Delainy's Background
Delainy grew up on an isolated island that was populated solely by werewolves, an island that was embroiled in a conflict between two factions, that of a group that desired a more bestial existence, in attune to their more primal selves, the other faction was a group that tried to live part of their existence at least in balance with their human side, and as such, were actually a bit more civilized than the naturalistic faction. However, both sides were unable to coexist harmoniously, and eventually the conflict was proving too much for the more civilized faction. As a member of the civilized faction, Delainy naturally grew to like her human side, and the benefits that went along with it. She grew so enamored, she eventually became the unofficial town historian, learning all the tales she could and committing them to memory.
Into this maelstrom of violence, the hero arrived from the mainland in search of the whereabouts of Baldur, for whom the city of Baldur's Gate was named . In the course of his adventures, the hero allied with the civilized werewolves, wiping out the more primal beasts. In the midst of these, Delainy made his acquaintance , even though she knew that he wasn't a lycanthrope like herself, and as the ancient legends said, should have been slain on the spot. However, he comported himself honorably, much to her initial surprise, and Delainy asked him to find a cloak that was stolen from her, an important relic from her people's past, stolen during a storm. Both the cloak and the Balduran relics were found in the wrecked remains that the primal werewolves called home.
Much to her surprise, Delainy was given the cloak, and almost as a lark, she asked him to find some belladonna blooms. When he returned with the blooms as well, she was truly touched. Unbeknownst to her, though, her own people would prove unhonorable in their own actions, for as a "reward" for aiding them in their struggles, they were going to gift the hero with lycanthropy. Even this was upended when the civilized werewolves soon revealed that there were two factions within their midst.
The two factions consisted of one group that was expansionistic, outward looking, who sought to escape the confines of the island, and slowly spread lycanthropy throughout the mainland with them as the nominal leaders. It was this group that wanted to bestow lycanthropy upon the hero but this was thwarted by the second, much larger group. This group was isolationist, and more importantly, believed that only those who were born werewolves were deserving of being werewolves, and were going to slay the characters out of hand, now that their primary rivals were wiped out.
The isolationists were the bigger of the two groups, and after taking down their rivals, focused their attention on the hero. Delainy, seeing what was going to happen to a group that proved themselves honorable, risked her life to lead the party to the ship that the expansionists had constructed to leave the island. As he was getting ready to leave, he asked Delainy if she wanted to go with him, and at that moment, her toughest decision in her life was put before her: whether to go with him, and to explore the wide, vast world that his very arrival opened before her, or the binding loyalties of the pack to her people, her family, and her friends.
Ultimately, she chose to stay with her people, for better or worse...
However, the worse was quick to come. Realizing that they didn't eliminate all of their rivals in the initial purge, the isolationists turned their snouts to the others in their midst, slowly ferreting out those they believed still harbored ideals opposite to theirs.
This shocked Delainy, for while wolves will attack one another, driving intruders away, as such there is no premeditated malice in their actions,. However, the dominant faction's violence showed one of the ugly truths of "sentience"--the desire for revenge.
However, while she would have liked to explore the idea of whether going for increased exposure to humanity as such was a good idea, greater concerns were at the forefront: survival. As a result, Delainy and the last secretive remnants of the expansionist faction put together a crude ship, using the hull of the ship that was the lair of the primal wolves, and managed to set sail for the mainland just as the packs of the isolationists came hounding on their tails.
Thankfully, they managed to catch a breeze, and landed off the coast just to the south of Ulgoth's Beard. Knowing that people on the mainland were deadly when they found a werewolf in their midst, the group of refugees decided whether to stay together, forming their own village again, or to infiltrate human settlements and live among them. The consensus was reached that the majority would stay put, but they would send out agents to see the feasibility of joining with... and then dominating... human villages and towns.
Delainy volunteered almost immediately to leave, for with her departure from her home, she could finally quench her desire to see the greater world, especially since the major ties of loyalty to her pack were severed through the various conflicts that engulfed her home. However, the other werewolves were less than pleased at the prospect of Delainy leaving, for she was the strongest tie they had to their heritage now that they were exiles...but this was also balanced by the fact that of all the werewolves present she was the one best adept at mingling with humans and not being caught. So, after the first initial months which were fraught with danger as the exiled werewolves established themselves, Delainy taught as much as she could to a few other chosen werewolves, and come that spring, the infiltrators left in ones and twos with the directive to return after a few months. Delainy, however, had no intention of ever going back...