Clothilde and her twin brother Argunn are the bastard children of Arthunn Doomnair. Nobody know who their father was and Arthunn refuses to say anything about it. It is only because Arthunn's lineage is so strong that she remains in Adbar at all, and as a result her children have been adopted into the Clan (a little grudgingly its true).
It may be worthwhile exploring Arthunn's motivations a little; as a clue to those of her children if for no other reason. Being younger sister to the Clan Leader can be a difficult position, especially when he has been charged to 'look after yer yoonger sister - wi'all yer strength lad'. Waldhelm took it upon himself to vet all possible suitors for his sister's hand.. and of course, found them all wanting. And so Arthunn grew older and more wistful, seeing all her friends and kinsfolk growing up around her happily married with children in abundance. One wonders it took so long before the damn broke and her little rebellion against her enforced confinement flowed over into .. forbidden areas. Be that as it may, she is a proud lady and brought her children up as good and devout clan members. Speculation about the father of the twins has been rife for some time and the inclination of Argun to arcane areas caused many an unlikely guess to be hazarded in the alehouses (albeit in hushed whispers for Waldhelm did not suffer such discussions to take place openly).
Whereas from an early age Argunn had his head in books, Clothilde had her hand firmly on a weapon. She grew up a pleasant child and her Mother always had her earmarked for the Temple. Her own history and the well-being of her children at heart, Arthunn pushed Clothilde towards Berronar Truesilver, Goddess of Families, as if to make up for her own lack of true Kin. And so she was 'given' to the Temple as a putative Faenor, and was taught of the Goodness of the Matriarch and learnt to love her. Now the following of Berronar is in reality a peaceful and healing vocation, requiring understanding and compassion for transgressors and an ability to come upon an agreement easily and with equanimity. It soon became apparent that most of these traits were sadly lacking in Clothilde. She was quick to anger, always had one hand on her weapon and perhaps her best form of attack was with her tongue. And so with sadness the Priests of Berronar decided it would be easier to let her go than try to make a Faenor of her. However by this time she had come to love Berronar and her ways, and so the Priests let her train in weaponry while still nurturing her love of the Family and The Reverend Mother.
There came a day however when the Temple was no longer able to hold her, and she returned to her mother in a state of loss. Arthunn, with a surprising degree of wisdom, decided she would be better off away from the Hold, the constant reminder of her heritage and the proximity of the Temple. She therefore determined to send her South to seek her own way and hopefully help her gain true honour among her Kin. As at this time it also seemed that Argunn needed to broaden his horizons and learn more of the world, so she sent messages to a little-known outpost of the Doomnair clan at Pilgrim's Rest. In particular she sought to find a mentor for Clothilde that would keep her in the ways of Berronar and yet allow her to express her .. shall we say 'exuberant' personality. Luckily a Priest of Berronar was living at that time in the 'Rest' and offered to take her under his wing. Durgin was his name and as Arthunn knew him of old and thought him trustworthy, the offer was accepted and so, at the tender age of 62, the twins set off to seek their fortune.
