Isolda Stringer

Isolda Stringer

You've never heard of Isolda Stringer? Well, I guess that rules out the possibility of you being a Fox. Isolda Stringer is the most famous historian among Foxes. Ironic, I suppose, considering she was a woman....

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Isolda was born and raised in a Fox community in Seretrene. Being a girl, she was unable to attend the Fox magic school, but she was determined to be let in one day. From a young age, she spent much of her time reading, and by the age of nineteen, she had read through the most of the texts openly available to all members of the Fox community. Having made friends with boys who were studying at the magic school, she convinced them to appeal to the Fox Masters on her behalf. She was granted access to the Fox school's library for the purpose of historical research. She was particularly interested in Tobias Wilson, a historical figure from her own community, who had saved the city several centuries earlier.
After a year of research, she published a paper on Tobias Wilson which carried insight into his unique ability to have foreseen something which higher level Foxes had not predicted. She made suggestions as to potential details of the events that others had not considered before. This led to the Fox Masters scrying for the past. When they discovered just how accurate her suggestions were, she was then commissioned by the local Fox Masters to write a longer work on Tobias Wilson, and was offered access to books brought in from other libraries to do so. Shortly afterward, she completed The Stratgem of Tobias Wilson, later republished as Toby's Gambit. By this time, she had become so well known within the local school that she had been given free reign of the campus, despite being a woman. One of the history teachers even invited her to present her insights to his class. Soon, Fox communities throughout Seretrene were hiring her to conduct research on different aspects of Fox history. All in all, she completed nineteen historical compilations similar to The Strategem of Tobias Wilson, and none of her hypotheses have since been proven wrong. Her reputation for her unique insight and the incredible accuracy and detail of her work earned her free admittance to any Fox school in the country. She was even allowed to sit in on classes, though she could not officially take them. Isolda died at the age of 41, when she succumbed to an illness that the Fox masters could not cure. She remains the most famous and respected Fox historian.

Education

Being female, Isolda was not allowed to attend Fox magic school. She did, however, attend primary school in her community, in which she learned to read and write, and quickly developed a love for history. Though it was common for girls to seek a marriage with a high-leveled Fox, Isolda's parents encouraged her interest in history. Her mother studied with her at home, presenting Isolda with every book she could locate. There are some rumors that Isolda's father secretly taught her Fox magic, but there is no proof that this is the case.

Employment

After Isolda's first success writing about Tobias Wilson, she was soon recruited by other Fox schools to research other local histories. Being a woman, she was often considered better for the job that a Fox student, as Fox students were often discouraged from interacting with people outside the community, but not having magical abilities that might be revealed, Isolda could easily interact with people from nearby local towns to gather other important historical information. Though she was not paid a great deal for her research, the schools which commissioned her paid for her food and housing during her research periods, and thus she moved from one city to another, living off the very schools that would not accept her.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Isolda published nineteen historical texts in her lifetime, though the most famous was her first, primarily due to its republishing to a broader audience.

Failures & Embarrassments

When she was twelve, Isolda tried to disguise herself as a boy in order to sneak into the school and take classes in Fox magic. She was recognized by her own father, who led her out to the jeers of the boys.

Intellectual Characteristics

From a very young age, Isolda was fascinated by history. She was a very good reader, and had a sharp mind, which allowed her to make connections between different texts that other historians had failed to make. She was also very interested in Fox magic, though she could not study it. In the handful of letters that remain of Isolda's own life, she laments that she had not been born a boy, for if she had, she says, she surely would have taken to magic, "as a true fox does to hunting."

Life

1431 1472 41 years old

Gender

female

Eyes

gray, alert

Hair

black, thick, shoulder-length

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

fair

Height

5'3"

Appears in...

• Foxes