Isobel Taurdain
Title:
a Lady of Taurdain; Journeyman of the Scholars Guild; Legal Expert
Description:
Isobel is a thin, slight woman who looks to be somewhere in the middle of her twenties. She has eyes gray as mounting storm clouds, bowlike lips and a beginning insinuation of worry lines upon her brow. Her complexion is rather pale, as if she spends a lot of time indoors.
Her hair, the colour of a rye field, is done up in two neat plaits twisted together into a bun at the base of her neck. A wooden hair comb with a pattern of interlacing birds carved into it keeps the hair-do in place.
She wears a long-sleeved cornflower blue gown, the fabric of it smooth and rippling. The neckline rests on the edge of her shoulders, dipping low to reveal the insinuation of a modest cleavage. Embroidered edgings in a darker shade with threads of silver shot through the cloth have been appliqued to the neckline and edges.
The drawstrings of her soft grey doeskin shoes are bright red, the knots just visible where they dangle.
Her hands are slim and on the index finger of the right she wears a plain silver ring with a miniscule pattern etched into it.
History:
In the beginning of summer (it was an unremarkable season, for most) Niamh and Braedon of Taurdain saw their second child into the world, a daughter to join their son of three years. Once it seemed clear the girl was getting on well and would live she was named Isobel. Her father was one of Lord Kemble Taurdain's younger brothers and a part of the House council, but the one who was truly interested in the politics of house and town was Niamh who had been a kinswoman of Taurdain before wedding Lord Braedon.
As she grew it was neither brilliant but preoccupied Niamh nor the kind but reserved Braedon who was Isobel's world - no, the focal point of her existence was Darragh, her older brother. He was a charming lad, full of life and laughter and almost always he let his sister come along on his ventures even though she mostly would end up being in the way. When Isobel was four two more children came along, but these twin sons' time proved brief and they did not live beyond a week. And with that, the number of the family seemed fixed forever.
As the girl advanced in years she became a more able companion for her brother - no longer stumbling or getting lost, and stamped with his own brand of cheer. Whether Isobel by nature was given to be full of high spirits and animation or if that was the work of her vivacious brother is impossible to say, but she laughed more often than she cried and found much enjoyment in playing with both sibling and cousins.
In Isobel's ninth year a terrible sickness roamed Lake-town mercilessly, and no exceptions were made for House Taurdain. A kindly aunt and uncle were lost but worse, much worse, so was her beloved Darragh. It's impossible to describe the nature of loss - in the face of it, however, Braedon roused himself to take his sole remaining child under his wing and thus Isobel was taught to appreciate reading and learning and the pursuit of knowledge. Pained by his spouse's tendency to give way to her quick temper Lord Braedon also sought to impose upon Isobel the importance of control over one's feelings and to observe decorum. In his daughter he saw not only a physical likeness (for Isobel, unlike Darragh, inherited her mother's bright hair rather than their father's russet tones) to Niamh but a likeness of mind and mood.
Her father succeeded, though not entirely - now a woman grown, Isobel is a journeyman of the Scholars' Guild and for the most part a self-contained person. Still, when she is provoked (and being a proud and rather prickly person this can easily happen) she's been known to slip and wield a sharp tongue, much to her own chagrin. She has retained her curiosity and enjoys finding things out, though as of late it seems that she finds some of the things she learns of to be disheartening.
From both her parents she learned to think of others and was taught that we all bear responsibilities to one another, and to hold notions such as justice and fairness in high regard. Her own personal motto (though she's not mentioned it to anybody) is Duty, Honor and Compassion.
