Canis Catarina Clarissa Coronatus
Person mentioned in the letters from the Temple of Lil. Probably Ferinus Molossus, as the House of Molossus is famous for its dogs and hounds.
Severus' lady friend.
There are days when Catarina wishes she was the daughter of a potter, not a nobleman. Oh the Corresanti are a fine, upstanding family. Wealthy Dale-Lords, famous for their black-fleeced sheep, a line gifted with mage-talent, honorable and respected. You couldn't ask for a better House.
But you could ask to be born inside that House, not on the doorstep.
Catarina's father is a younger son of a younger son. She has a title, a name, a distinguished lineage... and nothing else. With no dowry to speak of, she has no hopes of marrying a noble man. Yet her uncle, the count, insists that no woman of his House will marry "beneath" herself. Many merchants would be delighted to tie themselves to a noble family. But the Corresanti... "the illustrious Corresanti", as Catarina sneers... turn up their noses at such base-born men. Catarina believes she's doomed to be a spinster, a lady in waiting serving her better-born cousins for the rest of her life.
The Countess Corresanti is a Signarum, a child of the southern counties, and the bitter winters of the northern dales are too much for her. Therefore she spends much of her time in the family's villa in Rostilla, leaving Corresanti and "those ridiculous frost-bitten sheep" to her husband. She took Catarina with her "as a favor; so the poor little thing gets to see a bit of the world." It was a very bitter "blessing" for the girl, however. Her tiny allowance barely keeps her clothes decent enough for court. Being noble, she cannot turn her hand to sewing or embroidery, trades that many lesser women profit by. And she is continually surrounded by Rostilla's greatest wealth and beauty. While she carefully nurtured a dutiful, even subservient facade, Catarina grew bitter.
Then, a year ago, a light entered her life: Severus Surrexus. Severus was a count's younger son, destined to be a counselor -- an honorable profession! And he liked her, a great deal. Catarina wouldn't dare use the word "love"... but she hoped he loved her. Or might someday. They met at a party, where she entertained him for hours with biting but insightful comments on the courtiers and nobles who filled the court. Severus wasn't threatened by her wit or her occasionally sharp tongue; in fact, he seemed to cherish them. For the first time in her life, Catarina began to dream that perhaps she might aspire to more than being a glorified servant.
Countess Corresanti noticed the two and approved heartily. Surrexus was a wealthy House; the count could overlook the deficiencies in the girl's dowry if he chose to. A counselor's wife wasn't a countess -- but it was as good as a poor little thing like Catarina could hope for. Catarina, she insisted, should give Severus a present. A love-token. Something special. And precious. And valuable.
Nothing Catarina could buy would suit. The gifts she could afford all looked tawdry and cheap to her eyes. And so she gave Severus her dearest possession: a heavy golden ring, in the shape of two clasped hands, a present her grandfather had given to her.
Description: Slender, with an almost boyish figure. Long, straight blonde hair and emerald green eyes. A fine-boned, fox-like face. Catarina is a canny judge of people, and can be sharp-tongued when she's annoyed.
Wife of Magnus Tillaford. Daughter of Count Coronatus Benobles.
Few people know Clarissa Benobles well -- though since she's the eldest daughter of one of Rostilla's wealthies counts, many have heard of her. She spent her childhood in the estates of Benobles, the great wine-making county of Rostilla. Benobles is an elegant, rich land, spread along the rolling hills of Rostilla's eastern coast. A province of ancient vine-covered terraces, warm sun, and gentle ocean breezes. The count never took his daughter to the parties of Rostilla, feeling them far too decadent and wild for a girl of good breeding. Clarissa never even left Benobles until she turned eighteen, four years ago.
That was when she married Magnus Tillaford. It was the perfect match. Magnus was the son of one of the richest and most powerful counts in Rostilla; Clarissa brought a dowry great enough to buy a lesser county. Tillaford and Benobles are very close together as well.
The wedding was a great success, the envy of all Rostilla. Clarissa was everything her in-laws had hoped for. Pretty, refined, quiet, and graceful -- the perfect noble lady for the perfect noble lord who rules over a perfectly lovely county. Or so they say.
Description: Clarissa is taller than most women, with a strong, broad face and full lips. Some would say she is more handsome than pretty, though none would call her plain. Long black hair, braided, which falls to the middle of her back. Very quiet. She watches and listens, smiles and nods... but says little.
Count of Benobles. Father of Clarissa Benobles. Nephew of Velata, dowager of Harrans.
Count Benobles rules over one of the most cultured, sophisticated, and wealthy counties of Rostilla. While Tillaford's ports may bring in more money, nothing compares to the elegance of Benobles' ancient stone manors and terraced hills. Benobles produces Rostilla's finest wine; only the vintages of the Barony of Sulis (in Viridia) compare to it. Though, to Coronatus' eternal annoyance, most say that Sulis' wines are finer.
Coronatus is a great moderate. Some would say, a great coward. He hates turmoil and unrest, and always seeks a peaceful solution to squabbles. Though, as the Surrexi have found, he does have spine when he's cornered. Family and comfort are of great concern to him. He dotes on his children, and is a great patron of the Temples. The Golden House, under Abbess Halaessa, has become one of Rostilla's greatest religious establishments -- primarily because of the support of the House of Benobles.
When the Surrexi showed him evidence of King Albanus' ties to demons and the corruption in the Temples, Coronatus reluctantly agreed to help them. He sent his daughter Clarissa and her son Marcus someplace safe, where Magnus Tillaford could not find them. And he contacted Count Dignus Harrans to offer his support -- committing himself, without question, to the rebel cause. Currently he is exploring the option of hiring mercenaries, something Benobles is well-equipped to do. Coronatus has sent agents to Sobel Ka, Vardane, and Dulsanius to see what troops and ships might be available.
Description: Coronatus is a mature man, whose black hair is pepperd with grey now. He's a bit on the short side and plump; a sign of too much good-living. Educated and erudite, he has the soft hands of a man who's almost never held a sword. He's even a poor rider, eschewing horseback for the comforts of a carriage. As pious as the Gods require, but not too devout.