Larana is the daughter of a servant, and thus was born into servitude. Her mother was the personal servant of a Arendish countess, and although held in high regard, died a servant. She never knew who her father was.
From a young age, Larana learned how to please the high born, and would have spent her childhood years as a maid if her remarkable musical talent had not caught the eye of a court musician, who insisted that she receive training. The count and countess agreed, and from that day on she became the chief entertainer of the castle, playing for her master and
mistress and their guests while learning to play various musical intruments, other than her beloved flute.
Her days at her countess's service was limited, however. A year after her mother's death, the count and countess died of a tragic accident. Their nephew, the new count, had no ear for music; as a consequence the young Larana was dismissed, left to fend for herself. The clothes on her back and her flute being her only possessions, she began her life as a street performer, wandering from city to city, from castle to castle, playing on street corners.
No matter where she went, no matter where she played, her music drew large crowds. People huddled around her, enchanted by what came from her flute and from her lips, an eerie music that soared to the sky. She played jigs, marching songs, and ballards, but mostly, the music that came from her had no genre, had no name. It was as if she poured out her soul, her loneliness, but also her hope. And with that she found that she always had enough money to feed herself and find a place to stay.
Eventually, even the nobles began to take note of her. They would invite her to play at their courts, hoping to keep her for themselves. But Larana never stayed. A compulsion drove to onwards, always. Perhaps it was because she felt like she was more than a servant, more than a
street performer. Perhaps it was because, to this day, she didn't know what race she really was, or who her father was. She only guessed that her mother was Sendar. Was she really just a servant girl? And that symbol on her flute.. what did it mean? Where did it come from?
