Aliah Starbough is a half-dryad, her lineage a unique mixture of human and faerie blood. Born to Vadeya Dawnoak, a dryad of the Simmaron Forest, Aliah's paternity remains a mystery. Dryads do not typically form lasting bonds with men, and Vadeya's grove, called Sollin-kel or "grove of beauty" by the patrollers, is home to many dryads who live as a communal family. The identity of Aliah's human father was never important, as dryads cast their wiles upon men for purposes other than conversation or companionship.
Aliah grew up in the mystical beauty of Sollin-kel, raised not only by her mother but by all the dryads who shared the grove. Her childhood was spent learning the ways of the forest, developing a deep connection to the trees and natural world that was her birthright. As a half-dryad, she aged more slowly than humans, marking time differently and maintaining her youthful appearance even as years passed. Her mother and the other dryads taught her about the world beyond their grove, particularly about the patrollers of the Simmaron Hall of the Wood, whom Vadeya described as different from other humans—people who respected the ways of the forest and could be trusted.
During Aliah's youth, the dryads maintained a guarded but peaceful relationship with the Hall of the Wood. While they valued their solitude and never harmed patrollers, they kept their distance from human affairs. The grove's location was known to patroller trainers, who warned recruits never to enter except by invitation, valuing their dignity. Many novice patrollers were dared to trespass as a rite of passage, usually receiving harmless but memorable warnings from the dryads—such as being poked with thorns in uncomfortable places or being hung upside down from trees.
Aliah's friendship with Jerrick Bur began during his early training years with the patrollers. Unlike other recruits who attempted to breach the grove's borders uninvited, Aliah befriended him naturally, and through this friendship, Jerrick was granted the rare honor of being welcomed into Sollin-kel on multiple occasions. Their bond was strong, built on mutual respect and genuine affection, though it remained primarily platonic despite occasional hints of deeper feelings.
As Aliah matured, she developed a desire to experience more than her secluded corner of the world. Unlike her mother and the other dryads who were content with their forest existence, Aliah felt called to explore the wider world beyond the Simmaron. She left the grove before Jerrick departed for his marriage to Kendra, embarking on a journey that would last several years and fundamentally change her perspective on humanity and the world beyond the forest.
During her travels, Aliah encountered the harsh realities of human civilization. She witnessed poverty, crime, disease, ambition, greed, and dishonesty—what she came to see as the staples of life for many humans. She observed bullies and braggarts ruling city streets, thieves, murderers, and brigands who cared nothing for the natural harmony she had known in her grove. The world outside the Simmaron proved to be one of mayhem and chaos, and Aliah, grown sick of it all, eventually decided to return home.
Aliah possesses the mystical abilities inherent to her dryad heritage, including the ability to communicate with trees and other forest life, enhanced senses and awareness of natural corruption, and a slower aging process that has left her looking virtually unchanged despite years of travel. Her mixed heritage also grants her greater resilience than pure dryads, who are bound to specific groves and cannot easily leave them. As a half-dryad, she retains the otherworldly beauty and grace of her mother's people while having the freedom to move beyond the forest's boundaries.
FIRST APPEARANCE
Aliah first appears in The Hall of the Wood.
