Lady Merreth Character Bio

Physical Characteristics

Body Type

 Lady Merreth stands 5’10” inches.  She has wavy brunette hair that falls past her shoulders.  Brown eyes, slightly olive skin.  Strong, yet feminine hands.  Voice is somewhat deeper than normal, almost husky.  Merreth has a dancer’s build, lithe.  There is some muscle definition.  Merreth is right-handed.

 Health

 Good health

 Clothing

Lady Merreth is the second ranked noble in her aristocratic House. She favours traditional leather in black (her house colour).  Black, flat heeled riding boots that come up over her knees.  These are pulled over leather leggings that have stitching running down the outside of the legs.  The stitching can be loosened in warmer weather.  The leggings are relatively tight, but loose enough to ride a horse in.

She wears a riding breast band under a black leather vest which is laced up the front.  It is somewhat low cut.  Her gloves are skin tight black leather, wrist length.  She wears a wide brimmed hat, somewhat like that of a cavalier, though with a wider brim that is typically pulled down in front to shield her eyes.  Merreth has a cloak that she wears in colder weather.

Weapons

 Merreth carries a sword in a scabbard on her back, and a pair of throwing dirks. One is in a short sheath on her left front, attached to a belt that hangs around her hips.  The other is stuffed in the top of her right boot.  Though not strictly a weapon, Merreth’s badge of rank is a nine foot bull whip which is coiled and hangs from her right side.

Merreth is a fair swordswoman though by no means the best.  She is very good with her throwing dirks.

Movement

Graceful movements; extremely quick reflexes

Sociological Characteristics

Name

Lady Merreth Sable of Sable House

Basic Biographical Data

Merreth is 28 years old, born and raised in south-central Wechta in Sable House lands. She is Heir Primary to Sable House.  She has one sister, one year older, who currently holds the position of High Mistress of Sable House.  Her father died of pneumonia when Merreth was 17.  Her mother was killed in a hunting accident when Merreth was 26 (which caused the ascension of her older sister to head of Sable House).  The loss of both parents has caused Merreth to avoid being dependent on anyone because they might be taken from her at any time.

Significant Relationships

Merreth’s closest relationship is with her older sister, Ammantha, who she loves and respects.  She looks up to Ammantha and will sometimes ask her (and only her) for advice.  However, Merreth has noticed her sister has become more distant and reserved since becoming High Mistress of Sable House..

Residences

Merreth did reside on Sable House Hold, a large three-story wooden structure resembling an Edwardian mansion.  When Merreth travels she favours commercial quarters, inns and taverns, which marks her as being somewhat odd in the opinion of others. She rarely accepts invitations to stay with other nobles.

Education

Merreth was educated by Temple-supplied tutors, as are most of the Wechtan nobility.  She can read, write, and is fairly good with numbers. 

Occupation or Profession

As a member of the aristocracy Merreth has no occupation or profession, per se.

Religion, Superstitions, Social, Political Beliefs

 Merreth is a member of the Temple, as are most people in the Wechtan Matriarchy, though she is best described as an agnostic.  She is a hard-headed pragmatist and as such has no superstitions.  Merreth is also a pragmatist when it comes to men.  Though she believes in the general superiority of women, she acknowledges there are some things at which they are better than women.

Psychological Traits

Personality

Merreth is adventuresome and something of a risk-taker. At times she can be impulsive. She snuck out of Sable House Hold when she was fourteen years old to camp in the woods, in direct contravention of her mother’s wishes.

Merreth’s personality is rather dark.  She is a sadist and is torn between the pleasure she feels when her darker desires call to her, and the guilt and self-loathing that comes afterwards.  She keeps that part of herself under iron control and is constantly afraid it will slip out.

Merreth is taciturn and struggles with her temper. She is a loner and does not want anyone to get close to her.  She fears they will either be taken away from her (parents dead) or that she will hurt them (her betrothed, whom she believes she killed). In the very rare instances when she does form a close friendship she is loyal to a fault.  She tries to be honest and honorable in her dealings with others.  Merreth has trouble trusting people other than her sister.  Although she rarely shows it, Merreth has a very dry sense of humour.  Deep inside she is lonely.

For reasons that are a mystery to her small children, particularly boys, are fascinated with her.  Merreth is not quite sure what to make of this and feels awkward around youngsters.  Despite this, there have been several occasions when Merreth has defended and rescued children, even when they were not her responsibility.

Merreth is much more comfortable around commoners than most of the nobility.

Speech Patterns

Taciturn, blunt, occasional dry asides and quips.

Attitudes towards self

Merreth doesn’t like herself very much because she believes she may have killed her betrothed, though she doesn’t remember the incident. Another reason for her dislike of self is the guilt she feels over her sadistic tendencies.  Her restlessness and wandering is partly driven by her need to find something ‘to wipe the slate’ clean, to perform some act (or perhaps a series of acts) that will set things right.  She’s angry that these ‘acts’ are likely to involve martial endeavors as that seems to reinforce her perception that she is a killer.  She fears that others will see her only that way as well.

Humour

Merreth has a dry sense of humor that she keeps under rigid control, though it occasionally seeps out and surprises those around her.

Hot Buttons

Being taunted about her betrothed’s fate, disdained as merely a killer, or seeing others bullied.

Attitude toward the Opposite Sex

Merreth is heterosexual, but her interest in men is, as a result of her inclinations and the circumstances around her betrothed’s death, purely platonic.  This occasionally changes when her darker desires take over.

Character Development

Lady Merreth will always be something of a dark character, though as she goes through the stories she will acquire some odd and unexpected friends, struggle to “do the right thing”,  become more comfortable with herself, and figure out that she actually is quite worthwhile and likeable.  She is flawed, but those are the best kinds of characters.