Katarina Steele

**Lady Katerina Steele**, also known as **Kat Steele**, **Duchess Steele**, born **Katerina Partridge**, is an aasimar/holy one rogue and the duchess of Urgovel, making her a member of the Council of Stars in the Commonwealth of Higard. Lady Steele is legendary as an adventurer and member of the Star-Touched, a group that traveled through central Maywikt. She is famed for the dismantling of the biomancer enclave led by Dr. Heinrich Branson and aiding in retaking the Spire of the First King and therefore, Bailen, for the Commonwealth of Higard. She is one of the few people to have successfully fought off a Covenant of Service, defeating the Devil Muertos and proving her case against the Inevitable, Omega-X.

## Katarina Steele

A portrait of Lady Steele, by Lucy (@bluebirddraws)

## Character information

### Also known as

* Duchess of Urgovel
* Kat (nickname)
* Katarina Partridge (birthname)

### Family

* Henry Partridge (father)
* Minerva (lost genetic sibling)
* Olivia Partridge (mother)
* St. Lillian Partridge (sister)

### Connections

* Carnifex Josef von Zeppenstein (associate)
* Commonwealth of Higard (government)
* the Devil Muertos (rival, arch-nemesis)
* Dr. Heinrich Branson (arch-nemisis)
* Duke Nettle Swiftfoot (close friend)
* Krukazel Scalecut DDS (close friend)
* Lady Rosalyn (best friend)
* Maus Ponyhosen (close friend)
* Nora Lynn (complicated)
* Oleander Morgenstern (mentor)
* Sophia Swiftfoot (mentor)
* St. Clarion Reiss (close friend)
* the Star-touched (member)
* Verdrid Miner's Union (representative)

## Appearances

### Episode count

* 1
* Referenced throughout WovenRealm

She is a guardian figure to Oleander, having adopted the spiritborn as her own ward, and exists as something like an aunt to Oleander.

Lady Steele's adventures with the Star-Touched are the subject of the *SteamSpell* campaign. She is played by cast member Lucy (@bluebirddraws); Lucy reprises her role as Lady Steele in her appearances throughout *WovenRealm.*

## Description

### Appearance

Kat first appeared in Steamspell at the age of 18. She's slight and very pale, with a small, lithe build suited for an acrobat and round, cherubic features dusted with freckles. She has short, curly copper hair and big green/hazel eyes flecked with gold. In Steamspell, she wore black leather armor from head to toe and two crossed swordbelts, and hooded black capelet fastened with a silver hummingbird skull. As the Duchess of Urgovel, she wears a high-collared black coat and the crown of the First King, which she acquired while taking the Spire of the First King. A hint of silver streaks her hair. She can manifest large white feathered wings at will, and when she activates her aasimar/holy one powers, her eyes blaze white and she seems to glow with an inner flame. She is covered in scars from her time with the biomancers, the most notable of which is a long, neat y-shaped cut from her stomach, up her sternum, and across her collarbones, which appears to have been cut open and re-closed repeatedly. Her encounter with Muertos left her with a scarred-over bullet wound in her chest.

### Personality

Kat is sharp and driven, with a hot-temper. During Steamspell, she struggled with her rage and hatred towards the biomancers, and has been known to resort to violence with sometimes alarming haste. Despite that, Kat is a deeply compassionate, kind person, and repeatedly chose to show mercy to those who had wronged her, freeing a former biomancer from the dungeons of the First King and choosing to comfort Lillian instead of exacting revenge on Dr. Branson. She has a mischievous streak, and is extremely loyal to those she holds dear, sometimes to the point of self-destruction. She takes her responsibilities as Duchess of Urgovel seriously, and works hard to protect her people.

## Biography

### Background

Kat Steele, born Katerina Partridge, and her twin sister, Lillian, were the eldest children of the Lord Henry and Lady Olivia of Songbird Keep in Wren's Run.

### Pre-campaign

After defeating the biomancy enclave under Dr. Branson, Lady Kat set out to work in retaking her homeland, Urgovel, from the Kovithian occupiers. With the support of her friends, notably official support from Duke Nettle Swiftfoot and Sir Gregor Voland, she was able to spur a revolution that overthrew the Kovithian forces in Urgovel in 2S 1851. With her legitimate claim to the ducal seat and her brave courage leading the people of Urgovel against the Kovithians, Lady Steele was quickly elevated to the status of Duchess of Urgovel and set to work to improve the lives of her subjects while relocating to her birthhome of Songbird Castle in Wren's Run. Lady Steele's irregular army became the basis for the Ravenguard, Urgovel's current major military force.

Lady Steele set about dismantling many of the Kovithian rules and legislations, but she made sure to expand on the technology and industries they had introduced to Wren's Run and had made improvements to the tram system already in place. Famously, she subsidized transport in Wren's Run with the city being one of the first to offer government sponsored public transit, a revolutionary idea that has vastly improved the quality of living in the city. The other major vestige of Kovithian law that Kat left in place was the exclusionary zone the Inquisition had placed around the Black Cathedral with a dangerous dragon calling the once holy structure its lair. As duchess, Lady Steele worked closely with Carnifex von Zeppenstein and the Inquisition to root out any remaining biomancers in the region, with her final foray against them having led her to Duskwind Vale. This not only repaired the tenuous relationship between Kovith and Higard, but it also effectively ended the practice of biomancy in Imperial Kovith and central Maywikt.

At some point, Kat was approached by their close friend and old adventuring companion, Maus Ponyhosen, to help look after a spiritborn girl in grave danger, to which she immediately accepted the request and took Oleander Morgenstern as her ward. At some point, Kat gave Oleander the Corvan Cane as a gift. Kat has not indicated she is aware of the status of Oleander's family. Kat allowed Clairon Reiss to construct a chapel devoted to Corvus in the city.

### Season 1

Lady Kat Steele is encounter in Season 1 of *WovenRealm* in S1E16 'Berserker' when she came to the Emerald Caravan's aid responding to Oinksbane's ambush. She held an audience with the Caravan and explained to Oleander that her cane was a gift given to her by a family member who is an 'old friend' of hers.

Lady Steele spurred her forces on to aid Shiverdelve in their time of need against Gorgoth and Sheriff Jenning's insurrection, lending the aid of the Ravenguard. This has caused a great buildup of tension between Urgovel and Maywood as Lady Steele has made a major move into heavily contested territory. Sheriff Leon Jennings was tried and executed under Urgovel law under a tribunal led by Lady Steele.

In a “cinematic cut scene” at the end of the season, Lady Steele was visited by Carnifex von Zeppenstein. He requested (and was denied) access into Urgovel to pursue rumors of biomancer activity around the commune of Eternal Trust. The Carnifex also made reference to an arrangement of some sort regarding Lady Steele’s relationship with Oleander.

### Season 2

While the Emerald Caravan has been busy adventuring in Maywood country, tensions between the Protectorate and the Commonwealth of Higard grow after Duchess Katarina Steele’s bold move on Shiverdelve following the Lycus 25th Insurrection. This led to the Queen bolstering her presence within the contested Kolchek territory. The rich aether reserves that have been discovered in the contested territory make holding the land a strong strategic advantage. Both sides hastily constructed fortifications in the region, the Starwatcher Mountains a vast source of the stone and the nearby forests providing whatever wood necessary. Badger Hold and Wolfsong Fortress stare at each other, awaiting orders of war. Some would argue that Lady Steele’s move was intentional; to goad Queen Skyheart into war. The only thing preventing the two powerhouses from going to war is the looming Empire of Kovith. Both Maywood and Higard are well aware of the fact that even if the two fought a war, Kovith would sweep in to conquer both victor and defeated.

### Season 3

According to Mr. Puddins, Lady Steele will have more of a major role in Season 3 of *WovenRealm* with plans to have Lucy reprise her role as the hero of legend.

## Character Information

### Quests

The safety of those in her care is paramount to Lady Steele. She works her best to give the people of Urgovel what she believes is what is best for them. She vehemently hates biomancers, having made it her personal crusade to destroy them; a quest she was successful in.

### Notable Items

* Act of Contrition
* Brightsaex
* Crown of the First King
* Juan Muertos Sojourner Mask