Katja is the third child of her parents. Her father, Michael, was from Magnimar in Varisia. He had traveled to Irrisen as part of a trade caravan, got sick, was left behind, and nursed back to health by Elisabetha. They fell in love, got married, and for a few years stayed in Irrisen where they had two boys: Piotr and Viktor. A couple of years later came Kajta, and that is when things changed.
It started the day she was born. Katya had - and still has - one blue eye and one green eye. The mark of a hag. Her mother wanted to leave Irrisen immediately, but they stayed longer. Until she had hair. Hair white as snow. Now, her mother insisted that they leave, and even Magnimar was not far enough for her. They went all the way to Isger, where they bought land and became farmers far, far away from the icy north.
Katja grew up on the farm and in Breachill. Yet even growing up there was something different about her. Cold didn't seem to bother her much, not unless it was really cold, and she was often seen on cold and fall and spring mornings waking through the fields barefoot doing normal chores, showing no signs of discomfort at all. She was good in school, curious - sometimes a little too curious - and always wanting to learn new things.
Then came her 16th birthday. She was in her room, getting ready for her party when something happened. Only she knows what caused it, or maybe even she doesn't know - but whatever happened caused her mirror to explode into hundreds of glass shards that left her cut and scarred all over. Only one hit her face, leaving a jagged scar along her left cheek. After she recovered, she slowly began to realize that she had gained magical abilities. Even five years later, she is only starting to master them.
Her mismatched eyes and the scars all over her body are often offputting to those who do not know her, especially in the summer when lighter summer clothing allows more of them to be seen. She has started adding tattoos, small ones, but every one of them will incorporate at least one of her scars.
