Katharine Marie Moorland

Katharine Marie Moorland was the Lord Speaker of the Council of Lords of Ravens Bluff from ? -- ?

Appearance
(The "current year" for the people and events in Gateway to Ravens Bluff, the Living City is just before the Time of Troubles, approximately 1356 -- 1357 DR.)

Lady Katharine is 5'4" tall and weighs 105 pounds. She is astonishingly beautiful with green eyes and red hair and looks very youthful due to her elven heritage.  Her slim build belies her toughness and she is frequently underestimated due to her size, her beauty, or both.  In town she favors a simple fine linen dress cinched at the waist by a belt of leather and gold on which she carries a magical dagger with a jeweled pommel.  In cold weather she adds a lambskin cloak held by a silver brooch in the form of her family coat of arms.  Her long red hair is worn loosely.  Outside town she wears high soft boots and buckskin breeches, a linen shirt, a heavy plain traveling cloak and a leather hat into which she tucks her hair to keep it out of the way.

Personality
Katharine is an open, friendly, adventurous woman, an expert rider, a skilled archer, and even dabbles in the arcane arts. She likes to spend time listening to tales of exotic creatures, far-away lands, and mystical powers. She is flattered that many women in town mimic her style of dress and she likes the prestige of being Lord Speaker. Being the only woman currently on the Council of Lords she does not feel she has equal authority with her male counterparts and is actively working to change this situation. She is quite aware of men's interest in her but does not consider any of her current suitors worth her time. She gently but firmly turns them down and rarely has to be forceful except in the most persistent cases. She is rather smitten with Lord Russel 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 is more interested in enjoying the world for now.

Background
Katharine is 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 is 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 will not receive her full inheritance until her father dies or she marries, whichever comes first. She maintains a house in Ravens Bluff and is well-liked by most of the townspeople who find her more approachable than most other nobility and because she is 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 believe 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.