Alimaye Mondavi was born to Alyssa and Grimwald Mondavi on the first day of Kylorn in the year of 1359 of the Second Age in the trade town of Orindale. This day is known as the beginning of the season of rebirth, or the first day of spring and holds significance as a holy day of the druids. It is said by the druids that to be born on this day imparts mystical abilities to the child and they are often regarded to be special in one way or another. Never was this truer than in Alimaye's case.

Grimwald was a blacksmith of some renown, working hard to produce quality armor and weapons for the towns' militia, earning him a seat on Orindale's governing council. Alyssa was a talented seamstress and artist and she was of elven blood. Alyssa's mother was half-elven and passed on her elvish heritage to Alyssa, who in turn passed it to Alimaye. Alyssa had been fascinated by elven lore and history and read to Alimaye tales of adventure and high magic before bedtime, fueling her curiosity for adventure.

From an early age, Alimaye exhibited a significant sensitivity to her environment and to magical energy in particular. Often she would be drawn to things that others could not see and she would speak to people that were not there. During her childhood, she was curious about sorcerers and spellcasters, often going to great lengths to examine their trinkets or ask inquisitive questions. Her mother was accepting of this peculiar behavior, but her father was frightened of what he didn't understand and never talked about it.

At the age of nine, a few days after her birthday, Alimaye's mother became deathly ill with a debilitating disease. A merchant of exotic and magical animals brought the plague with him and nearly a hundred townsfolk became ill and quickly died of fever, including Alyssa. Alimaye was devastated as was her father and from that point onward, Grimwald had to raise Alimaye on his own. Grimwald was always a strong and determined man, who did not shy away from responsibility or hard work, but without his wife, he took on the responsibility of raising a young woman, a task for which he was ill suited. Alimaye took on the chores of the household as well as helping her father with his work, but she didn't care for any of it. At times she resented her father and blamed him for her mother's death and she wept often in her bed at night, wishing for her mother to return.

That same year, Grimwald had decided that Alimaye should be schooled in language, writing and mathematics and sent her to Kelliam the Sage, a powerful sorcerer who was knowledgeable in these things. Immediately, Kelliam learned that Alimaye was very special and he quickly found that she was adept at magic and able to see its energy. Unbeknownst to Grimwald, Kelliam began teaching her the ways of magic and took her on as his one and only apprentice. Kelliam was quickly amazed at her proficiency with magic and he felt as if he were holding her back from her true abilities, but he was careful to not allow her to discover too much too quickly.

Alimaye became fascinated with magic and adventure, often stealing herself away from her studies to sneak into the upper levels of Kelliam's tower, into his secret library. There she found books on history and legend and read as much as she could about heroes, villains and mythical creatures. Unfortunately, Kelliam also stored books of great magic there and forbid Alimaye to enter, often sending his familiar Jessrael to watch over her. With the snowy white owl constantly on the watch, Alimaye learned that she could understand its sounds and hoots and soon befriended it, much to the chagrin of her tutor.

He knew he couldn't completely hold her back and the more he taught to her, the more she wanted to learn. At the age of thirteen, she could already cast simple spells with but a thought or movement of a single finger, rivaling others much older than her. By the age of seventeen, Kelliam knew that there was little more he could teach her and since she had completed her schooling, he dreaded the thought of letting her go her own way. Nevertheless he knew the time had come and he began preparing a special book for her to keep her spells in.

By this point in her life, Alimaye was restless and desired to explore the world and make her own decisions about her life, much like any other at seventeen winters. Her heart was trying to tell her something, but she couldn't hear it until that fateful Midsummer's Eve. Continue the tale of Alimaye in Child of Gaea.

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