In the winter of A.S. XVIII, I was brought into existance in the Society for Creative Anachromism.  I was first known simply as "Lenchen" at my first event, the Investiture of Prince Gaylen and Princess Kaylitha in Augsburg, Germany (Shire of Emerald Glen in the Principality of Drachenwald).  I later became known as Katarina Helene von Schönborn.  This is the history of Katarina Helene...

     My mutti*, Helene Anneliese von Manderscheid, was orphaned young and placed under the guardianship of the Bishop of Trier.  While in his care, she was given much personal freedom and was allowed to wantder about the city almost at will, as long as she was chaperoned by her old nurse, Hulda, and a man-at-arms.  It was during just such an excursion that my father, Ritter Rheinhold Matthias von Schönborn, a well-traveled and accomplished knight of some small renoun, saw my mother and instantly fell in love with her.

     Mutti did not know of this love for quite some time, as he only looked on her from afar, being sure she would reject him because of his "advanced" age (he was welll past his 30th year and she was just ending her 15th).  Not being from the Eifel Region in western Germany (his family was from Pommersfelden in Lower Bavaria), my father began to ask the local nobles about her.  He discovered many things, not the least of which was that she would be celebrating her 16th birthday within a very short time.  He also learned that the Bishop of Trier planned a wonderous celebration for her, so he made sure he would be among the invited guests.

     At this celebration, Vatti** arranged to "accidentally" meet her in the gardens behind the Bishop's palace in Trier.  Of course, as luck would have it, she immediately fell in love with him, for he was the most chivalrous and romantic man she had ever encountered (not that she had encountered all that many men), and she told me he was "most pleasing to look upon."  This reaction was most fortuitous, for had they both not fallen instantly in love with each other, I would not be here to ensure all this is written down.  Now, all that remained was for them to garner the permission of the Bishop of Trier for them to marry.

     Since Vatti was a knight, but only of a well-connected family, with no real lands nearby, this was an unusual request.  Most marriages in the mid-1300's were contracted for land and wealth acquisition, but rarely for reasons of the heart.  However, because of the good connections of the von Schönborn family in Bavaria, the Bishop did consider the request to be a sound enough financial arrangment and thus agreed to the marriage.  Besides this, the good Bishop was an incurable romantic.  The Bishop himeslf presided over the wedding ceremony in Trier Cathedral, after which Mutti and Vatti departed for his family holdings near Pommersfelden.

     Life was quite wonderful for them for quite some time, and in the spring of 1353, I was born.  Although this was a happy event, I am told the birth was difficult and that Mutti never completely regained her health.  I recall her as a wonderfully patient, loving mother who quietly gave me as much instruction in the ways of a Lady of the Manor as she could.  What she could not actually teach, she arranged for excellent tutors for me.  I became well versed in fine needlework, the running of a manor, reading, and how to do calligraphy and illumination.  Sadly, during the plague of 1365, when I was but 12 years of age, Mutti was taken from this Earth. 

     After Mutti died, Vatti seemed to lose all interest in living.  He did take the time to show me how to use the English longbow, which he had a fondness for from his youth.  I am proud to say I got fairly good at it.  Because his health began to decline rapidly after Mutti's death, he contacted her former guardian, the Bishop of Trier, and requested his aid in procuring proper guardianship for me in my minority.

     The good Bishop was quite elderly by this time, but made arrangements with the Bavarian branch of the Wittelsbach family to take on my guardianship.  Vatti agreed to this, but stipulated that I was not to be forced into an arranged marriage or to enter a cloister if I remained unmarried.  I was also to be allowed to continue my education.  The Wittelsbach family agreed and a contract was drawn up just before Vatti left this world to join Mutti in heaven.  With my education and marital status guarranteed, my dear Uncle Usa began to oversee my life.  To this end, I was occasionally sent to several of Uncle Usa's estates throughout the world to learn different techniques of estate managing and to extend my knowledge of the gentle arts.

     In the summer of A.S. XXII, Uncle Usa sent me from his estate in Drachensheim in the Principality of Drachenwald to reside in the Barony of Stonemarche in the Eastrealm.  While there, I was amazed to find a good gentleman, Harold von Auerbach, who had interests and talents much the same as mine.  At first, it seemed we would be more than friends, but after much discussion we found we had way too much in common, especially the descriptions of our fathers.  We did a little "poking" around and discovered that we are in fact brother and sister.  Although we have different names, here is what we discovered:  Rheinhold Matthias von Schönborn was married by arrangment to Harold's mother when he was but a young man.  When all her other relatives died, their 5- year old son, Harold, was given their name (Auerbach) instead of Schönborn, much to Vatti's chagrin.  He was supposed to also take that name, but balked because of his own family pride.  Because of this, his marriage to Harold's mother was declaired null and void by the Church and he had to renouce all claim to his young son.  This hurt him very much and he never once discussed it with anyone after leaving them.  Harold was so young that he barely recalled his own father, but he knew where to find out all this information.

     I am so very happy I found Harold, as I was in a strange new place and knew no one.  The added warmth of Harold's kinship, and the friendship of his lady wife, Aine, have kept me warm for many years now.  Harold is well-versed in calligraphy and illumination, and is a troubadour renouned in three kingdoms.  We gathered about us many good friends and associates, calling ourselves Haus Eberhorn.  I was able to spend several years living near Harold and Aine, but then Uncle Usa decided I needed to expand my knowledge a bit more and sent me west to the Midrealm and the Shire of Steren Codha.  After about a year in Steren Codha, I was instrumental in starting the Shire of Narrental.  While living in Narrental, Uncle Usa decided I was old enough to care for myself without an official guardian, so he released me from his care; although he did give me my own manor house, Einhorn Manor (after my multitudes of unicorns).  I have been residing here now for well over 10 years and am quite happy to live with my three cats (Juliet, Lionel, & Rusty).