There was once a hamlet named Velksvar, in which lived a learned woman called Maure. One day, while visiting the city, she approached a vendor of curiosities. Taken by her beauty, he gifted her a book bound in black leather, and the naïve young Maure accepted.
As soon as she read the book, she could hardly think of anything else. She began to carve runes into her arms as it instructed – to chase the promises of magic.
Maure didn't tell a soul about the book, until one day a terrible blight struck Velksvar's crops. Wishing to save her home and kin, she used the magic from the book to save the fields. And lo, the blight went away like a bad dream.
And so people called Maure a witch. Still, as her act was one of benevolence, they promised her a fair trial: they bound her and tossed her into the lake. When she sank, they declared her innocent, but by then she had drowned.
