The Tomb Raider game manual tells of Lara's birth to Lord Henshingly Croft and how she was raised as an aristocrat surrounded by wealth and luxury. It also tells how, at the age of 21, she was the sole survivor of a plane crash in the Himalayas and was forced to rely on her wits to stay alive. The incident changed her, and inspired her to forsake her life of comfort and security in favour of travelling around the world alone. This led to her being disowned by her family.[11]
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation expanded Lara's back story by describing how, at the age of 16, she accompanied a famous archaeologist named Werner Von Croy on an expedition to Cambodia. The events there created a rift between them, but also fostered Lara's interest in ancient civilizations and artefacts.[12] According to the memorial statue shown in Tomb Raider Chronicles Lara was born in 1968, 28 years before the first game.
However, the original backstory, written in the Tomb Raider manual, has since been altered to fit the plot lines of the games since Tomb Raider: Legend. Several flashback sequences in Legend show how Lara, at the age of 9, survived a plane crash in Himalayas which led to the mysterious disappearance (and presumed death) of her mother, Amelia Croft. Lara then somehow managed to survive a ten day journey to Kathmandu where she was able to contact her father, Richard Croft. Lara spent the remainder of her childhood under the watchful eye of her father, an archaeologist who allowed Lara to accompany him on archaeological expeditions. Legend and Anniversary both strongly imply most, if not all, of these expeditions were conducted to discover what happened to Lara's mother. At the age of 18, when her father died under unknown circumstances, Lara inherited the Croft estates along with the title "Countess of Abbingdon."[13] According to the Tomb Raider: Anniversary game manual, Lara's pursuits are motivated by the hope that she will learn the truth about her parents' deaths.[14]
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation expanded Lara's back story by describing how, at the age of 16, she accompanied a famous archaeologist named Werner Von Croy on an expedition to Cambodia. The events there created a rift between them, but also fostered Lara's interest in ancient civilizations and artefacts.[12] According to the memorial statue shown in Tomb Raider Chronicles Lara was born in 1968, 28 years before the first game.
However, the original backstory, written in the Tomb Raider manual, has since been altered to fit the plot lines of the games since Tomb Raider: Legend. Several flashback sequences in Legend show how Lara, at the age of 9, survived a plane crash in Himalayas which led to the mysterious disappearance (and presumed death) of her mother, Amelia Croft. Lara then somehow managed to survive a ten day journey to Kathmandu where she was able to contact her father, Richard Croft. Lara spent the remainder of her childhood under the watchful eye of her father, an archaeologist who allowed Lara to accompany him on archaeological expeditions. Legend and Anniversary both strongly imply most, if not all, of these expeditions were conducted to discover what happened to Lara's mother. At the age of 18, when her father died under unknown circumstances, Lara inherited the Croft estates along with the title "Countess of Abbingdon."[13] According to the Tomb Raider: Anniversary game manual, Lara's pursuits are motivated by the hope that she will learn the truth about her parents' deaths.[14]
