Areene Rivia was born into a small farming family, north of Bree. From an early age, she enjoyed listening to her mother tell stories of great adventurers, and mysterious places in far-off lands.  Her mother was sickly most of her life after giving birth to Areene, and mainly stayed inside their small cottage to sew, and sometimes cook. 

Areene's father was a tall, hardy man who spoke as often as he paid attention to his family. He worked at a nearby lumber camp, barely earning enough to feed himself, let alone a family. At the age of fifteen, Areene's mother died while sleeping. Areene was confused, never really being taught the concept of death in her very minimal amount of schooling. The funeral was nothing more then her and her father standing over a small mound in the backyard, with only Areene crying.

Her father spoke even less then before, hardly ever showing any emotion. At the tender age of seventeen, her father merely packed a small knapsack of stale bread and a foresters axe, and told Areene he was going to look for a job. Areene waited for weeks, with no sign of her father returning. During this time, she had begun to self-teach herself how to play her mother's most prized possesion: her lute.

Eventually, the houses minimal supply of food began to run low, and Areene made her mind up to travel to Bree, and become a minstrel, like in her mother's old stories.  She packed a few trivial things, and set out on the road to Bree.

A few years passed, and Areene was now aged ninteen. She had learned many things in her years in Bree, most of all how to earn a few coppers quickly. She saved what little money she had by not renting a room, and instead choosing to sleep behind some barrels in the back of The Prancing Pony.

Areene's future is uncertain, even to herself.