Tabiti: secrets

Tabiti has one big secret, which has determined the course of her life so far. She's got red hair. "So what?" you might think. Since their defeat, the Pentans have agreed to give all their red-haired children as hostages to the Lunar Empire when they reach the age of thirteen. Tabiti doesn't know why, and doesn't know what happens to them, but has no intention of finding out.

Since she was a small child, she has known that her family intend to hand her over to the "demons" as soon as she reaches the right age. This has made her very much an outsider in the tribe: there's no point in teaching her the things she'll need as an adult, because she won't be there. Her feelings towards her parents are torn between love and hurt at their betrayal. The only relative who she sees as being whole-heartedly on her side is her sister Felesta.

When a date was set for Tabiti to be handed over, Felesta started planning. Unlike the rest of the tribe, she has no fear of Lunar reprisals (secretly she rather hopes they will try something!). She taught Tabiti as much as she could about survival in the wild, helped her dye her hair with plant juices, provided her with equipment and food, and helped her and her horse escape from the tribe. Since then, Tabiti has been alone.

Tabiti knows she cannot go back to her tribe, or anywhere in Pent. She is used to the idea of accepting spirits from other pantheons when they prove to be useful, and is on the lookout for a spirit suitable for her needs. Ambiorix's words about the position of women in Sartar have sparked her interest, and she will try to learn more about the Storm pantheon. Of her own pantheon, she would have liked to have worshipped Sun Daughter, like Felesta, had her hair not betrayed her. Raven appeals to her: a harbinger of new things, and an outsider as she is.