Lady Julia

Special Equipment:

She like many nobles have a pearl of warning. Hers is more powerful than most, those that only warn of poisons. Hers will give her warning when she is in bodily danger.

Appearance:

She is a mere 5 foot 5 inches and a sturdy 110 stones (lbs). Though petite in build, she is not a frail little flower of the court. She has hidden strength in her tiny frame, made stronger by regular rides and the occasional fighting training. She is not a traditional court beauty by any strech of the imagination. Her hair is middling brown and her eyes a darker shade. To her credit, her skin is porceline fair. She has a classic beauty, but not a stunning one.

It is not her physical appearance you remember her for. It is her personal charisma and intelligence that you remember (as well as her biting tounge, iron will, and purity of conviction).
If you have having a problem picturing her, think of a young Katherine Hepburn.

It should be noted that she always dresses conservatively for the court. Though many a young courtier and lady might dress in the new and finest fashions, she is immune to this trend. She dresses in sturdy, servicable clothing, of a courtly cut when she is there. Though young and well thought of, she wears clothing more suited to a Elder Grand Dame than a pretty young courtier.

Background:

Lady Julia (of Easthillland, heir to Erlington) comes from a poor, but very noble line. She is actually 11th in the line for the thone. She was fostered to the Duke of Erlington when her parents died while travelling. The Duke is a bear and bore of a man. His overbearing nature pushed Julia hard when she was young. Unable to compete with him in any arena, Julia was force to rely on her ample wits. Though obnoxious, The Duke was an able opponent. This served to sharpen Julia's logic and oratory abilities, in addition to giving her a command of vulgar language that could make a naval officer blush. Eventually the two came to an understanding and the household seldom shook with their arguments thereafter.

Given the death of his two sons and his dear wife's advancing age, The Duke has made her his heir. 'Because she is more than a match for any of those damm court pansies The Crown would give the Holding too.'

Her only real companion at the Duke's estate was a recently installed chaplin. Julia and Marcus spent hours discussing philosophical and religious issues, learning history, and playing Chess (which despite the Duke's military prowess, he was a poor opponent - prone to knocking over the board). Over this time, she became acutely aware of the illogical and ethically wrong actions that were ingrained in society.

When she came of age, The Duke presented her to The Court. She made quite the splash. To quote a few wits, 'Lady Julia has come to Court and taken it to task'. Her normal strategy is to 'pin' various nobles in public discussions about a variety of subjects. The point of a pinning was to make them publically admit the logic of an ethically superior position, which was against their regular private opinion. She has been working towards the equal treatment of women, the treatment of non-humans as humans, and religious tolerance. By artfully choosing these targets, she has manage to effect changes to noble opinion, through the nobles desire to avoid public embarassment. While she is not on the Privy council, her opinions carry a lot of weight over the court.

So all the young women choose to emulate her. Out have gone all the beautiful clothes, and in have come dowdy and practical. They try to sound educated, but years of being nothing but fluffy noble wives to be is hindering them. The younger nobles have taken up her banner, to challange wrongs that are merely upheld by tradition rather than any real reason. The older male nobles are begining to feel threatened by this little slip of the girl. Of course, Cardinal Roogers (Insert Evil Ploting High Cardinal) knows he must neutralize this women somehow before she disrupts all his carefully layered plans.

Roleplaying Notes:

She is highly intelligent woman, with an iron will and in indomitable drive. She would be called a human dynamo if such technology was available.

She is logical, but understands how passion can be as persuasive as logic. She believes that all people (of every social class) should be treated fairly, that the law should be fair across the board, and that all speaking peoples should be covered by that law.

She is very aware that she is a woman playing a man's game. She never pushes people too far, nor is she hurtful in her conversations. She never burns a bridge. She is always planning for the future when it comes to her arguments.

She has no higher political aspirations. She simply want to make her homeland the finest country in the world.