Andokht

History
Upon her birth, scandal quickly spread through her too-small village; her parents were light of skin, as were her two elder siblings. Andokht's dark flesh cast deep suspicion upon her mother, who professed fidelity to any who challenged her. The girl's father had too little coin to move, and too much heart to sell her off to the occasional traders who'd take her South to work as a slave; or perhaps he was simply too frightened of her rich, blue eyes.

She kept separate from other children, and as she grew spent time soaking up the stories of the elder women of the village, the Mamas. From them she learned of the gods and their tricks, of how the world came to be and why things happened the way they did. In her isolation, Andokht befriended the breeze, and could often be seen talking to it as her first decade faded into her second. One day, in her fourteenth spring, a dark-robed woman came and took her away.

Soon after arriving at the temple, the girl was immersed in her lessons, learning so much more than the Mamas could ever teach her. She stayed close to Malkah, the Sister who first brought her to Seht, and through her became almost singularly devoted to the god. In her studies she excelled, and in rituals she showed a bravery she'd never had cause to suspect; she never cried out as the needle drew the serpent across her neck, and since that day has walked with quiet confidence and growing faith.
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