In her life before being imprisoned, she was apprenticed to a healer. One day, when Morwen was 13, a patient was brought to the hut while her master was out gathering herbs. She got to work, and determined that the well-dressed patient had clearly eaten some bad mushrooms.

While she was working, something miraculous happened: she felt warm, comforting energy flow through her fingers into her patient, who sighed and fell into a comfortable sleep.

When her master returned many hours later, he was with the local lord’s youngest son. They were discussing how terrible it was that his eldest brother would never wake after accidentally cooking the wrong mushrooms for breakfast. Morwen’s patient sat upright upon hearing his brother, and pointed accusingly. “You picked those mushrooms, Brother, and prepared them!”

Morwen’s master sighed, muttered a brief incantation and held Morwen and the elder brother rooted to the ground. Another bit of arcane language, and Morwen was released. Her master asked her to prepare a potion she’d not seen before and administer it to the patient. She did so, and then waited by his bed while her master and his guest went to take care of business.

The guards came soon after, and took her away for incompetently administering a draught for easing the elderly into the next life, rather than a healing potion. She remained in prison for the next 20 years, until she was transported to the new colony.