Background

From an early age, Karalee felt the call of Lathander, the Wanderer, yet it was a call she did not understand and was not meant to heed for a time. Karalee was born in a typical halfling town to a typical halfling family. She had a normal childhood full of friends, laughter, and love. There was nothing extraordinary about her except the gift and her horrible scar. She was fascinated with fire at a young age and fell into the family hearth. Most saw this as “The touch of Yondalla” since shortly after that Karlalee developed the innate ability to heal others with a touch. Because of this, everyone, accept Karalee, just knew that she would grow up to become the next high priestess of Yondalla. Her family was excited and the villagers were proud of her. She began to be trained by following around the local midwife, spending time with the best cooks in town, going on rounds with the sheriff, and just getting to know everyone in the village. It was everything a good halfling girl was supposed to do, just more. She loved her family, loved her friends, and loved her home town, but becoming a priestess was not what she Karalee felt in her heart. She wanted to travel. Yes she wanted to help heal others but she did not want to be limited to her village, but she was stuck. And then she found her way.
 
One day an exotic woman passed through the village. She had a bluish tint to her skin, long jet black hair, and she carried nothing with her though she had an almost palpable regal air about her. Behind her trailed a elven man who walked in front of a floating disk of force. On the disk was a large amount of trade goods and food. When they got to the center of town, they both stopped and the woman began to hand out food and goods to those who were in need within the village. The woman kept nothing for herself, she only gave and when asked, she claimed she had taken a vow of poverty and that she was to give away any wealth she earned as part of her share from their adventures. Karalee was star struck. She felt as if a dam had burst within her. The calling she had long heard now suddenly made sense. She had seen in countless dreams from childhood the symbol upon the disk around the woman's neck. Karalee approached the woman who she found was named Kya and asked her about the plain wooden disk hanging from a worn leather cord around her neck. Kya never even glanced towards Karalee’s scar. She simply told her that it was the holy symbol of her deity Lathander and her only possession. Karalee asked if she could know who this god was was and if she could be allowed to touch it. The woman spent the better part of an afternoon explaining all about the Wanderer and then to Karalee's surprise, she never once even asked her about her scar. No one had ever stopped talking about it around her and would always make some comment about how blessed she was to have it. At the end of their time together Kya merely just took the cord from around her neck and placed it over Karalee's head. "Here, you may have it with my blessing, may it keep you safe as it has always for me." And with that, the woman and her husband left town.
 
Karalee knew she had to leave herself and follow her heart. And so that night, she quietly left town to follow her path. She tried her best to follow the path of the two wanderers but after several days she found herself hopelessly lost. While in the wilderness, lost and alone, she was set upon by some bandits. The beat her and tied her up and they knocked her out. While unconscious she heard again the voice of the Morning Lord who told her that she should keep traveling and she would find her way in a town called "Salt Marsh." But first, she needed to find the means to protect herself and with that, she woke up on the ground in front of a fire. When she looked around, to her shock, she saw her attackers lying on the ground and above them stood Kya, glowing from head to foot. Kya touched Karalee's wounds and they closed up immediately. Recognizing that power she had always possessed herself, Karalee knew she had to follow Kya. "Could you please train me ma'am?" Karalee asked. "Of course little one, that is why I am here." And so, for the 3 years, as they traveled the breadth of the Faerun, Kya began to teach Karalee "The Way." Kya also trained Karalee about the discipline of Mercy, but locked that training deep within her and promised that as Karalee gained in skill, the Tradition of Mercy would manifest itself.
 
There she was, standing before the town of "Salt Marsh" alone for the first time in her life, Karalee seeks to continue her mastery of "The Way" and seeks to use her training to help the people of this small town. And help them she did. Along with her new found friends, Karalee helped expose a a group of thieves working with a member of the town council and using an old "haunted" house as their base of operations. They defeated the denizens of the Mansion and then in a final fight, Karalee lit the Grease from a companions spell on fire to eliminate swarms of spiders which had infested the house. It was totally justified! Unfortunately, while escaping, the group heard a cry for help coming from the home. Karalee froze with fear, was someone else going to face her same fate, would the fire claim another soul, and would she stand there helpless yet again. No! Overcoming her aversion to the flames, Karalee rushed to climb into the top story of the building and helped pull a bound and gagged figure out. Alive! He turned out to be a smuggler and part of the thieving operation but that did not matter. This was a moment of triumph. Unfortunately, not all saw it that way.
 
The group split up because of different agendas and opinions. Some were upset at Karalee for burning the house even though she had taken care of the spider problem! Also, not all thought it was their duty to help uncover the corruption in town but she proceeded to investigate how far the corruption had spread. This lead her up and down the sword coast. She has since split from all her former friends and is looking for a new group to continue doing good, helping the region, and healing the wounds caused by evil.