The Lady Karrina ab Vazien

by gerolf on November 8th, 2014

My dear Yolente,

Please don’t give me that guilt trip. You know I would be there if I could be. I will send Sven and Olga, two of my favored assistants, a priest and an inquisitor respectively, to come and supervise the wedding in my absence. I am sure Cousin Dietrich will be very happy with his new bride and I guarantee that her former lover will not be disrupting the wedding. Olga can be very… temperamental when it comes to disrupting religious ceremonies. I think the last person to interrupt a funeral that she was attending ended up on the pyre not but three days later. I promise you, nothing will happen.

Svetlana is five?! How could I have let this happen? I will send Sven with three gifts for her and two for Oskar. I can’t promise they will be much, but I do want them to remember me. Being their uncle is a task I take very seriously and I will spare no resource to make up for the time I cannot spend with them.

I promised I would tell you stories about all of the interesting people I have met during my time in the city. Perhaps it is best that I start with the Lady Earl Marshall and her soon to be husband, the former Lord Justiciar.

Speaking honestly, Karrina ab Vazien is one of the hardest women in the world. She is battle tested, cool under pressure, and fiercely loyal to her convictions. In fact, there have been situations where when your brother lost his temper she proved to be one of the few people to talk me down and explain the flaw in my logic. She would have made an excellent Vandagan.

The drawback, however, to this is that she is notoriously hard to read. I have developed some skill at it, though I must confess that it is a minor skill at best. I have seen her chuckle, but that is about the only emotion other than her normal cool demeanor. I think most people who don’t know her would think that she doesn’t like them, however, I have come to decide that it isn’t a lack of caring, but more so a lack of wanting to become emotionally invested in anyone. There is one obvious, and notable, exception: her betrothed.

Lord, or rather Master, Terryn dul Valistovos is an interesting man. I think I shall leave the majority of our stories to another letter as they are numerous and sometimes difficult to explain. However I must bring him up for the simple fact that he is betrothed to the Lady Earl Marshall, and, in my opinion, they have both affected changes in each other that astonish me, but, I think, will make them better people in the long run.

I originally met the Lady Earl Marshall when I was still seeking membership in the order and she was a Squire with the knights. Frankly, from the moment I met her, she frightened me. Yet for some reason she signed my sponsorship papers. I have never understood why, and in fact labored for several months under the impression that the only reason she sponsored me was so that I owed her a favor. I have come to believe that she does not view our relationship that way, but that, perhaps, she approved me because she saw something in me that I did not see myself. Of course she could have approved me because it would have gotten me out of her face. The latter is definitely more likely.

Fast forward a few weeks and I saw my first magical attack. It was not as glamorous as the bards make it out to be. In fact, if you were wondering, most mages who choose to act in an aggressive manner, will do so from as far away as possible. I myself have been struck by what is known as the “Breathbinder” spell. It is not life threatening, but it is terribly uncomfortable. The spell was likely cast miles from where I was at the time. I never found out who attacked me, though I do have my suspicions.

Anyway, the first attack, Squire ab Vazien was one of the first people on the scene, ready to take on whoever she found. The attack was headed up by someone calling themselves, “The Raven,” I believe. While the mage was never caught she was diligent in securing the perimeter and tending to the wounded. Her methodical approach was one that I found quite admirable.

For the next several months I confined myself mostly to the rectory, preforming my studies and developing my priestly skills. I would see her sporadically, but it was never socially and almost always by coincidence. From my experience, she was always one of the first ones on the scene when trouble arose.

It was for these reasons that, shortly after the events that led me to become Grand Inquisitor, she was made a Knight in her own right. I would never tell her this, of course, but I was surprised it took as long as it did. Time and time again she proved her dedication to the precepts of this Holy Order. Who am I to say, however, what path the Lord inspired the previous Earl Marshall to not promote her sooner? Everything in its proper time.

As I made my way through the clerical ranks, so did Lady Karrina move her way through the knight ranks. Shortly after becoming Cardinal, she was a key figure in an internal political movement that saw her predecessor resign from his office, and her accepting the Lord Regent’s offer for her to take it.

I can’t say I was displeased with the move. I have enjoyed working with both Earl Marshalls and I do consider her predecessor a close friend. Yet, I find the lady to be easy to work with and diligent in her job.

I have to say, though, that I find her demeanor has softened some since she decided to take Mister dul Valistovos as a husband. I find our conversations to become increasingly pleasant and jovial. This does not mean that she has abandoned her ideals, far from it. No, I think her marriage is a good thing.

That is all I have to say about that, dear sister. There are many other stories I have regarding her, but most will just cause you to worry. I can’t have that now can I? Give the children my love and tell them that I miss them. I hope they enjoy their gifts. I hope you all enjoy a happy new year. I will write again soon.

All my love,

Gerolf