Editing Mary MacKenzie (section)

== Background ==
Mary Mackenzie comes from the Highlands, where every few generations a so-called 'changeling' is born, a seemingly human child with mysterious properties; sadly these children usually face tragic fates when there frightened parents leave the defenseless babe out in a barren place, to either die or be 'taken back' by the 'Good Folk'. However Mary was lucky; her great-great-grandmother Maeve, ancient beyond all reason, interceded and took the child as her own, and taught her the 'old ways' as she herself once was so many years ago when she was saved.

Unlike true faeries, these changelings are mortal and will eventually die, though their lifespan is much longer than mundane humans (200+ years in very rare cases). Since the 'old blood' runs so strongly in their veins, they have access to true faerie magic and attributes, but possessing souls they are far less wicked than their distant ancestors, though they are still prone to a mischievous temperament.

Maeve had access to large amount of Animal vis, and frequently traded with other covenants and magi throughout the British Isles and the Continent; sometimes she relied on redcaps, but as Mary got older she sent her instead, so that she might practice her powers among the mundanes. While traveling alone, Mary found the best way to avoid attention was to be male rather than female, and so she has taken to wearing men’s clothing and using her faerie magic to facilitate this; she also learned to enjoy spending time in taverns, and won, lost and spent a lot of silver pennies in them over the next few years.

On one of her missions, she endured a miserable crossing to Normandy to trade vis with Ad Astra Per Aspera; while there, she made a brief acquaintance with a Verditius magus by the name of Vittorio, who offered to make her a pair of bronze pistols after she had expressed some interest in his talents. On a subsequent visit, he duly presented them to her, much to her delight. 

'Grandmamma Maeve' finally began to succumb to the ravages of age, but she told her young adopted child that it was because the magic was leaving the Old World; it was sick and full of metal man-forged things, and all the wild places were being cut down, plowed and populated. Mary should go to the New World, where magic was strong and the forests were alive; the young changeling vowed to do so, and boarded a Scottish colony ship bound for Philadelphia. From there, she headed north, following tales overheard in roadside inns until she reached the magnificent Hudson River Valley; it was here she found Vittorio living in a house full of extraordinary individuals, which almost feels like home.

Mary prefers the less confining fit of male clothing and wears it much of the time, though it hangs a bit loose on her. She owns some very nice ladies' things, and will wear them on special occasions (though in truth her manners are somewhat lacking), or when she is working at the Red Stag Inn as ‘Meg Maclean’.

She is very proud to belong to the Order of Hermes, and works very hard to contribute to her covenant’s well being; however, her lack of the Gift and odd ways make her somewhat self-conscious, so sometimes she tries too hard to help. On the other end of the spectrum, her wild and mischievous nature makes her a bit restless and meddlesome, but she usually leaves her fellow magi in peace, and focuses on the other covenfolk. 

Mary has recently become fascinated by the Indians, and wishes to learn more about them and their close link with nature; she has considered using her powers to move among them, but has held off for the moment.