Lady Elizabeth J. Bollingbroke is a member of the Order of Reason.
Overview[]
As an esteemed resplendent and facilitator, Lady Bollingbroke has traveled nearly everywhere on the European continent. Some consider her little more than a glorified messenger, yet she hides her diplomatic skills behind a veneer of culture and etiquette. Her reputation proceeds her, partly because her correspondence is voluminous. Although she is wealthy enough to become a patron in her own right, she prefers the reckless life of a resplendent to the drudgery of a magistrate. Thus, she travels the continent listening to any Daedalean who will confide in her.
While on the road, she sends her cabal of Alexandians out expressly to deliver her meticulously scripted letters. One wonders where she gets the time to write so much. (The answer, of course, involves Time 3). In addition to her whirlwind duties as a freelance diplomat, she acts as an adviser to a wide array of cabals. Her criteria for choosing her favorite correspondents are inscrutable, but once you've attracted Lady Bollingbroke's favor, you may expect frequent and diligent correspondence. Legends tell of an ardent suitor who once dropped an unfinished letter out of the side of his carriage. One week later, he received a response.
A few rivals who have met her in person do not care for her mannerisms. Those she esteems are met with gentility and respect. Those she disdains are little more than obstacles in her path. When someone invites her displeasure, she is like a force of nature, battering adversaries with words like a tropical storm pounds the shore with wind and rain. Many men are simply too polite to oppose her. A Rubenesque, middle-aged woman with flowing red hair, she charges into romance with the same tempestuous fervor. Marriage does not interest her in the slightest, however. Her only lifetime companion is a black cat named Louis.
As a guest, her means are modest. She always travels by carriage, with one of two chests filled with clothes. Much to the amusement of her friends, most of her wardrobe seems to be based around fashionable hats. If one can endure her occasional tirades against incompetent haberdashers and the occasional "rival of the week" letters, her advice into the politics and culture of the Order is well worth reading. Just don't be late writing back!
References[]
- MTSC: The Order of Reason, p. 150