Eulàlia de Barcelona
Backstory and Description
Eulàlia was born to a wealthy merchant family in Barcelona, and named for one of the patron saints of that city. She was a beautiful child, and much pampered. As Eulàlia grew up, she was educated by her mother in social graces and in managing the household. However, she was much more interested in the family business. Her father was indulgent of her when she was young, and often brought Laia along for his negotiations with merchants (bringing a cute child to negotiations is helpful too), or let her linger in his room while he went over the ledgers. Laia loved animals, especially dogs, and would often tag along on hunting trips near Barcelona. This was a happy time in her life, but as she grew up her parents become less indulgent of her whims.
Rather than give up on her dream of being a merchant, Eulàlia ran away from home. She cut her hair and started to dress as a man, though it took her a while to learn how to convincingly pass as one. One day, she found a dying dog in a village and took pity on it, trying to nurse it back to health. Strangely, the dog did not seem to get better with care, nor did it seem to be obviously ill. She was dying from nothing, or so it seemed until Laia's journeys took her near a covenant. The dog slowly recovered, and Laia overcame her distaste for magi to ask one of them what had happened. The magus told her that the dog was a magical creature and required magic to survive. He offered to take care of it, but Laia refused. She named the dog Anna.
Eulàlia and Anna have been inseparable since. Anna's magical powers have saved Laia's life on more than one occasion, and her dependence on magic has meant that Laia has often dealt with the Order of Hermes in the years since, and is familiar with them to some extent. After some years, Eulàlia discovered to her astonishment that she had come to understand Anna, and even other animals to a degree (that is, she gained Animal Ken through prolonged interaction with a magical animal).
