A paladin swears to uphold justice and righteousness, to stand with the good things of the world against the encroaching darkness, and to hunt the forces of evil wherever they lurk. For Shalana, determining how to hunt evil and what is evil. Born and raised briefly in the underdrow, she does not have much memories of the first 50 years of life there. Between her 50th and 60th year of life, her village was attacked, pillaged, and burned down. She did not know who did it, she did not know why it was done, simply that this one event has shaped her destiny. Any time she attempts to reflect on her past, it is nothing more than a haze, but an intense feeling of dread and sorrow always fills her chest. However, within this dark memory is the man who may have saved her.
 
For the next 40 years of her life, she lived with Dyer, the Paladin who saved her that night. During this time she learned how to use the blade, explored the topics of the Gods, the Oaths, and the history of the land. There she learned of her own kind, the Drow. They were hated and feared due to their cruelty though some non-evil and an even smaller number of good drow existed. Shalana could not help but wonder if her village was filled with evil-doers or if it was attacked out of fear. The details of the raid still remain a mystery to her as she approaches 220 years of age. Life was peaceful with Dyer and the memories of these peaceful times are held near and dear to her.
 
Identity was something Shalana had struggled with. As a Drow following the path of the paladin, it was an unusual sight. Going from town to town with Dyer and doing what could be done to protect the light, often then not Shalana witnessed prejudice from those they had aided. “The child is cursed”,”A drow…?Fighting for the light?”, “She will bring ruin, she will be Dyer’s end”, were one of the many things she would hear from these people. Shalana did the only thing she could do, and just received it and moved on. The Oath of the Ancients taught by Dryer were:
 
 
Kindle the Light. Through your acts of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness, kindle the light of hope in the world, beating back despair.
Shelter the Light. Where there is good, beauty, love, and laughter in the world, stand against the wickedness that would swallow it. Where life flourishes, stand against the forces that would render it barren.
Preserve Your Own Light. Delight in song and laughter, in beauty and art. If you allow the light to die in your own heart, you can't preserve it in the world.
Be the Light. Be a glorious beacon for all who live in despair. Let the light of your joy and courage shine forth in all your deeds.
 
These four principles pushed her to always keep a smile and move forward, at the time in her youth, her definition of preserving her light was to not let others’ ignorance and prejudice break her.
 
Dryer had saved Shalana when he was in his mid-40s, and passed on peacefully to the next life at 87. Shalana performed his final rites, a wave of emotions had blanketed her. His passing did bring her sorrow, but she knew that humans would never keep up with her. She simply thought to herself “Thank you Dryer, thank you for bestowing to me knowledge and the strength to move forward, thank you...father.”
 
The next 120 years, she traveled alone and continued on the path Dryer had taught her, however she began to question the Oath she had taken.The prejudice she faced as a child continued to follow her, and with it she learned of the deeds her race had done in the past. She knew what the Light was and knew within herself how to protect it, but she did not know what her own Light was and how she could preserve it. She knew she needed to learn more of the world around in order to determine what it meant to preserve her light.