Kamaria Winda
| Name: | Kamaria Winda |
| Location: | The Nautilus |
| Rank: | Chronicler |
| Guilds: | Cook's Guild |
| Step Name: | BS |
Noted Favors and Awards
Biography
I was born on the Siberian plains outside of Moscow in a goat herders hut. My father was a spice and die merchant-trader scouting the area around Moscow. During the winter we stayed in Moscow in an apartment above a cabinet maker. Every summer we would set out to a different region of Russia looking for the best exotic trade goods.
At the age of seven, the end of my Dad's appointment came, and we returned to London. We stayed at my Aunt's house in the middle of the city, just down the street from court. We would occasionally see the Queen and her ladies all dressed up in their finery going out. Early in the morning, the stable hand, Issac, and I would sneak out to watch the Tower guard practice in the square till his father would fetch us back. My behavior was scandalous to my Aunt, so she took it upon herself to make me into a proper lady. During the day she taught me correspondence, dancing, how to set a table and balance a household account. We would have prim and proper dinners practicing pleasant conversation and how a lady should eat. Late at night Issac would slip onto the roof and tap at the window and the two of us would scurry out into the night to watch the lords and ladies act scandalous because of too much wine.
This all came to an abrupt halt after Christmas. My father's company was sending him to the New World. Reports of riches, gold in heaps just waiting to be found, new spices never heard of before, and wild savage people. We packed up and left, no more frilly dresses or writing lessons. We traveled to the coast and took passage on one of the company ships and headed for the post of Lisbon. We stayed at an inn right off the wharf. My father left early in the morning and returned late at night preparing all the items he might need for trade and gathering accounts of these new people and the new land.
We set sail in early March when the winds were good. My mother stayed below sick from the rocking motion and my father tucked away at a desk or scheming with the Quartermaster or the Captain on how to get rich. I ran underfoot of all the crew finally finding a friend in the cook and the carpenter.
Cook told me of his journeys and adventures. How he looked for treasure in the new world and been to the land where all men were black. Joe, the carpenter, said it was all nonsense and taught me what he thought would be essential knowledge, like what type of tree is good for building a boat, how to check the ship for leaks and stresses, and how to tie a rope without it slipping. The voyage was long and hard, but yet we made it over in one piece.
We docked at a place called San Pablo. The New World was much hotter and humid. Having lived in cool places, most of my clothes were far to hot, so for my health's sake, I wore light breaches and a loose cotton shirt.
We set out traveling further inland almost immediately. My father thought better prices were to be had from the people directly and not the market. On the forth night we were ambushed. I slipped out the back side of the tent and watched from the bushes as the fight raged on. It was a short battle, the natives were quick and decisive. They rummaged through the gear and were beginning to load it all up when they found me.
I don't remember much, only that they loaded me up and took me away. The next day I found myself in a village of huts with no one familiar in sight. The first few months were hard as I didn't speak their language, but I caught on fast enough. I showed an aptitude for throwing so they were soon teaching me to hunt with spears and blow dart guns.
They named me Palla and I became a surrogate daughter to a family in the village. My new mother taught me about the plants and trees and how to get what you need to make poison from them. Too little of one plant would not kill, yet too much from another would make game inedible. I lived in the village for 2 years learning to hunt and to walk silently through the forest, and I learned to mix poisons without instruction.
At the end of the second winter, a white catholic priest came, having heard of a white child living with the natives. They came with many men and lots of guns. It was sad to leave as I had made this my home, but I was also happy to be going home. I stayed at the church in San Pablo while they decided what to do with me. I lived with the sisters working in their garden in the morning and being grilled by the priest in the afternoon. Everyone there wanted to know what had happened, and if my soul needed saving, forgiveness given and penance assessed. I was sent back to Portugal on a merchant ship with a priest as my chaperon.
My Aunt met me in Portugal having decided to finance a few years abroad rather than having to present me, heathen and all, to society back in England. We traveled through Portugal ans Spain to France where my Aunt met a good friend and they officially presented me to a small portion of society. From France we traveled down to Italy where we met a man that my Aunt knew from home. He invited us to travel with him to Greece as guests to view the marvels of the old world and off we went.
Unfortunately he had his eye on me and proposed an engagement to my Aunt, which she accepted. Me being a heathen, this was more than she could have ever hoped for me.
In the early morning I slipped out, taking all my meager possessions and bartering my way onto a boat that was headed for the shores of Turkey. I lived on the street selling what I had left for food and pocketing money purses here and there. I finally ran into an acquaintance of my fathers from Russia at the market one day. He ran a caravan from Turkey, to Russia, and down into China. He offered me a place and off I went.
It was a caravan of 10 wagons filled with all sorts of stuff. [After spending a few days in China, I realized how much I missed being by the ocean and around lots of people. The caravan had been fun, but this city made me realize I wanted more action and adventure than the caravan had to offer.
I thanked Nikoli for getting me on my feet and delivering me to a place where I could start anew. I quickly found work on a merchant ship that traded in spices. We left China and headed along the coast going to India and then down to Africa. While in the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzaniz I thanked the captain for the opportunity and hopped off the ship.
