Background

Thalia Curien: A country girl, born February 20th, 1981, and raised in a rural part of the Keystone State (Pennsylvania). She grew up on a farm with quite a big family, a household with her grandparents living together, quite a few brothers and sisters, along with many aunts, uncles, and cousins that lived nearby. Even with all the helping hands, it was still quite hard work living on a farm. Ironically though, while not minding a little gardening here or there, or finding a bush full of berries out in the wild... Thalia actually hated doing any of the work regarding the crops being grown. It was boring, repetitive, and there was still a whole field left to go... While a lot of the time she just had to suck it up and help on the field, most time's she'd do anything she could to get any other chore given to her, such as helping fix the fence up, patch up attire that got torn up in the field, and, when she got a bit older, shooting wild animals that snuck in to try to eat the harvest or kill the chickens. Of course, work on the farm wasn't all there was growing up. She still had to go to school. There, her grades were pretty much average, not the best, but not terrible enough that there was concern of failure... There were two studies she excelled at though. One being the after-school's rifle team. With her being a decent shot already from the fox or rabbits she had to put down, it made sense for her to sign up for it and hone her skill. The other was her French classes. It was mandated that at least one language class had to be passed in order to graduate, and she royally butchered the offered Spanish class the year prior, but the other language, she actually managed to ace. While her grades were enough to pass, there wasn't too much going on for her to really dedicate to a career. She could stick with the farm, but she disliked the work and had other ambitions, just no idea where to point them yet... Not that'd she'd get the chance to aim them anywhere. Right about when she was reaching adulthood, figuring out her life, the world began to change for the worse. The Daisies began to bloom. At first, they were just considered to be fast-growing weeds that were picked and culled, perhaps saving the family from getting too sick in the early days... But everything just got worse, and the world outside Thalia's family farm fell apart. At first, they held out on the farm. They weren't preppers, but they had food and water, some weapons and isolation... Enough that it'd be foolish to flee elsewhere. However, the weeds were just getting worse. Some of the older people in the family were getting sick... Then eventually buried... When her father became ill from the pollen and soon too passed, and it was known the cold slowed the walking flower pots down, it was decided to go toward Lake Eerie, and either use one of their uncles boats, or take an abandoned one or two, and sail across toward Canada to wait things out and figure out a better plan. This turned out horribly for the family. While the cold was good to get away from the pollen, it didn't help with keeping healthy in general. Along with that, others had the same idea as her family, many fleeing North to escape the Daisies, turning Canada into The Northern Wastes as they depleted it's resources... While there wasn't much of an organized presence up there, her family did get taken in, against their will, by a group that had pulled together. Soon enough, she'd be shoved into a greenhouse to work on growing crops once more, only this time she'd be left malnourished while others gorged themselves on her and her family's labor. On one of those cold nights, after a long shift in the greenhouse, one of her aunts gathered everyone to plot an escape from this situation. Part of that plan was said aunt spreading her knowledge of ASL to the family, so they could communicate without the bandits overhearing... Thalia didn't take to it too greatly at first, but there wasn't much else to do while confined but figure it out, it was a long few years trapped in the Northern Wastes, and eventually her skill in it became passable that she could use and understand it, albeit, as long as it wasn't done too rapidly. Slowly over time, they secreted away what makeshift weapons they could fashion, planned a way to sneak or fight their way out, stole little bits of food to gain the strength needed, and waited for the perfect opportunity... It eventually came. Thalia's family didn't strike first, an unknown group to them outside opened fire on the bandits keeping them captive, perhaps for their own gain, perhaps to rescue those trapped within. Nevertheless, it was enough to kick everyone into action and get the hell out of there. There wasn't much mercy spared to the captors... The family was brutal in ensuring their loved ones would be safe. Whoever hadn't run off into the Wastes was left dead in the snow. When that was all said and done, the decision was made. Move back to Pennsylvania, and so they did. Only, Thalia didn't stay with them. Her and a few other siblings and cousins had made the choice to set off on their own paths sometime after returning home. Some to attempt reconnecting with missing friends, others to establish trade, and a couple to sign up with what was left of the Federal Remnants... Thalia, though, just went on her own path. After saying her goodbyes, she made her way further south at first, but traveled toward Ohio in order to avoid the deadzones, meeting up with the Fungal Followers. While they did give her refuge for a time, she never joined them, and once again decided to continue her journey alone after a time, eventually making her way toward Coalition territory, and Knox County...