"I was born old," she explains in her accented common, "blessed with what my people call 'makai', an ear that hears the whispers of gods and ghosts." As always, her slightly foreign gestures and trace of accent reveal her exile.

"The ancestors whispered in my ear at a tender age and brought good fortune to my tribe, the Sufiin halfing nomads of Eastern Desert."

"While I was a young girl, barely an acolyte of our local gods, invaders came, destroying our homes and forcing us into flight across the scorched wastes. We came to a port and begged passage aboard a ship, gesturing that we would work in exchange for escape. Only when we arrived in Karthia did we discover the ship's captain intended to sell us all as slaves, and, as foreigners, we were helpless."

"The gods of Karthia were strangers. I knew not whom to call, but my prayers were answered. A priestess of Brandur, the god of travellers, bought our family, and in time I realized that Brandur and the deity of my former home in the East were the same."

"Eventually, my skills as healer and midwife earned my family's freedom. I had no desire to stay in Karthia where I had not been free, yet I feared to return to my Eastern home. My three children were grown. The desire to wander, the nomad in me, tugged at my heart."

Kipa has come to Tryphe, in hopes of finding a way back to the desert, of ending her exile and returning home.

For the time being, she is making a living as a healer and midwife, and, to earn a little money, she is looking to find work helping out with the upcoming wedding.

Drawn to Tryphe by an intuition, Kipa believes that her "makai" directs her where she may be needed. To her spirits and signs are everywhere. One only need listen.