Tereza was born on a warm summer day by the end of Juin 1845. The older of two twin girls, the other being Matilde. She already has an elder brother, Jordan, and another younger brother, Odo, would be born later. Her parents being Baron Artos d'Acuto and his wife the Baroness Lucia, originally of House al'Sylenthar. Her father was mostly gone, as he was aiding in the command of the Fortress Benide, and a war raged with the tribes of the North. Still, surprisingly enough Tereza would be the one of his children that would echo some of his personality the most.Her hair has the same dark brown tone as his own had when he was younger. She shares his love for books, a love that is almost an obsession; his hunger for knowledge. She had always been a very eager student of a sharp mind, not driven by ambition of any kind, but rather by curiosity and hunger for knowledge. This is how she learned the Old Tongue and the Imperial language, acquired knowledge in the areas of history, astronomy, the use of ciphers (as practiced by her father), and literature.
Very early on she got an affinity to the healing arts. It started out with a bird she had found outside. The poor thing had a broken wing and was not able to fly. She had consulted various books on medicine, and with the large library her family calls its own, she had plenty of tomes to choose from. This incident marked only the beginning, because it had hooked her up with books on the deeper secrets of healing, the basics of human anatomy, the various diseases and means to treat them - an area that occupied her even through her other daily tasks, that she finally spoke with her father to allow her to pursue more studies in the area. She was instructed by the scholar of the family, an epitome of wisdom, and one of the other treasures kept at Garfana. When she had reached the age of seventeen she was allowed to travel north with her father to Fortress Benide, where the war with the barbarian tribes raged. She was sent home before the siege would hold the fortress in its firm grasp. But even so, during her stay there she got plenty opportunity to test her skills, as healers were needed to treat the wounded. Already back then her matter-of-factness when facing atrocious injuries was remarkable. Where other ladies would have fainted, she kept her focus.
Indeed, she always seemed to be less emburdened with emotional ballast. While caring for her family, her character is that of a rational mind, often tempted to pursue the twisted paths of even daring theories. She is of course a loyal member of her House, even though this loyalty so far has not been called upon. Tereza's love for books does not mean however that she shies away from going outside. She even enjoys the more conventional pastime of hunting, loves to go for rides in the countryside, and even has acquired some skill with the bow. Which is not that surprising, given her ability to focus.Other more social skills, like chatting along with others, or the horrid occupation of needlework are less developed, if at all. Merely dancing is a skill she has mastered in an acceptable way, not so much for the social opportunities it provides, but rather because she enjoys to analyze each pattern of steps with mathematical finesse during a dance. Chess is the only game she enjoys, as it challenges the mind.