Fairest

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of bullying, suicidal ideation, and animal death.

Aza lives in the village of Amonta in the kingdom of Ayortha. She was abandoned at the Featherbed Inn when she was only a month old, and the innkeepers adopted her. She has a sister named Areida and two older brothers named Ollo and Yarry. Ayortha places great importance on song and beauty. Although Aza possesses the best singing voice in her village, she is considered ugly because of her pale skin, black hair, red lips, and “large boned” frame. In an attempt to shield her feelings, her parents assign her chores that keep her out of sight of rude guests, and the girl longs for a fairy godmother or a magic spell that will make her pretty.

Sometimes, gnomes visit the inn, and they are the only guests who don’t mind Aza’s appearance. Some gnomes can see glimpses of the future, so she asks a kindly gnome named Master zhamM if she will ever be pretty. He explains that she is much prettier than other humans by gnomes’ standards and predicts, “[W]e’ll meet again in Gnome Caverns.