Lady Merreth

Who is Lady Merreth?

Lady Merreth is the central character of what I plan will be several novels and a few short stories.  The protagonist in other words.

Her world is an alternate one, an analogue to earth, although with a different continental layout.  The technology level is roughly mid to late eighteenth century, though there can be wide variations from country to country.  Lady  Merreth’s world does not have magic.  There are no dwarfs, elves, dragons, magic swords, or sorcerers.  Nor does anyone possess ‘paranormal’ powers.   ‘Fantasy without magic’, if you will.

Lady Merreth is Heir Primary to ‘Sable House’, an aristocratic family/organization that rules one of several provinces within the Wechtan Matriarchy.  She attained that position when she was 26 upon the death of her mother. Her older sister Ammantha is now High Mistress of Sable House.

Lady Merreth is 29 years old and stands 5’10” inches.  She has wavy brunette hair that falls past her shoulders.  Her eyes are brown and she has slightly olive skin and strong, yet feminine hands.  She has a ‘dancer’s build’ with some muscle definition and is right-handed.  Her voice is somewhat deeper than normal, almost husky.

She favours traditional leather in black (her House colour) for clothing.  This includes black, flat heeled riding boots that come up well over her knees.  These are pulled over leather leggings that have stitching running down the outside of the legs.  The stitching can be loosened in warmer weather.  The leggings are relatively tight, but loose enough to ride a horse in.

Merreth wears a riding breast band under a black leather vest which is laced up the front.  Her gloves are skin tight black leather, wrist length.  She sports a wide brimmed hat, somewhat like that of a cavalier, though with a wider brim that is typically pulled down in front to shield her eyes.  Merreth has both a cloak and a coat that she wears in colder weather.

She carries a sword in a scabbard on her back, and a pair of throwing dirks. One hangs in a short sheath on her left front, from a belt that hangs around her hips.  The other is stuffed in the top of her right boot.  Though not strictly a weapon, Merreth’s badge of rank is a nine foot bull whip which is coiled and hangs from her right side.  She is a fair swordswoman though by no means the best.  She is very good with her dirks and has very quick reflexes.

Merreth was educated by Temple-supplied tutors, as are most of the Wechtan nobility.  She can read, write, and is fairly good with numbers.  She is adventuresome and something of a risk-taker. At times she can be impulsive. Merreth snuck out of Sable House Hold when she was fourteen years old to camp in the woods, in direct contravention of her mother’s wishes.  Her personality is rather dark.  She is a sadist and is torn between the pleasure she feels when her darker desires call to her, and the guilt and self-loathing that comes afterwards.  She keeps that part of herself under iron control and is constantly afraid it will slip out.

Merreth struggles with her temper. She is a loner and does not want anyone to get close to her.  She fears they will either be somehow taken away from her or that she will hurt them in some way. In the very rare instances when she does form a close friendship she is loyal to a fault.  She tries to be honest and honorable in her dealings with others.    Deep inside she is lonely.

For reasons that are a mystery to Merreth, small children, particularly boys, are fascinated by her.  Merreth is not quite sure what to make of this and feels awkward around youngsters.  Despite this, there have been several occasions when she has defended and rescued children, even when they were not her responsibility.

Her speech pattern is taciturn and blunt.  She has a dry sense of humor that she keeps under rigid control, though it occasionally seeps out and surprises those around her.

Merreth is much more comfortable around commoners than most of the nobility.

So there you have a character sketch of Lady Merreth.  I’ve kept back some details that are important to the plot though.

Lady Merreth as depicted by artist Max Forward