Kaarina was born of a Bosmer ranger and a Nord woman from Bruma. Her mother died of illness when she was very young, so her father tended to her and the house for a few years after. Unable to make a living as a hunter and raise a daughter on his own, he left home with a 5-year-old Kaarina in tow. Life was harsh at first, but she became attuned to the ways of the wilds very swiftly. Her father taught her to use a bow in true Bosmeri fashion and the two became renowned hunters in Bruma, providing plentiful amounts of meat and fur with their every trip to town. Despite her close bond with her father and their success, she still had an empty spot in her heart that her mother had left.

Her father urged her to journey to Skyrim to reconnect with her Nord heritage, so they parted ways for a time as Kaarina headed North. She now roams Skyrim seeking to turn over every rock, swim in every stream, and scale every snowy peak that she can find.