"The cats do my sleeping for me" - Isla, Queen of Cait
Isla is the Queen of Cait and the living avatar of Eilidh Oirbheartach, the cat-goddess of the Albidosi. She is a small, dark woman whose amber eyes have a cat-like vertical pupil. Her subjects believe that she is linked with the goddess at all times, and that through this link she can see and hear everything that is observed by a cat. The exact extent of this power is unclear - some think it is only within the city of Aran, while others claim that it extends to the entire kingdom of Cait. Notably, the Lorekeepers of Foxbridge College in Dunwulf take pains to keep cats away from their private conferences, suggesting the her reach may be even greater.
There are many aspects of Isla that disturb those who are unfamiliar with her. She has a habit of intense stillness and silence, and many people have been surprised to find her in a room they had previously thought unoccupied. She comes and goes without announcing herself, and her servants have become long accustomed to her appearing in any part of the castle. Also, she never sleeps. She doesn't need to, as the cats which are omnipresent in Aran do all the sleeping she needs. This has the effect of granting her the strange benefits of insomnia, without any of the deleterious consequences. It is rumored that Isla is not actually capable of leaving Aran, and it is true that she has not journeyed from the city since her coronation and bonding to Eilidh Oirbheartach.
Mental characteristics
Isla is celibate, and appears to be disinterested in either sexual or romantic relationships.
Personality Characteristics
Isla is dedicated to her people and to Eilidh Oirbheartach, and through the goddess to
Cailtram, the Dreaming King. She works constantly (one might say tirelessly) to improve the lives of her subjects, and uses the strange gifts of her condition in their favor. Her insight into other people makes her an excellent if unsettling negotiator, and she maintains cordial relations with the other nations of Ynys.
Social
Isla inherited the crown from her mother, the Queen Lonceta, when she was only thirteen years old. She was not expected to reign, and had already been consecrated to the goddess, when a plague took both her mother and older sister, Derile. She is the first person to serve as both Queen and living avatar, and this alone will make her reign notable in the history books. When she ascended, there were some who suggested a regency (and others who considered whether a different monarch should be selected). After a few careful conversations, all discussion of this nature halted. She declared that she was being directly advised by
Eilidh Oirbheartach and that any other regent would be both redundant and an insult to the goddess. As for the suggestion that another monarch be selected - after a few pointed comments intimating what cats might have seen, those who were discussing such things ceased to do so, presumably in fear of what secrets she might reveal. She does not have an heir, and behaves as though she will never require one. She does have a council of clan chiefs that provide advice to her, but she frequently acts on situations before they are even aware of them, dispatching orders before news has arrived in
Aran by mundane means.
Isla is the consecrated avatar of Eilidh Oirbheartach, and is devoted to the goddess. While she is not the first to become a living avatar of the cat-goddess, it is a very rare event and she has only two antecedents in the role. The previous avatar died over two hundred years ago, and there are few alive who have a real idea of what this bond grants, and what it costs.
Enemy (Trivial)
Towards King Leofric Eafason
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