stonegate that the boy made the acquaintance of a fellow elf known as Judah Armisande. Neither of them could have known that their meeting would have a profound affect on the young Aleksey, for it was Judah who first acquainted him with the concept of elven brotherhood, and of purpose beyond that which mortals could control.

It was perhaps this meeting which opened his heart, and which eventually led him to the city of Kisah. Though he remembered his mother's warning, he could not resist the pull of the elven city, which he had recognized only in recent days. There, the boy experienced an immense connection, a power stronger than any he had felt before. Yet fate held more for Aleksey than he could ever have predicted, for it was there, in the city of his kin, that he discovered the truth kept from him for so long - his father had killed an elf, a fellow member of the Leaf. He was the son of an outcast...

Tormented by this revelation, Aleksey found comfort in a renewed sense of purpose, an inner calling which he had only now been able to hear. He swore that, to his death, he would do all in his power to protect his fellow elves, his kindred. He now lives alongside his brethren, sworn to Kisah and to defending the lives of his kin.