Editing "The Old Woman", aka Shannon (section)

== Background ==
Many people believe the Old Woman has been in Winterweir forever, a sort of mystical manifestation of the city itself.

The truth is less mystical but perhaps no less amazing: yes, there have always been “old women”, back-alley people who have tapped into a city’s information network by nothing more than playing people.  They offer fortunes to hear peoples’ fears and desires, offer advice and wisdom via the back door to cultivate contacts among the servants and working-class, and generally present a picture of being so old and kind as to be no threat.  It isn’t any sort of tradition passed on but simply a way of life, sometimes taught but more often simply learned.

''The'' Old Woman, however, has managed to take the lifestyle one step further: her ability to move through the less-watched portions of the city and the occasional spell she casts have raised her from urban feature to urban legend.  Coupled with the background presence of “old women” in peoples’ consciousness she has created a belief where previously none existed.

In regards to her Shannon identity that isn't her real name.  In fact it is only one of manifold identities that she wears, often with the aid of disguise magic.  One particular important fact about the Shannon identity, however, is that a few people do know her as an information broker, though not one who works for free.  To the rest she's simply a cheerful street urchin with a unique ability to get on their nerves.

[[(Winterweir) In Search of the Unknown]]