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Well. I suppose I should start at the beginning.

My birth is something of a story in itself- I was the eldest of three children, the illegitimate child of a Scottish noble and his Romani mistress, who later became his wife. My two siblings, long dead now, were the progeny of his first wife, and after she died and my father married my mother, we became a family. Interestingly enough, they came to love my mother as their own- she was quite loveable, and very kind, although she was a stern mother in many ways, and possessed the ability to read minds and see the future in her dreams, making it very difficult to lie to her or hide things.

I was of mixed blood, and the daughter of a gadjo, so of course they never acknowledged me within the Romani bloodlines, but I did grow up surrounded by my mother's family and her kumpania, who lived on my father's land with his blessing. I must admit, if it weren't for the fact that my father's union with my mother had brought them such prosperity, I daresay the kumpania would not have been so kind to me as a child, especially after I began exhibiting my gifts and abilities.

Fortunately, my situation was a favorable one- the eldest of the family, a woman named Marta, taught me the first magicks I ever learned, chiefly the artes of herbalism and divination, which I excelled at. By the time I was 15, I was well on my way to becoming a master tradeswoman- with my father's backing and the instruction I received at the hands of my mother's family in the practice of trade, I was quite skilled at turning a bargain.

I suppose this was why my father chose to leave me the bulk of his fortune when he died. I was legitimized in his will, and at the age of 17, I opened my first shop, with the full support of my family and his estate.

I was therefore quite young when I first met Threnody, and very new to the Arte. A simple shopkeeper, specializing in the selling of charms and simples, making my way through life.

Until that fateful day, when she entered my shop, and changed my life.

Threnody recognized in me the markings of chovexani, a true witch and not merely a gifted dabbler. My mother's family, long-standing in the Craft and notorious amongst their fellow Romani, were nevertheless not well-known for their gifts in much more than divination. I was one of the first to have strength in more than the Artes of the Diviner or Seer, and I was putting it to use in the only way I knew how.

It was Threnody who helped me come to terms with that truth- that I was Other, and not simply mortal. That night, she took me out into a dark secluded place, and initiated me into the magic of Nocturne, the dark song of Night and Fire.

I learned to bridge the worlds, to travel between, and to bend Fate and Power, to draw upon Mystery and Necessity, truly embrace what it is to be Witchblood. With a group of about 11 others, she and I spent the better part of a century doing the work of the Craft, bringing dreams into reality.

*stops*

Well, that's the first part anyway. Next post, I'll explain about what happened to Threnody, and why I don't have a shop anymore. *laughs* Gods, I ramble on quite a bit, don't I?