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Imagine, in a port town, in the wharf district, in a ramshackle little hovel, there is a family. You could say that they are poor. They manage to put food on the table every day, and that is enough. The husband wakes before dawn and goes to the docks, where he buys fish from the fishermen, and carry the bucket, barrels and chests back to the stall, where his wife cleans them, guts them, and sells them. Through out the day, he goes back and forth, his muscles screaming as he lifts the heaviest of barrels onto his back from the larger ships and trudges through the crowds to the market, where he sets it down carefully, without a word to his wife, and makes his way back for another load. And she doesn't even nod, just opens the barrel and begins grabbing fish, slicing them and slapping them down on slabs to show the customers. It is not that they ignore each other. But they are so into their schedule that they needn't speak. In a town like this, fish is a staple, and is therefore worth little. And so, while many buy, all day long, from the beggars who managed to beg a coin, to those who sell vegetables, to the clockmakers to the rug dealers to the house servants to those buying for the rich, to the few rich folk who enjoy time in the market, there is little actual profit made.

Now, we all know that the poor should not have children. They cannot afford them, yet they insist on allowing their women to become pregnant. Such was the case with these fools. They had a beautiful daughter, and though they loved her, they knew that she would not have the life that they wanted for her. She would bawl on her mother's back as she gutted fish, then cling to her skirts, then abandon her to run through the streets with the other children, getting into all sorts of trouble. Then she would be at her mother's side again, as some incident involving the town guard would help her mother decide that it was high time that she learned the family trade. Then she would be helping her mother, then she would be flirting with her favorite customer, a boy she had played with as a child. Then she would be sneaking away from the stall when she could, and then the boy would speak with her dad, and be greatly intimidated but probably accepted, then she would be married, and start her own  life, mirroring her mother's, and have her own children that she could hardly feed. It was inevitable, unless she had some gift or skill that could bring her out of the docks.

It just so happened, in the bawling on her mother's back days, that her mother had to cut her own hair short. Because her cute little baby, if she wasn't bawling or sleeping, would play with her hair. And if she played with her hair, she'd inevitably tie knots in it. This would not do, of course. But she learned to walk, eventually, and entered the skirt clinging stage. She was fine during the day, but at night, they'd have to fight to put everything that could be tied away. "She has a knack for knots," her father chuckled in his deep voice as they struggled to unknot some leather straps, knowing from experience that it would not become undone. Then they looked at each other. In a place such as theirs, in the wharf district, a knack for knots was really something, wasn't it?

So, they got an old fishing net, and instructed her to fix it. She was old enough to understand that they actually WANTED her to tie knots in her new toy, and so she played a game, tying the loose ends, and copying or improving the patterns. Her fingers were quick and nimble, and she finished the net in minutes. Her parents were awed. And devious. They told their friends and especially the fishermen that the husband worked with. They didn't believe them, so they had the youths of a friend watch their stand, and they had their daughter show the fishermen. The fishermen, duly awed, brought their nets to her to fix. The parents allowed this - for a price. A price that the fishermen found to be well worth it.

So, the girl spent her childhood mending nets. The fishermen all came to her, and told their friends, and word traveled to other, nearby ports. Her family began to make a thriving business off of working their very young daughter. But she enjoyed it, despite the repetitive tediousness of it. She didn't mind that she didn't get to run about and play with the other kids, as long as she could tie her knots. Her parents began to work less, and spend more time with her as she worked, praising her, and buying her gifts. They could afford gifts, now. They were all happy. That is, until people stopped needed their nets mended.

Since her nets never needed to be mended again, her past customers only needed her for a few nets. Though word of mouth had ensured customers for some time, but now, just about everyone willing to come to her already had. Sure, she still had some customers, but it was time for her parents to return to making the selling of fish their priority. Her father, depressed that his life was going back to its mundane self, was not paying the attention that he should, and became afflicted with a bad case of fish barrel to the shin. One of the side effects of this condition was a broken leg, and his family found himself in dire straits. The girl was old enough to know that her shrinking clientele was going to make her poor again (well, she hadn't been rich, but her family had been able to buy nonessentials, which made her wealthier than most of her neighbors). She was therefore old enough to know that her father's injury would leave them on the streets, since neither her nor her baby brother nor her mother were strong enough to carry the fish, and with no fish, there was nothing to sell.

She set her brows in a determined furrow, and passed by her mother, who was arguing with the men who had brought her husband in, about accepting charity. Her father lay on the table, trying not to make a sound despite the pain. He was a hulk of a man, large of frame, with years of muscles growing along his bones. He could lift the girl with one hand, and often had, when she had asked to play. He wouldn't have time for that if he had to spend his days begging. They no longer had the money for a doctor. While the adults argued, and her brother cried, and her father breathed deep, shaky breaths, the girl looked at the grisly mess that was her father's leg. Then, she looked at the essence of the bone. It was hard to see, as her father's essence overlapped it, but she could see the two ends, ripped apart. Then, the way she always did to make her knots become unable to be undone, she grabbed the essence of the bone and began tying them.

Her father's screams caught everyone's attention, but the fishermen who had brought him in held back her mother as they realized that she was doing something. As she tied, the bones slipped back in place, in order for them to bind back into one. She frowned at the gap left behind. She knotted, she did not sew. How could she knot the gap closed? But then, she realized that if she knotted the muscle back together, then her mother could stitch the skin together, and her father would be able to work in only a few days. So, she did so, and her mother stitched him up, and people began coming to the girl with the knack - no, the gift, of knots.

She couldn't do everything, of course, but they were all surprised by what she could. she could fix a broken handle as good as new. She could not fix a punctured wheelbarrow. She could make someone unable to have kids (a popular service), but she could not help a woman unable to. She was able to literally bind people in matrimony, but this was rarely called upon, and she could preside over promises to insure that both followed through.

They became rich, and this time, they really were. Almost anyone in town, no matter their status, had a problem that she could fix. She became tired. But she was happy. Her parents got farther and farther away from her, but it was okay. They replaced their presence with toys and jewelry, and it was not long before she got to the age where she was just fine with that. In their new, clean house, with servants, even, they still ate fish together, and celebrated birthdays, festivals and holidays. That was enough. And they still praised her for her work, asking about her more interesting clients and jobs, when they actually spoke to her.

But then, she lost her cat. She really loved this cat, and offered a whopping 18 denari for its return. Many fishermen shook their heads. They knew her when she was a young pup, knotting nets, and now, here she was, tossing silver around like rice at a wedding. But though they disapproved, they were also spending a lot of their time calling "Here, kitty kitty kitty" and crawling in places not meant to be crawled in. This cat refused to be caught, though occasional flashes and glimpses of its uniquely spotted tail ensured its continuing existence. The whole city - well, except for those who could ignore 18 denari - was scrambling, looking for her cat. They didn't notice the young man entering town, surprised to see people abandoning work to look for a cat. It had gone from a simple search to a competition and festival. He asked about what was going on, and was answered by a couple of young adults, enjoying the chance to be together more than the opportunity to make money.

The young man was a felimancer. He was an experts on cats, and how to find them. So, it was not long until he found the cat, and convinced it that, as fun as this was, it would really prefer the warm, clean place that his mistress' warm arms and laps resided in. So, he brought the cat in, and received his reward. He had heard that she was a spoiled brat, but watching her and her cat, his heart softened. "Here, let me show you something..." And he showed her the rudiments of Binding, so that she might never lose her cat again, and so that she may summon it when it got lost. "But do allow him some free reign. Everyone and everything needs freedom." And then, he left.

Delighted with another way to make knots, she looked for every opportunity to bind something. To think, one could tie the intact essence of one thing to that of another! It was tiring, but she enjoyed it. Too much, unfortunately. She fell ill. Her body sweated and her eyes grew delirious, and she clutched at her bed sheets with trembling fingers. Her parents, whether worried more about their cash cow or their daughter, summoned (not literally) the best healer around. The man was old, but firm, as if he was 60 years younger. He walked into the room, cast a quick glance over her, and sighed. "Magical exhaustion." The girl, in a fit of sanity, looked at him with wide eyes. He return the look sternly. "Everything has magic. Every thing and every one. But everything only has so much. If you continually press your limits, then you will get sick like this, and die. Stay within your limits." He then turned to the confused and worried parents. "Just let her rest a few more days, with no magic. She'll be fine. And don't push her so hard. I've heard of her. Lady Knottingham, they call her. The woman who ties up any problem. The woman, also, that carries her family on her back. You might consider working yourselves, taking some of the stress off of your only daughter." He left with a sniff of disapproval, though he accepted his pay from the servant at the door.

The girl was appalled. She had to cut down? But there were more things to knot, tie and bind, and more ways! And without her magic, what was she? Her family depended on her abilities; she was all that stood between their current wonderful life, and a life of carrying and gutting fish to get a little bread on the table. No, she must do more. But how? If she died, they would be just as damned. She succumbed to her delusions and hallucinations once more, and in them, her cat spoke to her. "You're not the only one with magic, remember? Everyone has magic. Everything has magic. If you tied it to yours, we could share."

When her fever broke, she was in a considerably better mood than her parents had expected. And she spent more time with her cat. And her birds. And her dogs. She bought a butchery, and a large drove of swine, a huge brood of chickens, and a small herd of cattle. She allowed the proprietor to take a larger percentage than normal. In return, she dictated which animal would be killed, and when. She screened every animal that she bought, scrutinizing its essence, looking for the high quality, vibrant, magically dense essence. Of course, magically dense simply meant more magical than others of the animal, as she had yet to see a pig perform any magic. She was surprised to know that pigs had more magic than the larger cows, which had more than the chickens.

She wanted more, though. She was still tired, and there were knots that she was unable to tie. A rich woman had a magical son but, strangely, she did not wish him to utilize it. Tying it up should have been a simple matter, like tying a bouquet of flowers. But when she tried, it became more like trying to tie up a full grown man struggling with all of his might. As such, she was not strong enough. This was not the first time that she failed, nor was it the last. Many of the higher class started to dismiss her as mediocre, lacking the ability to solve REAL problems.

Around this time, her parents had created a list of suitable, er, suitors, and was preparing a social party, wherein which they may meet the girl, and she them. Not a ball, of course. They could afford a well-done ball, but they expected to have many of these. There was a variety of men, and a few woman, but though they were rich suitors, and good matches, they knew that their daughter would not settle for an ungifted suitor. Indeed, when the night arrived, she spoke with many of the suitors and made friends. But only friends. The ones she was interested in were a group of three arrogant men and a pompous girl. In talking with them, she found that they came only because their parents wished it.

"I'm a biomancer. The magic of life itself! She's a geomancer; she can make the very earth rebel against you! He's a pyromancer and - well, you get the point, right? We are out of your league. You tie knots, for goodness sake, and from what I've heard, you can't even do that well." The boy who spoke shrugged. "We're simply more powerful than you are." The girl was enraged, and stomped off angrily. She went to speak with some of her newly made friends as she calmed herself. But her hot fury only cooled into cold, calculating vengeance. She returned, and caught the youth alone.

"You know, you're right. You're much more powerful than me." She looked him up and down, lingering on a certain spot before glancing away shyly with a blush. "Yes, much more powerful than I. And I like power. I was insulted at first, but... if you and I were to align, I could help you... monetarily." She did have more money than he. Convinced that she had fallen for him, like many others, he agreed to follow her into another room for privacy. She lost her virginity then, but that wasn't important. What was important was that his passion, then his bleary-mindedness both helped to fuel the knot and make it easier to Bind him. His agreement, in the midst of passion, to do whatever she said, to be hers and hers alone, and to come when called, made the knot loose and fluid, almost begging to be tied in a complex knot.

He left the room after fixing himself up happy, but also somewhat disturbed. He wasn't sure why, and waved off the feeling. But twelve nights later, he rose from his bed, compelled, and snuck out of his mansion. The girl was waiting for him, and welcomed him into a small pendant on a chain necklace. The next day, she invited the customer who wanted to 'ungift' her son back, explaining that she had uncovered an ancient method. The lady returned, doubtful, but the girl found the knot easier to tie with her shared magic pool. Not easy, as tying up his gift, an important part of his psyche, was in no way easy. But easier. Her reputation began to rise again, and she got a lot more customers. Until she hit another power wall. She needed more.

If another mage went missing, she might attract suspicion, as her increase in abilities was noted. But she had made it known that she had spent her days after the first social party 'studying', to back up her story. She was fine, now. But how to get power? Well, even the average human had more power than a pig, right? So, she started to become very strict towards her staff, and began firing them for any minor infraction. And the ones that she hired to replacement agreed to be Bound. When stopped working for her, after all, she would give them ample payment no matter the method of their leaving, and a letter of recommendation. And since their everyday pay was enough that they would rather work than take the money and run, all seemed well. Until one of the scullery maids got in an argument  with the chef and went to respectfully resign.

"You cannot resign," the girl - young woman, really - said as she knotted together a bead bracelet.

"Wh-what do you mean, mistress?" It was not a 'What will I do without you' negation, but a statement of fact.

"Until you stop working for me, you will continue your duties."

"But, I'm trying to stop working for you, mistress. Not because of any fault of your -"

"Trying, and failing." The woman placed the bracelet in her lap and looked at the maid sternly, in the accompanying silence. When she spoke again, she spoke as if speaking to a child. "I Bound you, did I not? Therefore, it is up to me if you may stop working for me." The maid stared at her in horror. "You were forbidden to divulge any of the family secrets, were you not? Including this one. Or you will die." She leaned forward to stare the maid in the eyes. "And do you know how you will die?" The maid shook her head. "Your choice. You get to choose the most painful way to die, and implement it."

The lady had each of her servants Bound to a chain link of the necklace that the impudent would-be-suitor hung from. After learning of their positions as, essentially, slaves, the 'servants' were filled with horror. They began to associate the sudden tiredness that they often felt to her instances of magic. They began to avoid contact with friends and family. One, however, was stopped by a dear childhood friend while out to market. They asked about the gossip at the manor, and the servant could not tell him. And the horror on her face made it clear that something was going on. The law keepers began to investigate. The lady, in an act of desperation, summoned all of her servants into their chain links, and told the investigators that they had all been fired for conspiring against her. She admitted to threatening them pretty badly, and assumed that they had fled as far away as possible. She even had the servants 'steal' her horses and buy some off of nearby horse sellers. The horses were saddled with the servants' belongings and set free. But she had not expected the Inquisitor to be in town, and he quickly deduced the truth. Rather than making her chose the most painful way for herself to die, he recognized her use, and allowed the Binder to become Bound. She had had to free all of her human slaves, of course, and they watched for tricks. But, to her surprise, they allowed her to keep her non sentient Bound creatures, as they said, they needed her to  be useful, not crippled.