Isobel de Stopham

**Isobel de Stopham** is the current Baroness of Pinehold, in Seabreach County of the Duchy of Ashfall. She has ruled over the barony, with no input or aid from the Kingdom of Stormwind, for fourteen years, withstanding continuing raids from the local threats.

## History

### **Childhood (18 - 36 L.C.)**

Isobel was born "in exile" during the early years of Reconstruction, to Baron Alistair de Stopham and his wife Charlotte (nee Wishock). Before she was old enough to form any significant memories of Stormwind City, however, her father asked for, and received, permission to take a group of settlers back to their lost barony of Pinehold.

From that point forward, Isobel knew only hardship. The Duchy of Ashfall was a remote territory, and low in priority for Reconstruction compared to the nearer and more fertile lands such as Westfall and Redridge. Supplies were few, particularly as the port cities had been destroyed during the First War, and the settlers had to learn early and quickly how to live off of the land.

This proved a more difficult task than anticipated. Bands of Black Tooth Grin orcs, gnolls, and other threats constantly raided the settlers, who slowly became ill-equipped to defend themselves. Again and again, Pinehold sent for aid, which was always denied.

Isobel's mother was one of the first to die in a raid. A year later, Alistair said goodbye to his daughter and headed for Stormwind City to plead their cause directly to King Varian. Six-year-old Isobel "wrote" a series of "letters"--mostly crayon drawings with a short caption--for him to take along with him and not miss her so badly.

However, Alistair never returned, and not long after, Isobel was made baroness. A sweet little girl, she was well-loved, and her regents ruled well and respectfully until she was old enough to take her place.

At the age of fifteen, she captured and tamed a wolf. As her "answer" to the orcs' scornful treatment of her people's courage, she named the creature Kek.

### **Baroness of Pinehold (36 L.C. - Present)**

Isobel spent the intervening time between her ascension and the Siege of Pinehold fighting orcs, gathering resources, and helping her people in what ways she could. She became a skilled archer, and a fearless fighter.

She determined that the people of Pinehold should not cower under the threat of their enemies. When the orcs mostly withdrew from the region, she arranged an effort to begin gathering stone from the nearby quarry.

However, this met with violent reprisal. The orcs did not want the stone for themselves, but certainly did not want the walls of Pinehold fortified. They warned her that, if her people left "their place", the orcs would take bloody retribution. Temporarily daunted, Isobel called a halt to quarrying efforts--but continued to direct her people to hunt and plant well-hidden crops.

In February, 38 L.C., the Blackrock orcs were incited by the activity of the Knights of Ashfall in Redgold County. The orcs, knowing no better, moved to take that promised retribution against Pinehold, and laid siege to the fortress. For a month and a half, Isobel found herself staring her people's doom in its face; but she kept her courage in full view, and rallied them to fight and defend themselves.

The end of March would also bring the end of the siege, at the hands of Jeremaias Auromere and his knights. For the first time, Isobel found herself in the company of people she hadn't known all her life. As such, she didn't know whether to trust these sudden foreigners from Stormwind, and opted not to.

To her dismay, Auromere began providing immediately for supplies and reinforcements for Pinehold, and swiftly earned the respect of her people. Increasingly, she began to feel resentful toward this Lordaeronian "carpetbagger" who, to her mind, came swanning in and took the victory lap for her lifelong efforts to preserve her home and people. In a fit of admittedly immature spite, she labeled him "Lord Johnny of Come-lately".

She has slowly gained trust for the "foreign" knights, especially as they work to help secure the surrounds of her barony, and in Auromere's case, this trust has turned to love. She is now the object of a rather well-mannered but ardent courtship.

## Personality

Isobel is, at heart, a sweet-tempered girl with a great deal of emotional resilience. She has a strong sense of justice, and loyalty for the extended family that is the population of Pinehold. Her father taught her to fulfill her duty. However, she is no more immune to envy, jealousy, and resentment than any other human being, and her moods come and go with regularity.

She is not terribly open to new experiences or ideas, having grown up resenting the Kingdom of Stormwind and its "uncaring" kings. She regards Pinehold as being its own entity, and though she is not prepared to take up arms and declare independence, the condition of the kingdom and her technical affiliation with it are of less than no interest to her.

She is fairly intelligent, but her life to date has stifled any curiosity she might have indulged; her education has been limited to the few books, many songs and stories, and practical experience her situation has been able to offer her.