Katharine Marie Moorland

Katharine Marie Moorland was the Lord Speaker of the Council of Lords of Ravens Bluff circa 1357 DR.

Description
Lady Katharine was 5′4″ tall and weighed 105 pounds. She was astonishingly beautiful with green eyes and red hair and looked very youthful, owing to her elven heritage. Her slim build belied her toughness and she was frequently underestimated because of her size, her beauty, or both. In town, she favored a simple fine linen dress cinched at the waist by a belt of leather and gold on which she carried a magical dagger with a jeweled pommel. In cold weather, she added a lambskin cloak held by a silver brooch in the form of her family coat-of-arms. Her long red hair was worn loosely. Outside town, she wore high soft boots and buckskin breeches, a linen shirt, a heavy plain traveling cloak, and a leather hat into which she tucked her hair to keep it out of the way.

Personality
Katharine was an open, friendly, adventurous woman, an expert rider, and a skilled archer, and she even dabbled in the arcane arts. She liked to spend time listening to tales of exotic creatures, far-away lands, and mystical powers. She was flattered that many women in town mimicked her style of dress and she liked the prestige of being Lord Speaker. However, being the only woman currently on the Council of Lords, she did not feel she had equal authority with her male counterparts and was actively working to change this situation.

She was quite aware of men's interest in her but did not consider any of her current suitors worth her time. She gently but firmly turned them down and rarely had to be forceful except in the most persistent cases. She was rather smitten with Lord Russell Roland but does not let her feelings be known due to the difference in their ages. She knows she is expected to marry in the next few years but she was more interested in enjoying the world for now.

History
Katharine was the daughter of Lord Phineas Augustus Moorland and his elvish wife Arlayna. She has two older and two younger brothers so she competed with them relentlessly and learned to ride and shoot at an early age. Her father encouraged her to become self-reliant while her mother insisted she learn about the duties and social behavior of a woman of nobility. It was from her mother that she also got her interest in magic.

At age 30, she received the title of Lady and an income from a small holding of land—she would not receive her full inheritance until her father died or she married, whichever came first. She maintained a house in Ravens Bluff and was well-liked by most of the townspeople, who found her more approachable than most other nobility and because she was usually responsible for scheduling the city's festivals and special events.

Lady Katharine became a member of the Council of Lords when her father retired from the post. Some believed he retired when her two older brothers were away in foreign countries just so she would get the seat on the Council. Because of her great wisdom and high intelligence, she was often consulted on a wide range of business before the Council and eventually was elected Lord (some say Lady) Speaker for a two-year term.