Tierra Treeheart
Tierra Treeheart was a low born Wood Elf and long term lover of [Xil Wrenlow]. The pair met during Xil's time with the Scouts, shortly after he had been forced away from the life of a minor noble and into something considerably less comfortable.
Tierra came from one of Mor'Koc's poorer districts and had none of Xil's money, education or family connections. She had joined the Scouts because they paid regularly, fed her and offered better prospects than most of the work available to someone of her background.
The two did not get on especially well at first.
Tierra thought Xil was soft, arrogant and mostly useless outside of a city. Xil in turn found Tierra crude, disrespectful and far too willing to tell him exactly what she thought of him. She was also one of the first people Xil had ever met who was completely unimpressed by the Wrenlow name.
Over time the pair became close, eventually beginning a relationship which lasted for most of Xil's decade with the Scouts.
Appearance
Tierra was a reasonably attractive Wood Elf, although there was very little delicate or noble about her appearance.
She was lean and wiry from years spent travelling on foot, climbing and carrying her own equipment. Her hands were rough, her skin usually weathered and she had several small scars from her time in the Scouts.
Tierra had dark brown hair, normally tied back badly or cut short enough to keep it out of the way, and green-brown eyes. She normally wore cheap practical clothing in faded greens and browns, usually repaired several times before being replaced.
Her clothes and equipment were well maintained but obviously inexpensive. A patched cloak, old leather jerkin, hunting knife and short bow were far more typical of Tierra than the ornate clothing associated with wealthier Wood Elves.
She cleaned up reasonably well when forced into formal clothing, although she hated wearing it and generally looked like she was waiting for permission to leave.
Personality
Tierra was blunt, practical and difficult to impress.
She had little patience for titles or family importance and tended to judge people almost entirely on what they could actually do. This frequently caused problems when Xil attempted to introduce her to members of his family or other minor nobles.
Unlike Xil, Tierra had little formal education. She could read and write well enough for her duties but had no particular interest in books, politics or court life.
She was, however, extremely capable in the field. Tierra understood animals, tracking, weather and people far better than Xil did and spent a considerable amount of time teaching him how to survive without servants.
She particularly enjoyed discovering basic things Xil had never needed to do for himself.
Despite her manner Tierra was extremely loyal, particularly towards poorer recruits and younger members of the Scouts. She had a strong dislike of people abusing positions of authority and was usually willing to make this opinion known.
Xil Wrenlow
Tierra became one of the most important people in Xil's life.
At a time when Xil had discovered that many of his childhood friends had been considerably more interested in his family than him, Tierra wanted absolutely nothing from the Wrenlows.
She was also completely unwilling to pretend otherwise.
Xil's family regarded Tierra as an embarrassing attachment from an unpleasant period of his life. She had no money, no useful relatives and offered absolutely nothing to the family politically.
They expected Xil to eventually grow bored of her.
He did not.
By the later years of his service with the Scouts, Xil had begun saving money with the intention of leaving his family's influence behind once his service ended. Tierra appears to have been a major part of those plans.
Blanca
Tierra was present for part of Xil's time travelling with [Blanca] and quickly became one of the few adults Blanca trusted.
Unlike Xil, Tierra was considerably more willing to tell the young Dryad no.
This did not necessarily mean Blanca listened.
The three effectively formed a small family during this period, something Xil would later look back on far more fondly than most of his time with the Scouts.
Death
Tierra died shortly before Xil finally left the Scouts.
The exact circumstances of her death are unclear.
Officially it was the result of an incident during service, and there was nothing sufficiently unusual about the circumstances to warrant further investigation.
Xil never believed this.
He became convinced that members of the Wrenlow family had either arranged Tierra's death or knowingly placed her somewhere she was unlikely to survive. He was never able to prove it.
Whether the family actually had anything to do with Tierra's death is unknown.
Her death destroyed most of Xil's plans for leaving them behind.
Without Tierra, and with much of the money he had saved tied up in plans which no longer mattered, Xil eventually found himself forced back towards the family he had spent years trying to escape.
It was a fact neither side was particularly happy about.
Xil later had several other relationships, but Tierra remained an important part of his life long after her death.
Blanca was perhaps the clearest surviving reminder of her.
And, somewhat inconveniently for the Wrenlows, Xil never forgot why he believed Tierra was dead.