Legends state that we came from the deserts of the Atharthok, perhaps even descended from an offshoot of the elusive People of the Sand. It is one of the few things we are unsure of, as our written histories and records only begin with the second generation.
The first generation, the ones who took the migration from Tyran to Talanon, were uneducated and quite primitive by Talanon standards of the time. They were also quite small in number, and some believe they were members of a tribe, rather than a blood family. This is evidenced by the fact that they were of mixed race, a few were elves yet there were also half-elves and humans.
Regardless of the origins, when they came to Talanon, they took the name Gladomin, and pooled their resources to purchase a single, tiny apartment in the poorer sections of the city.
They shed the customs and teachings of their old life in the Atharthok, keeping only one which they valued above all else, and taught it to their children
"Everything done for the next generation."
It was a practice they put in place immediately. The stronger immigrants were able to find work quickly as laborers, and the rest took to whatever they could find, sewing, cleaning, baking... They worked themselves to the bone in order to have the money to raise strong, healthy children who could get a modern education.
The second generation proved to be an ambitious bunch, thanks to the drive for success their elders gave them. Their education allowed them access to more wealthier employment, and thanks to their strong and healthy upbringing they managed to catch the eye of some of the lower noble families. The men were discriminating in their choices of marriage, choosing attractive and intelligent women to bring into the fold. And the women of the family married into much wealthier families, happy to build relations between the Gladomin's and the noble families of Talanon.
The three sisters of the second generation that married out, agreed to keep to a secret pact. Their first born child would remain with the married family to appease them, yet publicly there would be an "accident" with the birth, or a "family trait" that meant there would be no more than one child. Secretly, however, there would be no such hindrance, and if she would become with child again, she would keep it secret until such time as she could spend a few months with the Gladomin's, for whatever fabricated reason, to bear the child and have it raised among it's true family.
This became a practice often used with subsequent generations, as a way to keep family numbers strong even when there were a high number of female births in any given generation.
By the time the third generation were starting to grow, it was becoming clear that a leader had to be appointed, a figure of remarkable intelligence and wisdom that would shape the family in it's future, and keep track of all the growing ties and relationships it shared with the other noble families of Talanon. An interim patriarch was set up from the oldest of the brothers in the second generation, yet all agreed that a more permanent solution be found.
A forth sister of the second generation, an elf by the name of At'ris, began to formulate a plan. She was longer lived than her sisters, thanks to her purer elven blood, and had decided not to marry, which suited her plans rather well.
She integrated herself into a small group of arcane users, thanks to her skills in wizardry, and began researching demonology. By the time the third generation had grown and started to marry off, she had found reference to the Marilith demons, their exceptional strategic minds and their tendency to curse those who stole their weapons with a child of demon blood.
At'ris had no need of a Marilith longsword, but she thought of a way regardless. She convinced one of the members of her arcane cabal to retrieve a Marilith weapon, and after much preparation they succeeded. It wasn't long until the sword's owner appeared to retrieve it, and At'ris killed the young cabalist before the demons eyes.
She claimed to have no knowledge of the swords origins, and said she would gladly offer it back. However since the demon was denied the chance to curse the thief, she offered a deal; curse her with the child instead, and return every 400 years to curse another female within the family.
To At'ris's dismay, the demon easily saw through her plotting and identified her as the true thief. However, for reasons unknown, he agreed to her deal, with an additional proviso - that in every case when the half-demon child is born, the mother would die in childbirth.
At'ris was unhappy that she would not live to see her family, and her child, grow. However, she agreed to the deal at once, as she, like all the Gladomin family, believed that her life mattered much less than that of her child. "Everything done for the next generation", as she was taught.
In 2 short years, Aynavia was born. Though her maturation would be already slow, thanks to her combined demon and elven blood, it was deemed necessary to let her get some life experience before she took control of the family. As she grew, she showed to have a fast and razor sharp mind, well suited to the day to day machinations of the family. She had a few children herself when she came of age, feeling that spreading the Marilith blood amongst the following generations of the family would only strengthen their minds for the tasks expected of them.
By the time she was deemed ready and took her position as Matriarch of the Gladomin family, the fifth generation was grown and beginning to take their places. The family had grown to close to 40 in the immediate holdings, and close to the same which had spread out and married off into the other noble families of Talanon. She quickly proved to be a powerful influence over the family, tightening it's resolve and re-inforcing the teachings and wisdom of their previous generations.
For just over 200 years Aynavia guided the family, growing it's numbers to nearly 100 strong. The status and political power was now such that females of subsequent generations had the power to bring their husbands into the Gladomin family as part of their marriage agreement, if they so chose. And they often did chose to do just that.
Eventually, the legacy of At'ris resurfaced, and a male Marilith demon appeared before Aynavia. At close to 400 years old, Aynavia was still in the prime of life for an elf, and could have bore the child if she so wished. However, she feared the influence of too much demon blood, and chose a close to pure blooded elven female from the current generation to bear the child.
This child, named Elisaadi, would be groomed to take over as matriarch once Aynavia chooses to give up the role.
Now, young Gladomin, it should not be said that the proceeding information is STRICTLY for family only. Past practices and our demonic heritage is NOT to be revealed to outsiders under any circumstances.