the wife of Dirk grew up as the oldest of 3 children in an impoverished elven
family in the town of Varns, in the Elven County of Sartan. Her younger
siblings were Caritha and Anvar. Jelena was a simple, honest woman who was
not physically dominant or breathtaking but had a subtle charm. Try as she
might, she could never please her parents. None of the suitors they
brought to court her were at all interesting. Though she was proud of her
heritage, she did not share her family’s hatred of Humans. Anvar openly
liked Humans just as much as Elves. When he could no longer handle the
backlash from his parents, he left to make his way in Fraylic, the Capitol of
Sartan and the Human County. For a while Jelena stayed in Varns but she
grew tired of the parental disdain for her. Finally she followed her
brother to Fraylic. Once there Jelena met up with Anvar who introduced her
to his best friend, Dirk Grithinshield. He was handsome and
charming. At last she met someone who was not so caught up in
ethnicity. For Dirk’s part, he found her simple goodness a refreshing
change from the people always trying to get the better of him in business.
He finally had met a woman with whom he could let his guard down and be
himself. Dirk would see her extensively in between business trips and
finally decided to make her the person he would come home to each night.
Thus, the two were married. The Greenliths (Jelena’s family) all refused
to attend the wedding. Over time Dirk’s business grew at an exponential
rate. He was even named First Citizen by the King. Jelena suddenly
found herself yearning for the spotlight to shine just slightly in her
direction. Dirk was aware of this but had a problem. Most of Fraylic
Society looked down their noses at Jelena because of her simple ways and elven
background. Not being a man to stand for any insult to his wife, Dirk took
action. He bought the finest mansion in town and hired instructors to
teach Jelena the way of the bluebloods. His next step was to not do
business with anyone who disrespected his wife. He possessed the economic
clout to make it a painful point to the aristocracy. Finally, Dirk made
the mansion the center for society functions in Fraylic. Even the King
would occasionally attend. A requirement of attendance was the bringing of
gifts and praise to the lady of the house, Jelena. Parties were held every
month and sometimes more often. Jelena was finally accepted somewhere, so
long as Dirk was around.