Katyana, never Katy, was about eight years old. Her family fled Rusmaria during the Ravens’ siege of Tazurind. They finally caught up with the Exiles at Verdance Rest, only to have their new home taken from them almost as soon as they found it.
Katyana’s father was a woodcarver, and her mother was a renowned seamstress. Katyana loved both crafts. She could lose herself watching shapes emerge from wood or patterns take form beneath her mother’s needle, but she loved people even more.
She made friends quickly among children and adults alike. Children welcomed her creativity and her eagerness to join whatever game, chore, or adventure occupied them. Adults found her cheerfulness and precocious nature a welcome respite from the strain of exile. Katyana had already lost more homes than many adults ever would, yet she continued to treat every new face as someone worth knowing.