Nicoleta was born in the 2nd millenium/15th century, approximately in the year 1421. She was born in Western Africa, in a state called Igbo Kingdom of Nri. It is the oldest kingdom in Nigeria and she was born in the capital city of Igbo-Ukwu, which is also where she was turned at the age of twenty-seven. She was raised by Odinani religion, taught to worship the Supreme Being (Chukwu) which is the God of Creation. The religion is also based around the Igbo concept of the Cosmos, a notion about the great unknown. In ancient Igbo, the Cosmos is an endless space of visible and invisible beings. This is of extreme importance because Leta still upholds the practices and beliefs she learned in Igbo-Ukwu. She may refer to words like "Alusi" for Supernatural Forces or Deities, "Mmuo" for Spirits, "Uwa" for World. Some other words she may use related to the religion and her first language: "Anyanwu" (the Sun), "Chi" (the godly guardian), "Kpakpando" (the stars), "Enuigwe" (the heavens), "Ulukpu" (the clouds); "Onwa" (the moon); "Alaigwe" (the planets); "Ikuku" (the winds), "Mmadu"(human being), "Anumanu" (animal), "Ofia" (forests), Mmiri (water). The religion teaches that humans are the beauty of life, “egbe bere ugo bere” (Let the eagle perch, let the hawk perch), and their golden rule of religion is live and let live. Odinani expresses acting upon the right things; it is about following the dictates of our personal providence, Chi. Failure to do so, Agwu or other more potent evil forces take over our lives; we would keep running in circles and meeting bad spirits (ajo mmuo) or even Satan itself (Ekwensu).
Why is this important? Leta doesn't particularly like what she's become, she's just gotten used to it. She believes that she wronged someone in her past but truly can't pinpoint exactly where she went wrong. In Leta's eyes, this vampiric curse was brought to her as punishment for defying Chukwu or Chineke. She was turned by an Ancient vampire, Nefertiti, (Named after one of the most powerful Queens in Eygpt), and migrated to Luxor Egypt to live with Nefertiti and the rest of her progenies. She doesn't recall ever having met Nefertiti prior to receiving the knowledge of her new supernatural abilities, so she couldn't tell you when or how she was turned. All she can tell you is that she was visited by a beautiful Egyptian vampire in her village one night as she met with her soon to be husband from the Benin Kingdom, she can no longer remember his name or any details pertaining to him. She was meant to be married at the age of fifteen, however, due to her remarkably blue eyes and the unique contrast between her skin and eyes, her parents had trouble offering her to any family in their own kingdom as well as others. During this time, due to trade, intermarriage was welcomed and often recommended. It took years for Leta to be paired with the young boy from the Benin Kingdom, and even once the marriage was set, it still took reassurance that she could reproduce because her age was concerning to the boy's parents. The night before her wedding was the last night anyone in Igbo-Ukwu ever saw Leta, at least until years later when she returned with a clan of her own. Till this day there are legends of Leta in the country of Nigeria and her clan of "nnụnụ abalị" or birds of the night.
While her eyes had been cause for rejection in her village for the entirety of her human life, Nefertiti admits to having sought after Leta because she was captivated by them. She knew there was something special about her, even when no one else could see it. She'd heard of the woman born with the most striking blue eyes and specks of brown drizzled around them, she'd also heard tales of this same woman with pertinent healing capabilities. Leta denies ever having healing powers as a human and claims that Chukwu simply listened to her prayers and granted healing to those who lived righteous lives. The Nri Kingdom was located on the larger side of the Niger river, this is particularly where ideas of witches and warlocks ran rampant. Many believed Leta to have been a witch brought to the villagers by Ekwensu because when she was born yam production was at its lowest. The Igbo people were very superstitious but also often avoided conflict. Leta came from a wealthy family, her father superb at Bronze sculpting, he had two other wives, and she was one out of twelve of his children. She was closest to her two younger siblings Adanna (Female) and Adami (Male), they were only about ten years old when she left, twins. The Igbo people had seven taboos, twins were among the seven. Just like Leta, Adanna and Adami were outcasted. They were the last two Igbo people to have seen her alive. She couldn't leave her village without saying goodbye to them as she'd raised them as if they were her own, she vowed to return for them one day once they were older. Sadly, she can hardly remember the faces or names of her other brothers and sisters. Leta's mother's name was Nneta, she helped in the farms and was marvelous with herbs and medicines. Her father's name was Obi, he focused primarily on trade and sculpting, he followed Odinani religion closely.