Elsinore Merula-Calumet

Lady Elsinore Linnea Merula- Calumet

Elsinore Calumet, a distant relative of the Countess on her mother's side, married Jules Merula three years ago, after an arrangement more or less brokered by the Countess who evidently found his widower status and general moping unbecoming of a representative of the crown. Elsinore knows she married a bit below her station, but she's also hopeful that the Countess did this as a precursor to elevating him to knighthood and at least a small parcel. Three years on it seems perhaps her hopes were misplaced.
Still, she keeps a positive face and seems to enjoy her role as a hostess and role model, barely an aristocrat but still elevated in her aspect and outlook, often overdressed for little affairs, and sometimes taking to her bed for weeks at a time with undisclosed health issues that everyone assumes are more mental than physical. Married at 23 when her husband was in his late 50s, her childlessness is also begin to fuel some rumors in town of various cruel and unkind sorts, seeing as her predecessor died in the act of attempting, unsuccessfully, to give birth to the Castellan's child.
She aspires to elegance but sometimes only achieves a gauche aloofness. She seems taken by moods, sometimes garrulous and friendly, other times morose and withdrawn. What can be said with some certainty is that she has few friends in the world, other than perhaps the Serene Mistress but as the people in the lower keep will point out, the Serene Mistress doesn't really have a lot of choice because of her position. Perhaps that too is what irritates Elsinore, that her own position has always taken precedence over who she really is as a wife and a young woman. Perhaps she and Filorene find some common ground in this. In any event, the Serene Mistress has spent more time than most talking, praying, and conferring with Elsinore, like a mother to an adopted daughter though Alba isn't really old enough to be that. Despite her superior social station on paper, Elsinore seems to follow rather than lead the Serene Mistress, or anyone else for that matter. If she truly has power of her own, she seems not to have claimed it, as yet. Arguably, her status and influence depends entirely on that of her husband, who is a busy man and even to a casual observer seems hard, and preoccupied, most of the time.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Elsinore is a striking beauty with soft curves accenting a trim and healthy figure. She is physically active to the extent a pampered Castellan's wife can be, and also an excellent rider of horses. She does sometimes suffer fainting spells, however, and on rare occasions suffers from a malaise that leaves her in her bed for days though no physical cause seems to be evident.

Apparel & Accessories

Elsinore has always loved fancy and impractical dresses made of taffeta, silk and sheer flax linen, and also favors interesting headgear such as jeweled combs, fancy hair clips and the like. Slightly overdressing for almost everything is one of her distinctive characteristics.

Social

Family Ties

The Calumet line is distantly related to the current Countess Saris Marjoleine, who is herself a distant relation to King Haanefris, meaning that Elsinore has a line that can be traced with some difficulty all the way back to the sovereign.

Religious Views

Though she spends a great deal of her time entertaining the Serene Mistress in the Parlor of the castle, her own religious views are unclear and it seems that religion may be more philosophical than spiritual for her. She wears no obvious tokens of faith and the castle is mostly bereft of any décor of a religious nature.

Alignment

Lawful Neutral

Current Location

Upper Bailey Castle

Ethnicity

Maseracht

Age

26

Date of Birth

23rd of Seventhmonth

Gender

Female

Eyes

dark brown

Hair

long, blue-black and slightly curly

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

pale pink, augmented with talc

Height

5' 7"

Weight

129

Related Reports

• S1 E22: Almost Finding the Almost-Killer
• S1 E23: Confronting Elsinore

Known Languages

Elsinore's hobby is studying and practicing different languages as well as the distinct ethnic dialects of common. She speaks Realm Common with a slight Maseracht accent as her native tongue. She can also converse readily in Elvish, Dwarven, and Draconic, can make her way through Goblin easily enough, and has been working at undercommon as well, though the chances to use it are few. She likes speaking Orcish, and is interested in Old Yuan-ti sigils from a few temple items that turn up from time to time from the temple sites nearby. She also has made a study of Abyssal and Infernal though she knows it's probably unbecoming, and as such doesn't draw a lot of attention to the fact.