Isadora de Carlyle

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Isadora de Carlyle

Player Name	Nell
Languages	Common, Elvish, Gnomish, Draconic
Marital Status	Unmarried
Date of Birth	301 PR
Place of Birth	Whimbrel, East Levinkan
Species	Human
Gender	She/Her
Height	5'6"
Weight	120 lbs.
Eye Color	Blue

Background

Unlike the wild and savage West Levinkan, East Levinkan remains an upstanding monarchy, loyal to the Levinkan Dynasty, and of course, the current Levinkan. A Gnomish clan originated the title, but at some point human blood got mixed in there and it has become a more diverse bloodline in the centuries since. Among this bloodline is the honorable Lord Remington DeCarlyle and his family. He may be a bit removed from the Levinkan - fourth cousin twice removed, to be precise - but he clings to that bloodline with the tenacity of a purebred bloodhound on a boar hunt. Are they on the outskirts of the nobility? Certainly. Are they the lowest rung on the elite social ladder? Absolutely. But are they making their way up in the world? With the swiftest speed manageable.

The easiest way to climb that social ladder, of course, is marrying one’s closer-to-the-top cousins. They thought they had a coup with their first born son’s marriage. Callum De Carlyle, oldest child and heir to the Estate, was married at age 19 to his second cousin Gloria Younger. Both were happy about the match, as were Lord and Lady DeCarlyle - until they realized that the Younger family was broke and in disgrace. This was unfortunate, as their second son, Maxwell, had already entered the Priesthood in the Pellorian Order. They spent some time trying to wrangle their third son into an advantageous marriage, but he temporarily cut ties with the family after a surprise wedding at Sunday church. Despite repairing relationships years later, he remains unmarried and focused on his merchant business. Unfortunately, the family had only been blessed with three sons, so they were forced to turn to their daughters.

Daughters are much harder to marry into higher families - especially when you have ten of them, and a limited fortune for investing in dowries. Their oldest daughter, Stella, married slightly up, helping the reputation of the entire family. Yasmina married down; her husband was a promising social climber. Imogen’s match didn’t hurt the family, but didn’t raise their status, either. Margaret was another blow - they were unable, even after several years, to arrange a suitable match. She quickly joined a sisterhood to try to reduce the scandal, but nonetheless, the word spread, especially when coupled with the Sebastian affair. Katherine’s marriage was suitable, but failed to produce children. Rose was forced to marry down, and then Susana refused marriage and - with even less grace than her elder brother - ran away in the night to study things that were entirely unsuitable for women to study. Relations have been chilly. This brings us to the family's last chance, their three youngest: Isadora and the twins. The three all came to courtship age at the same time, and all were known to be beautiful and talented, but considering the failure after failure from their family, suitors were hesitant. By the end of the season, by the skin of their teeth, the twins had acquired engagements. Which just left Isadora Maria Ana Collette Eloise.

Beautiful, distinguished, and gracious, many had expected her to be the first of the three to acquire a fiancé - but rumours had always gone around (recently encouraged by the twins) that she was also just a little bit strange. When she was younger, her family had laughed it off as a harmless, and possibly interesting, character quirk. “Come inside, Isadora,” her mother had once said, as the sun was finally setting. “It’s getting dark out. Don't you know that monsters live in the dark?”

Six-year old Isadora fixed her with a piercing stare. “More than monsters live in the dark,” she replied, and went racing down the hill towards the garden, until one of her brothers was tasked with bringing her back again.

Then there was the matter of her schooling. All of the young women in her family, if they liked, were allowed to study at one of the local religious orders. As was expected, all of them had stuck with the family patron, Pelor. And then stubborn Isadora, a fierce thirteen, insisted on apprenticing with the Corellon order. Still, even if it was a bit strange - a half-elven god? Moonlight? - at least it was still the god of beauty, and at least she was still learning all the proper arts for a young lady to learn.

Her schooling and eccentricities were bad enough, but then came the unpleasant encounter with Ben Albrecht - but the family worked incredibly hard to sweep it under the rug. They thought they had successfully showcased her as an excellent match, so it was to her and her parents’ great disappointment and surprise when the season came and went and she remained unbetrothed.

They suggested she simply become a Sister in an order - any order, they offered somewhat desperately, to her complete disinterest. Susana and Sebastian sponsored her application to a rather prestigious university, with the hope that she might finally apply her considerable magical and strategic talents. She agreed to attend - with the hopes that she might meet a suitable young man at such an institution.

In Game

Isadora attended the University of Xyneros, where she met her classmates Wynter, Willa, and Xuut, along with Professor Darwin, and the other faculty. Despite having her own suite, she usually stayed in the dorm with her classmates, sharing a room with Xuut and sleeping in the bed of the missing Hektor. She enjoyed studying higher levels of magic than had been available to her at the Temple, and quickly came to care for her classmates, even though she could never remember the sisters' names.

A few months after starting classes, they followed Professor Darwin out on a case and ended up falling through a portal and landing in a strange and ominous land - without their professors. They began to travel through the woods until they encountered two children begging them to go inside their house and save their family. They did manage to make it through the house alive, with a new dog by the name of Chair in tow, although Isadora touched a sacrificed infant and they all had to slay it, as it transformed into a shambling flesh mound. By the time they made it back outside, the ghost children were gone.

It was shortly after this that they entered the village of Barovia. They encountered an old woman known only as Granny who sold them several pies, guaranteed to cause wonderful dreams. They then headed into the tavern, to see what they could learn. This is where they first met Ismark Kolyanovich, with whom Isadora was immediately smitten. He asked them to escort his younger sister Irina to the nearby city of Vallaki, where she might be safe from the constant advances of Lord Strahd Von Zarovich, alternately known as "the Devil" or "the Land." First, they had to help bury the siblings' father. They did so at the nearby church, where Isadora learned a prayer from the god worshipped by most of the local citizens, the Morninglord. They also encountered the priest at the town, who had clearly lost his mind and was focused only on containing and feeding his vampire son. They decided not to get involved. While they were staying in the village, Isadora sampled the dream pies and was immediately addicted to

The next day, they set out for Vallaki with Irina in tow. Isadora was immediately fond of her, and she proved to be a valuable ally in combat. On their way, they stopped at the Vistani encampment and had their fortunes read by Madame Eva. In addition to their group reading, which offered advice on defeating Strahd, Isadora received a personal reading. Her two cards were the Hanged Man for her past, symbolizing a hidden past that must be released for freedom, and the Healer, which symbolized creating a home and healing for those around her.

ENCOUNTERING THE HAGS AND SAVING THE CHILDREN

Upon arriving in the city of Vallaki, Isadora and Xuut got into a loud argument in the streets, and the pair were promptly arrested by city guards and taken to the prison, which was mostly full of dead bodies. While in prison, they received a missive from Lady Wachter, who promised to help them escape. Sure enough, there was a distraction later that night, and Xuut and Isadora were able to make a prison break and reunite with the others at the Blue Water Inn. They brought news of Lady Wachter, and together, set out to visit her residence.

Lady Wachter was clearly a powerful woman, and she agreed with them that the current Burgermeister of Vallaki was a terrible man. She told them of her plans to usurp him - and offered them a job: kill his bodyguard. They accepted, and did so - but quickly realized their mistake, as this allowed Wachter to usher Lord Strahd into the city. The group fled in terror.

VISTANI & OLD JENNY

They had been asked by Irwin and Danica, owners of Blue Water Inn, to check in on their family at the Wizard of Wines vineyard to the west. They travelled there and encountered a hoard of zombified plant-creatures. They did manage to clear out the infestation, but Willa and Isadora both fell during this battle. Isadora experienced a vision of being hung upside down by chains and dipped repeatedly into a vat of acid, while hearing her friends calling out for her, out of reach. A mysterious voice asked her if she wanted to go back - she agreed, and immediately returned to her body. Her eyes, however, were darkly scarred and glassy, as she had lost much of her vision in exchange. This was also when she finally confronted the voice she had been hearing in her dreams, making all sorts of offers and reassurances if she would accept its help and agree to kill Count Strahd. She did so, and immediately gained a great deal of strength and health.

After the Wizard of the Wines encounter, they received an invitation to a dinner with Strahd, at Castle Ravenloft. After some disagreement, they ultimately accepted this invitation, and climbed into his cart to attend. They did pause once on the way - as they encountered the fields outside the city of Vallaki, filled with dead and dying citizens on spikes. Isadora and Xuut made their way through, lifting any living children they could find down and trying to stabilize them. They put all of the children into the cart, and sent it off to the village of Barovia where they hoped they could be helped by a proper healer, then journeyed onto the castle.

The dinner itself was terrifying - made even more so by Xuut and Wynter's refusal to play nice. Isadora ultimately cast Calm Emotions to keep them from antagonizing him further. After dinner, they retired to a ballroom where they danced for some time. Isadora danced with the Count himself, and was unable to resist his charming magic - despite her efforts, she revealed a great deal of their planning to him.

After dinner, they were escorted back to a sitting room. The group had received a letter to let them know that they were not alone in the castle, and a servant promised to bring back some information to them. They grew uneasy with how long they were left waiting, however, and against Isadora's wishes, Xuut and Wynter rushed off to make an escape attempt. She and Willa followed but the plan failed, and Xuut and Wynne fell. Presumably after making deals of their own, they both returned, however, and they decided to try again to escape - this time, simply by making their way through the castle. It was then that they finally encountered Hektor, chained and imprisoned in the Count's basement. They were able to rescue him and make their escape.

They headed to the village of Barovia, where they hoped they might find Ismark and rest in safety. When they arrived, however, the first thing they encountered was one of the hags. They immediately launched into an attack, and were able to successfully slay her. This was a short lived triumph, as the next thing they found was an enormous pile of bodies outside of the church - left by the priest's vampire son whom they had let live. The fear and disappointment only grew as they visited the Burgermeister's manor to find Ismark missing. They did encounter a new ally - Ezmerelda D'Avenir, a Vistani monster-slayer, friend of Ismark and apprentice to Van Richten.

OTHER TWO HAGS, REGAINING SOUL & FIRST THANE, SECOND DEATH

STOPPING BACK IN VELLAKI, MEETING BLUNDA

REACHING YESTERHILL, WATCHING ISMARK DIE

TAKING ISMARK TO THE TOWER, RESURRECTION

ARKENVOST MANOR, THIRD DEATH

RESURRECTION, MEETING ATHENA, RETURNING TO IRENA/ISMARK AT THE TOWER

Other Writings

Isadora has kept a diary since she was a child. It can be read at this link. Content is fairly on-par with in-game content.

A small collection of third person stories/snippets can be read at this link. Content includes mentions of neglectful parenting and eating disorders.

Weapon

A rapier/shield combo, crafted by her older brother Sebastian to resemble a parasol when closed. The handle detaches to turn into a rapier, and the lace of the parasol is interwoven with fine steel stands that can help deflect blows. The thin blade makes excellent use of her fencing training. It provides both protection and of course, fashion. Her classmate Wynter recently made some improvements to it, including a color changing feature.

Family

Parents

• Lord Remington Spencer Valentine DeCarlyle & Lady Francine Verity Grace DeCarlyle nee Sutcliffe

Siblings

• Callum: 33 years old, married to Gloria DeCarlyle nee Younger, five children
• Stella: 32 years old, married to Oscar Sambridge, four children
• Maxwell: 31 years old, unmarried, no children, a Priest in the Pelorian order
• Yasmina: 31 years old, married to Anthony Sherington, four children
• Sebastian: 30 years old, unmarried, no children, merchant & artificer
• Imogen: 29 years old, married to Bishop Omund, two children
• Margaret: 28 years old, unmarried, no children, a Sister in the Pelorian order
• Katherine: 27 years old, married to Gideon Blakesely, no children
• Rose: 25 years old, married to David Bentley, one child
• Susana: 24 years old, unmarried, no children, student at Museum of Levinkan
• Zara: 22 years old, engaged to Darby Winchester, no children
• Felicity: 22 years old, engaged to Julius Gedge, no children
• Isadora: 21 years old, unmarried, no children

Nieces and Nephews

• Callum & Gloria:
  • Callum Jr: 13 years old
  • Giles: 10 years old
  • Fergus: 9 years old
  • Angus: 7 years old
  • Portia: 5 years old
• Stella & Oscar:
  • Audrey: 11 years old
  • Lawrence: 10 years old
  • Francine: 8 years old
  • Henry: 6 years old
• Yasmina & Anthony:
  • Barnaby: 7 years old
  • Bianca: 5 years old
  • Blanche: 5 years old
  • Bree: 3 years old
• Imogen & Bishop:
  • Claudia: 6 years old
  • Clayton: 6 years old
• Rose & David:
  • Miles: 2 years old

Gifts

Everywhere she goes, Isadora brings with her a collection of 12 small trinkets: each one a gift from one of her siblings. They are as listed below:

• Callum: a broken rattle; there are no longer any beads in it but it’s still a beautiful wooden toy. It had been Callum’s when he was a baby, and when Isadora was born when he was a teenager, he absolutely doted on her. Her earliest memories are of Callum and Stella playing with her.
• Stella: a hedgehog-shaped pincushion. Nine year old Stella thought it was a stuffed animal, and bought it with her own pocket money for her baby sister. It was her favorite toy for years.
• Maxwell: a tiny notebook filled with sketches. Quiet, shy, and awkward, Maxwell spent a lot of time hiding out on his own. He loved his siblings deeply but mostly preferred his own company. Still, he found his own way to show his affection - when he was fifteen, he filled a small notebook with sketches of constellations for his littlest sister, who already shared his love for the night sky.
• Yasmina: a prank quill pen. Yaz was the biggest troublemaker of the children. She loved playing jokes, and was always dragging her siblings into the trouble. Isadora keeps a fake quill pen that looks like it’s full of ink but doesn’t actually write that Yasmina once sent her to tutoring with.
• Sebastian: mechanical dog. For most of her childhood, Sebastian was the sibling she was closest with. She keeps a tiny mechanical dog that he built for her from a few spare parts and gears. After all these years, it still can wag its tail. The dog is currently with Wynter.
• Imogen: a silver spoon. Im was a suck-up and her mother’s favorite; she had always known exactly what she wanted and how to get it. This led to fights with many of the other siblings, but rarely with Isadora, who admired her. Despite her goody-two-shoes exterior, Imogen had her own rule-breaking habits, and Isadora keeps a silver spoon Imogen once stole for her, just for the hell of it.  
• Margaret: stuffed sheep. Incredibly kind, sweet, and generous, if a bit stupid, both academically and when it came to the political game. She was often the peacemaker between the other siblings, and Isadora keeps a small stuffed sheep named Clouds that Margaret gave her when she had nightmares. Clouds is currently lost.
• Katherine: letter cut-outs. The most bookish, academic of the siblings, even more so than Susana. She keeps several small wooden letter cut-outs that Katherine used to teach her to read.
• Rose: gold coin with a tiny painting. Rose was, above all things, an artist. She loved music, dance, painting, instruments - she was always picking up new hobbies. For a time, she enjoyed tiny paintings. Isadora keeps a gold piece with a tiny painting of a cabin in a forest that Rose made.
• Susana: thread-woven bracelet. Isadora is especially close with her ambitious, independent older sister, and always keeps a small string bracelet that Susanna made with thread from each of their favorite dresses.
• Zara: costume ring. Despite arguing constantly and fiercely as children, Isadora loved the twin sisters who were closest to her in age. After they sabotaged her chances at a proposal, however, she refused to speak to them. Nonetheless, she keeps a small jeweled ring Zara won for her at a carnival she was too sick to go to one year.
• Felicity: Costume locket. Just like with Z, Isadora no longer speaks to Felicity. Still, she keeps the small locket necklace that Felicity brought back from that same carnival.

Spell Words

• Word of Radiance: Firefly (Gnomish)
• Spare the Dying: Miss You (Gnomish)
• Toll the Dead: Listen (Gnomish)
• Guidance: I Believe (Gnomish)
• Turn Undead: Fear Me (Elvish)
• Twilight Sanctuary: Hearth (Gnomish)
• Cure Wounds: Mend (Elvish)
• Shield of Faith: Unshaken (Elvish)
• Guiding Bolt: Righteous (Elvish)
• Bless: Light of Corellon (Elvish)
• Sleep: Sweet Dreams (Gnomish)
• Lesser Restoration: As You Were (Elvish)
• Healing Word: Be Well (Gnomish)
• Inflict Wounds: Bleed (Elvish)
• Calm Emotions: Deep Breath (Elvish)
• Spiritual Weapon: Look Out (Gnomish)
• Remove Curse: Be Whole (Elvish)
• Revivify: Heartbeat (Elvish)
• Longstrider: Fleet Foot (Gnomish)
• Goodberry: Nourish (Gnomish)

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