Long ago, in a city far to the west of our fair kingdoms, lived an ancient tribe devoted to the worship of the Cardinal Deities, as they called them. These dieties embodied many aspects of their lives, but most notably were those who controlled the elements, which they called the Circle of Creation, and a second set of gods and goddesses who embodied the good in humanity - the Circle of Virtue.
   The culture in this long lost city was extremely advanced for its time, and the locals attributed this prosperity to their devout worship of their gods. The people never lacked an abundance of food or drink, and knowledge and research were shared freely amongst the neighboring kingdoms. Their pantheon of deities truly blessed this civilization, but alas, the river of time flows on, affecting everything in its wake equally.
   One day, as the people were carrying on with their daily duties, tragedy struck. Jealous of my ancestors' good fortune, the neighboring kingdom of Ghalderon attacked. The enemy soldiers plundered homes, killing everyone in sight. My people fought with all their might, but decades of peace had softened them.
   In time, the soldiers of Ghalderon advanced to the Court of the Gods, where the twelve shrines stood. This was my people's last line of defense. If they lost here, their civilization would be crushed.
   Each of the twelve shrines was guarded by a single family. My family, the Kendari, guarded the shrine in the north-west corner of the courtyard - the Shrine of Peace. My family, as well as the other guardians of these shrines, fought valiantly for eleven days and nights. Each of the shrines fell, one by one, to the invading forces.
   On the twelfth day, the enemy finally reached the Shrine of Peace, where my family stood guard with the few survivors of the previous attacks. Just as defeat seemed certain, something miraculous happend. A brilliant light filled the shrine, repelling the attackers. The gods had finally heard my people's pleas and intervened! The enemy fled, awestruck by the power of my ancestors' faith.
   Feeling another attack was imminent, my great-great grandfather made a great sacrifice. To protect our family line from extinction, he sent his daughter, who was great with child, to the village of Sha'dun. This journey was rough under normal circumstances, even moreso for an expecting mother, but the gods looked after her. My great grandmother, Mirya, eventually made it to the safety of this rural village, where she gave birth to her child. This was the beginning of the Kendari family as we know it.

   Ever since that time, the name Kendari has represented courage and honor. In the old tongue, Kendari means "Shield of Faith." This describes my family very well, considering our history. We strive to protect those who cannot fend for themselves, and our faith guides us in all we do. To this day, we uphold the values of our ancestors: Truth, Love, Courage, Wisdom, Justice, Peace, Passion, and Sacrifice.

   Being the only living decendant of the original Kendari family, I am now the matriarch. My husband, Vaughn, our son, Soyoki, and myself are all that remain of this once proud family. We have stuck together through many a hardship, and hope to one day welcome new blood into our fold.

The Kendari Family Tree:

                          Mirya
                              |
                       Sandarl -- Jeuria
                                      |
          Kayrin -- Yurisa / Ashwarya -- Caladesh
                       |                                  |
           Kerani / Garma                  Elysse -- Vaughn
                                                                   |
                                                               Soyoki

With this scroll, our family history shall survive for eternity. Long live the Kendari Family!

   ~Elysse
   The Legendary Muse

     I was born in the small rural village of Sha'dun, far to the west of here. My parents were poor, but the love they showed me more than made up for our lack of wealth. My father, Caladesh, worked the fields each day while Ashwarya, my mother, taught me the arts of healing.
     My mother was a skilled healer. She had been blessed with magical power from birth, as had I. Each day, she would teach me the sacred arts until father came home from the fields. I would sit on the hearth with the musty old tomes she had given me, reading and studying the mystic symbols inscribed within. My mother would help me study as she cooked our supper in the heavy iron cauldron that hung over the fire. Those were the best times of my life.
     One night, when I was about eight Yuris old, my world was torn apart. I woke from my deep slumber, sensing something was amiss in my home. As I slid from my straw matress, a chill rushed down my spine. This was odd, considering it was late summer. I slowly crept toward the bedroom door, carefully avoiding the loose floor planks which were waiting to scream in agony at the slightest touch. I slowly opened the door, unprepared for what I would see.
     The memory sickens me still. As I looked into the room, I gasped as tears began streaming down my face. My parents... someone had murdered them as I slept. My parents' lifeless bodies lay heaped by the fireplace, the hilt of a large, black longsword protruding from my father's chest.
     Filled with fear and grief, I ran out of the hut and across the fields. What would I do? How would I live without my parents? I fled faster as these fears continued to taunt me, not knowing where I was going or what I would do when I got there. It didn't matter anyway... nothing mattered. My life as I knew it was over.

    Since the death of my parents, I have been through many things. I lived for a while with a strange old man named Ujiwa, deep in the forests near Sha'dun. He taught me more about the arts of healing than my mother ever could have, and treated me like his own daughter.  
   Eventually, I came to leave that place and travel to Buya, where I worked at the local healer's hut for many years. But it is Ujiwa's kindness that gave me the courage to step foreward as the sole survivor of the Kendari family and continue the traditions handed down by my family. These teachings - both Ujiwa's and my ancestors' - aided me in the future, when I was honored with the position of Primogen of the great Lost Kingdom clan of Buya.
   I served my kingdom and my clan for many Yuris, but eventually, I left on a journey to learn more about my family and its history. These travels have led me to the kingdom of Nagnang, where I currently reside, although I still make frequent pilgrimages to Buya to perform with my talented guildmates from the Buyan Muse Guild. Now, as the sole survivor of the original Kendari, I strive to share my ancestors' history with everyone so the mistakes of the past may not repeat themselves in the future.

   ~Elysse
   The Legendary Muse