Ethne Phoebe Baker

Ethne Phoebe Baker began her distinguished career as a junior Clerk at the head office of the Ministry of Interior, serving under the exacting purview of Lord-Count Robert Asahel Boodle. From the outset, she distinguished herself not through flamboyance or political maneuvering, but through a quiet, methodical brilliance and an almost stubborn insistence on making systems work for the people who depended on them. Slight of build and usually dressed in impeccably pressed, conservative gowns in muted tones, Ethne carries herself with an air of calm attentiveness. Her dark hair is almost always pinned into a severe bun—though colleagues note that she absent-mindedly loosens it when deep in thought, a small but telling habit that has become something of a fondly noted quirk among her staff.

As a young administrator, Ethne proved her worth by spearheading the reorganization of public over-water transport between the islands of the archipelago. Rather than simply redrawing routes, she immersed herself in the lived reality of workers and dockhands, personally reviewing schedules and flow reports late into the night, often forgetting meals entirely when a problem refused to resolve. Her introduction of a rolling shift-rotation advisory ensured that industrial workers could arrive at their posts reliably and without the daily chaos that had previously plagued the barges. Complementing this reform, she devised a subsidies system that enabled workers to relocate closer to their places of employment, easing congestion on strained transport lines while simultaneously improving living standards by dramatically reducing commute times.

These early successes caught the discerning eye of Lord-Count Boodle, who recognized not only Ethne’s aptitude, but her rare capacity to balance efficiency with Empathy. He took her on as his protégé, steadily challenging her with projects of increasing complexity. Under his guidance, her talent flourished. Ethne developed a reputation for carrying a small, ink-stained notebook everywhere she went, in which she compulsively jotted observations, corrections, and marginalia—often returning to earlier notes years later with uncanny precision.

After fifteen years of exemplary service, Ethne was awarded the Golden Pen in service of the Palace and promoted to the prestigious position of Head Secretary of the Ministry of Interior. In 1869, she volunteered for—and was selected to join—the Journey to Lilianth, a diplomatic mission that would prove pivotal. Her administrative acumen and steady counsel helped lay the groundwork for the Alliance forged between the Eldwell Empire and the Thierry Free States in 1870, during the turmoil of the Kel-Leidenstein attack and The Siege of 1870.

Beyond her public life, Ethne is a devoted wife to Tiago Loverteen Baker and a loving mother to their two daughters, Lucia and Roberta. She resides in Stormwatch, in an estate granted for her use by Lord-Count Boodle. In her scarce free hours, she finds solace in botany and the careful cultivation of roses, a practice she claims teaches her patience more effectively than any ministry ever could. She has also developed an earnest fondness for Oshi—despite being quite poor at it and fully, cheerfully aware of that fact—approaching the game with the same determination she brings to governance, even when success stubbornly eludes her.