Elsanne Molbak

Admiral Elsanne Molbak

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Born to a minor merchant in 1301, Elsanne Molbak was the fifth of seven children. While her older siblings were destined to take over the shop and ship of their parents, she was instead meant to join the navy, as to further the families prestige and give them a sympathetic ear with the port authorities. Thus, even her childhood education was dominated by all things naval. Additionally, a special focus was put on mathematics, so she could specialize in working the ballistae, a complicated, yet very rewarding field.
Even though it was unusual for women to join the naval forces at the time, she was accepted into the Richardian Naval Academy at the traditional age of fourteen. An adequate student, she didn't stick out among her peers, although she always placed in the upper third. Unlike some of her more eccentric peers which quickly became household names of the Richardian navy, she dutifully served as a ballista officer in the Richardian port. In this function she helped her family more than once to evade to critical controls, doing her part in ensuring the continued prosperity of her family. However, as one of her superior officers noted, sometimes she showed the potential to do far more than an officer of her station.
By all accounts, the rest of her life shouldn't have been any different. Serving as a minor port officer, maybe becoming captain of port ballistae, but otherwise doing nothing of note. However, this changed in 1322. The eight war between Uphratus and the Richardian Republic had begun and due to infighting and lacking funding it quickly found itself on the backfoot. So much so, that even the loss of the capital became something to consider. Molbak, then a mere first lieutenant, was not in Richardia at the start of the war, instead traveling to Vakana, in the search of better ballista designs. However, when the news reached her, she fell into a frenzy. Assuming command of her ship and requisitioning the Richardian ships in Vakana. She sold the goods they held, used the profits to buy arms and hire mercenaries. Through this quick action, she amassed a fleet of eight ships, armed to the teeth. Without having ever actively commanded a fleet, albeit she learned the tactics at the academy, she set sail to return to Richardia.
As it turned out she came just in time, the Uphratians had mounted an overwhelming attack, coming dangerously close to besting the walls of the city and inching ever closer towards the harbor. Ecstatic over the possible victory, they did not notice the small fleet approaching them from their rear. This proved disastrous, as Molbegs fleet managed to get close enough to hammer them with their ballistae. As an artillery officer, she put heavy emphasis on equipping every ship with at least six, four more than usual. This was considered risky, as the recoil could easily lead to the ship capsizing. Additionally, she ordered the battlemages she had with her to generate several illusions of warships, increasing the size of her attacking fleet.
The quick slaughter of their rear put the Uphratian admirals into a panic, thinking that a massive Richardian fleet had arrived to free the city. In a panic, they ordered a general naval invasion. As it was uncoordinated with the land forces, the Richardian garrison could focus on destroying the Uphratian fleet, leading to the destruction of ninety percent of its ships. Seeing the destruction of their navy by what seemed to be the feared Richardian relief fleet demoralized the Uphratian land forces, who retreated from the siege.
Themselves now ecstatic by their surprising victory, the Richardians prepared an impressive reception for the admiral of the relief fleet. They were shocked when it was not a massive warship with an admiral docking, but a small cog with a mere lieutenant as a commanding officer. The surprise quickly was replaced by celebrations of their unexpected hero. The same day Molbak was promoted to the rank of Admiral by the Stadtholder, honoring both her innovative strategy, as well as her role in saving the Republic.
From this point on she was given some of the most prestigious assignments, such as the first expedition against Ladonia, advancing Richardian interests throughout the known world and reshaping its naval doctrine. When she died in the battle of the Dorian Strait she was one of the Republics most influential Admirals, having saved the Republic itself, and taken significant political influence. For example, she advocated and instituted a food supply system for the poor and destitute of the capital, guaranteeing a peaceful capital not prone to revolt.

Education

To accommodate her life in the navy, her childhood education was dominated by areas useful for this endeavor. As such, she learned much about trade, naval warfare, both doctrinal and practical and how to run a ship. Little effort was made to educate her in the fine arts, leading to a life-long disinterest in the area.
The naval academy worked with what it got and continued to walk the path laid out by childhood education. She learned more about the practical aspects of warfare and shipping, while again missing out on classes about fine art.
This education stands in stark contrast to most admirals serving at this time. While they took pride in being connoisseurs of fine art, she accepted that there was a whole world to be discovered, but it was not for her to do so.

Life

1301 AF 1364 AF 63 years old

Birthplace

Richardia

Gender

Female

Eyes

Grey

Hair

Short brown hair with grey streaks

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Tanned face, otherwise pale

Height

1.68 m

Weight

58 kg

Aligned Organization

Richardian Republic