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[Xana]

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Born in the Gypsy camp at Minoc, Xana decided early in life that she would set the bar a good deal higher for herself than it appeared most of her clan did. She was young when she discovered that it was horror she felt at the often squalid conditions, the impoverishment, the too-many children whose parents could not--or would not--adequately care for them. At the age of sixteen she left the camp in search of this 'better life' she envisioned for herself. With but a few gold coins earned scrubbing floors in the nearby town and a handful of careworn clothes she set out to see, learn, and feel the great world around her.

Through much hard work and determination, Xana was able to find herself educated in both the scholastic sense as well as the musical sense. The instruments played in the carefree style of the gypsies became her passion. She learned music theory, composition, and how to read and write the musical notes she so loved to play. In time she was able to turn to her music as a profession and leave behind the many back-breaking jobs she'd taken along the path of her journeys. As time wore on, and she saved every bit of gold she earned, she recognized her dream fulfilled. She had lovely clothes tailored to fit her body, possessed the finest instruments gold could buy, and was never forced to sleep with a tent her only protection against the elements. The finest inns, with warm food and clean beds became the new standard, and she was happy.


Many times in her travels she wondered about the identical twin that died at birth, wondered if things may have been different if her other half would have survived. It was not until well into her adult years that she discovered, quite accidentally, that the family fed her lies, that the twin Merrique had not only survived, but was sent within hours of their birth to the land of Ilshenar to live among cousins there and study the ways of clan magic. This came as a crushing blow to Xana. Worse yet, she discovered that her twin despised her, and blamed her for her own life of hardship. After several years of sibling strife, the two were able to bury the hardest of the feelings and become cordial to one another. Xana remains unable to understand her sister's place among the dark city of the Umbrans and does her best to avoid going there. If asked, she would probably offer the opinion that her sister has been brainwashed to accept that which the city and its inhabitants offer.

Things have become rough for Xana in recent times. She sustained a severe injury to her right foot, followed by another incident which caused the break to recur. In the time after these accidents, Xana has become reliant upon potions and concoctions that dull the pain. The fact that these things quell emotional hurts and smooth over even the worst of moods has only added to her dependence. It has not occurred to her that being thus is a terribly bad thing; she continues to maintain her income and lifestyle just fine despite relying on a walking stick to help bear the weight on her poorly mended foot. To this day, she would deny that the drugs had any influence on her packing her belongings one day and leaving her fiance and his lovely seaside home. The truth be told, she hadn't really looked back on the situation and believes she simply did what she needed to; she would probably say to an inquirer that she was tired of his possessive ways and feeling suppressed by him. However, she had consumed a good deal of a potion that left her feeling euphoric that day, and his having confronted her about her use of the medicines had a good deal to do with the decision to leave.

There are days when it crosses her mind that she may have a problem at hand regarding the 'medicines' she takes. So far, she has been able to push aside those thoughts and justify her actions by telling herself that they are given to her by learned healers--people of medicine! Unfortunately these little personal conversations often end with Xana consuming a vial or two of the concoctions that have become a staple to her existence. On occasion people who know her have attempted to discuss this with her, and it has been handled by her in many ways--from a dismissive hand gesture to her flat out telling the person to mind their own business to outright hostility.

Due in part to the dependence on these drugs, Xana has become somewhat reclusive and often forgoes many social events. She is weary of explaining the use of her walking stick and the story behind it, and has been trying to find if there is a middle ground that recognizes both her heritage as well as the need to live better than she had as a child.

On days that offer inclement weather, Xana's use of the medicines may increase to what some would consider an alarming rate. The pain is almost a constant. Rain and snow only cause it to become sharper, as well as cause an intense throbbing sometimes accompanied by swelling of her ankle, and even worse an intense itch that seems to reside deep in the bone there.

Quietly, she does what she can to enhance the lives of the poorer gypsies. She has packages sent to the camps filled with good foods, bank checks, new clothes, books for the children in hope to inspire literacy, anything she can think of that might help in the smallest way. The packages invariably arrive by a courier who knows nothing of the origin, and can answer no questions that may be posed to them. Despite living in such solitude, Xana yearns to be around others like herself and for reasons only known to her she almost always avoids visiting the more permanent gypsy camps.
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An artist is a creature driven by demons ~Faulkner