A female Taltos with blue eyes and white hair who has lived many centuries. Obsessed with music, dancing, and weaving, she has a face and manner that exude a childlike sweetness.
Stuart Gordon from the Talamasca hears about her existence in India from a friend. Having studied British folklore, he knows what she is and takes her to a secret place. It is hi dream to find a male Taltos and bring the two together. He shows her to his protégés, Tommy Monohan and Marklin George, and they act on his dream by doing blood tests to determine that she is indeed not human and by attempting to acquire a male Taltos, Lasher, after he is born.
Stuart records Tessa’s memories, theorizing that she has lived two lifetimes and that she knows her own history through remembrance of other lives. She speaks of Highland and Celtic rituals and saints, and she describes how her people became a sacred quarry. Christian peasants imprisoned her and tried to make her give birth for their sacrificial ceremonies. Part of their religion, and especially true for Christmastime, was to make a Taltos breed another, then sacrifice the newborn. Tessa, however, merely bled time after time until eventually she became barren. After that she wandered from village to village, until Stuart located her and gave her a safe place in a tower near Glastonbury. She works there on a loom, singing to herself.
Ashlar accompanies Stuart to meet Tessa and is saddened by her obvious history of pain. They dance together, but Ashlar has no intention of staying with her since she cannot give birth.
After Stuart dies, Ashlar tells Yuri to take Tessa to the Talamasca so that she will be safe from the world. Specialized members have found a place for Tessa to safely live and are currently documenting her memories to be added to her file.
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