Ianthe Ferrier

Ailing, and still sharp enough to draw blood with a sentence. Ianthe Ferrier is matriarch of the Ferriers, one of Marshedge's Old Family heads — and the slow erosion of her family's clout has not dulled her at all.

The Ferriers have lost much standing in recent years; she has not forgotten which families helped that along.

Appearance: An elderly woman with fine bones and white hair coiled tightly at the back of her head. Her hands tremble slightly but do not stop moving — smoothing cloth, tapping surfaces, steadying themselves on anything within reach. Her eyes are clear and sharp, missing nothing.

Instinct: To maintain her family’s dignity