Ellis Halstaff was a resident of Havenwood.
She gave birth to two children, Sahmantha and Ralyn. At some point after the latter's birth, her husband left without a word, not even leaving a note. The result was that Ellis had to cover the tasks her husband had once performed, in addition to her own.
In 1285, Sahmantha celebrated her seventh birthday, and told Ellis that she had a crush on Joshua Gray. However, less than a week later, Sahmantha began screaming in the night. Ellis finally managed to calm her down, and when she did, Sahmantha replied "it feels like there's something bad inside my head." The following morning, the town's healer, Brellik, perscribed her a tonic, and a cold bath when opportunity allowed.
That night, Ellis went to check on Sahmantha, to see if she was ready for the bath. Sahmantha smiled, pulled out Ellis's best carving knife from beneath the covers, and then stabbed her mother in the leg, then five or six times in the torso. In a state of shock, Ellis managed to limp away, heading up the stairs of their house to rescue Ralyn. Sahmantha tried to stab her again, but tripped on the trail of blood that Ellis had left behind. Arriving in Ralyn's room, she found that Ralyn wasn't there...and her daughter was behind her. She desparately asked Sahmantha what was wrong with her.
She didn't get her answer, as Ralyn, who'd been hiding under the crib, bit her leg, causing Ellis to fall. Her last sight was her son grinning at her with bloodstained teeth, before she lost conciousness, not feeling Sahmantha plunge the knife through her chest.[1]