Born in the South to a pair of slaves, Teressa was orphaned when she was very small. Raised by other slaves until
she was five years old, she was finally set free and taken back to the North during Arenadd's rebellion. There she was taken care of along with the other slave children, who were gradually adopted into families until only she was left. When Arenadd himself came by, her guardians showed her to him and told him about her situation. Arenadd took pity on the child and gave her his blessing - the only time he ever did so, despite being asked many times. Shortly afterward Teressa was taken in by the priestesses in Malvern, and trained as a priestess herself.
She was a devout believer in the Night God, but never forgot Arenadd and his blessing. Despite never seeing him again after that day, she came to look upon him as a father figure, and revered him as a divinity. Eventually she began to worship him in secret, seeing him as a demigod in his own right. Later in life she began to convert others to to her new faith, and eventually founded an order known as the shadow worshippers, who viewed the Shadow That Walks as a figure worthy of prayer and worship. Teressa always held Arenadd in particular regard, and would often appeal to him for guidance and protection, using a carved "prayer stone" which she made herself.
Teressa is deeply religious, and very steadfast, somewhat dreamy and inclined to follow what she sees as divine guidance, which tends to make her reckless at times. She hates to let anyone down, and is fiercely loyal.
Trivia
-She was named after a woman I "met" online - I sold her my extra copy of the Twilight soundtrack on eBay and thought she had a cool name, so I jotted it down (I am not a Twilight fan. I am a soundtrack collector)
-Despite being quite atheistic, I don't look upon Teressa's religious faith as a negative thing. In fact I consider it to be one of her best qualities
-She wasn't originally meant to appear in The Shadow's Heart, but the editor asked me to add some scenes with Saeddyn in Malvern and it struck me as a good opportunity to introduce Teressa
Quotable Quotes
"I don’t know if that’s what the Night God wants, but it’s what Arenadd wants, and that’s enough for me. He sent me to ye."
"To ye who came to us from nothing, sent by the Night God’s grace, I offer ye my loyalty and my soul. Blessed one, heartless one, mighty Shadow That Walks, ye are the master I choose. Watch over me, give me courage, help me to stand up when the whole world tries to push me down, let me serve my people beyond life, beyond pain and beyond hope, as ye did."
"Live wisely, and with truth, for ye know not the hour of yer death - only that it must come"
Appears In
The Shadow's Heart
The Silent Guard
The Cursed Guard