Anavaru had lived with her parents and brothers in Sandpoint for as long as she could remember. Her family had always been hard-working, but of little means. Her mother was a devout follower of Desna and spent much of her time working in the church. Her father worked long hours at the lumber mill to provide for his family.
When her mother perished in the same fire that claimed Father Tobyn in the Late Unpleasantness, Anavaru and her family were crushed. Anavaru, just entering her teen years, did her best to care for her young brothers while her father was working. The Mvashti family, close friends of her mother, stepped in to help.
Anavaru had always had an affinity with animals and nature. As a child, she taught the family dog numerous tricks to entertain her baby brothers. With the Mvashti’s help raising her brothers, she was able to start pursuing odd jobs to boost the family income. She could often be found in the stables of the Rusty Dragon, caring for travelers’ horses.
Her father knew how much she dreamed of having a horse of her own someday, and he secretly started setting aside money, although he despaired of ever being able to afford one. Shortly before Anavaru’s 16th birthday, he heard a coworker at the mill complaining about the “ugly, stubborn sack of #@$#@” that his cousin had “temporarily” left in his care and never retrieved. He asked how much his coworker wanted for it, and was told he’d receive a small bag of gold if he could take it away that night.
The horse was truly unlike any other horse he had ever seen. However, the additional funds allowed her father to board the horse for a few days in a stable where Anavaru would not discover it by accident, as well as secure a set of light barding and a (to his surprise, by necessity, custom) saddle for it. He presented the horse to Anavaru on her birthday and she was overjoyed. She immediately began training it. As she bonded with it, she discovered that the horse was extremely intelligent, rather than stubborn.
Life went well for Anavaru and her family for a time. She managed to make a good amount of side income by selling rides on her unusual horse to travelers and small children. Her father was promoted to assistant manager at the lumber mill, and with the the Mvashti’s support and friendship, her brothers began to find their own paths in life. One decided to honor his mother’s legacy by devoting his life to the service of Desna, and the other managed to secure a scholarship at the local wizarding school in Magnimar.
Sadly, peace did not last more than a few years in Sandpoint. Anavaru and her horse escaped without harm from the attack on the Swallowtail Festival, but her father was brutally murdered at the lumber mill not long after. Devastated by the loss of her beloved father, Anavaru began to spend more time in the forests outside of Sandpoint with her horse friend. She has found the peace and solitude there to be healing, and the focus on improving her tracking and hunting skills has been a welcome distraction.
Anavaru has started to get the itch to explore further afield, but she still frequently returns to town to check on her brothers. During a recent visit, her cleric brother mentioned that Niska had requested to speak with her urgently. She went to see Niska, and the elder requested that after her passing, Anavaru watch over Koya in her travels as she had watched over her brothers’ journey to adulthood. Anavaru thought it the request rather unusual, but made an honest promise to Niska that she would do her best. Three days later, Niska passed away.