You were the princess of the Ibex Clan, a small but wealthy clan whose wealth lay in the horns of their herd beasts. As the only daughter of the Khan, both the braves of the clan and the sons of neighboring Khans competed to impress you. At age 9 you were betrothed to the son of the Khan of the powerful Thunder Bison tribe. Because your father had no sons, you were trained in the arts of war, unlike many – but not all – of your peers. At age 18, you were due to be initiated into the cult of Eiritha, the Herd Mother.

It was not to be. Your tribe was attacked by the Sable Tribe, who brought with them Lunar allies from the fabled College of Magic. Your clan’s shamans, plus the priests of Waha and Storm Bull, sent the most powerful magic of your tribe against them. It was worthless. You saw the tribe’s totem spirits, including your ancestor the Founder, destroyed by Lunar magic. Meanwhile, the Sables outmaneuvered your father’s army and surrounded them. You were beside your father, drawing the ancestral Great Bow of the Ibex Clan, which your father had given you to practice with, when he told the Great Shaman to hide you. You felt yourself and your steed drawn away from the battlefield, up into the sky, where you saw the Sables charge, then, as the Shaman fell, you and your beast fell from the sky. On recovering, you returned to the scene of the battlefield. All were dead. Worse, the Sables had destroyed your camp, massacring women and children, in violation of Waha’s law. The tribe’s treasures were gone, only the Great Bow remaining in your possession.

You rode to the Thunder Bison tribe, to claim your position as bride to the prince. The Khan laughed, saying you could be a slave instead, for you were now worthless [your decision as to whether the prince agreed with this]. You spat at his feet and turned for The Paps, the sacred place where the priestesses of Eiritha rule. They said they sympathized with your plight, and said you could become a healer with them. In so doing, they displayed no sympathy.

What you had seen was the worthlessness of your traditional magic. Spirits and Waha, shamans and priests, had proved worthless against Lunar sorcery. Nor had they offered any help when you needed it most. You vowed that you would learn sorcery for yourself, and use it to reclaim the treasures of your tribe, and the position you were due in life.

For two years, you have survived alone in the wastes, throwing Sable hunters off your path. You have now heard that the Sables are convinced you are dead. You have also heard there are men of learning at Pairing Stone this Sacred Time. You have made your way there to enquire of where you can begin to learn the arts of sorcery.

Treasures of your clan:

The Great Bow (you own) – Composite Bow with a Speedart 2, Multimissile 2 matrix. It surely has other powers you do not know.
Helm of the Princess (you own) – cuirbolli helm with large Ibex horns attached. Countermagic 2 matrix and occasional special powers.
Tagather’s Dulcimer – the musical inspiration of the clan; playing it will gather all surviving Ibex Clan members from all over the world, and allow you to refound the clan.
Corrlea’s Jewels – worn by the most important female of the clan and presumably ripped from your mother’s body; inspires peace and brotherhood among all of the clan who view them.
The Founder’s Horns – the horns of the founder’s first Ibex; guarantee fertility for clan beasts.
You presume the Sables took the treasures. The Lunars may have taken one as a spoil of war, however. You need to find out.