Ava Amity Scarborough

Ava Amity Scarborough was born in 1841 AF in Edison’s Stormwatch District, the only daughter of Count Thaddeus Lucien Scarborough and Countess Sorena Timmy Leigh-Scarborough. Even as a child, she seemed carved from the solemn marble of her lineage—brilliant, poised, and possessed of an acuity that startled tutors and family friends alike. Her early years were marked by academic distinction; she excelled in every subject offered to her, and by the age of fourteen was already producing essays circulated privately among the upper nobility for their clarity of thought and surprising political insight.

Yet brilliance offers no protection against scandal. A romantic mishap in her final year of preparatory schooling—trivial in the eyes of time, catastrophic in the eyes of the highborn—turned Ava into a social pariah almost overnight. Her parents, desperate to shield both her reputation and the dignity of the Scarborough name, sent her to Lilianth to complete her education and prepare for her eventual inheritance of Tammerlane. It was there, under the distant spires and refined salons of the city, that Ava’s intellect matured into something both formidable and dangerous.

In Lilianth she immersed herself in politics, history, economics, and philosophy, earning recognition not for polite academic conformity but for her uncompromising written voice. Ava possessed an unusual clarity: she skewered conservative nobles for their stagnation while dismissing revolutionary democrats for their untested idealism. Her critiques—coolly logical yet gracefully phrased—earned her both admiration and enemies, a balance she would maintain for the rest of her life.

When she returned to Edison in 1860 AF, she stepped into public life with the calm assurance of someone who knew precisely who she was. As a junior member of the noble assembly, she quickly distinguished herself with incisive speeches and meticulously researched position papers. Her articles circulated widely through the salons of both Edison and Lilianth, cited by seasoned statesmen as evidence of a rare new mind entering the political arena.

Despite—or perhaps because of—her newfound authority, Ava’s personal life remained complicated. The stain of her youthful scandal lingered in the marriage market, and though noble suitors found her brilliant, few were brave enough to bind their fortunes to hers. Yet this difficulty never embittered her. Ava formed a series of discreet relationships with powerful individuals—military leaders, academics, and even a celebrated painter—most of which ended amicably and left her with an unusual constellation of allies across society.

Ava is an avid reader and a passionate student of modern history, often found late at night surrounded by books and notes. She disliked modern art, which she regarded as “an abandonment of craft,” preferring instead the technical mastery and emotional clarity of classical realism. Ironically, this made her one of the era’s most significant patrons: under her guidance and funding, a small movement of realist artists found new life, eventually becoming associated with what critics later called “the Scarborough Revival.”

For all her elegance and intellectual sharpness, Ava was surprisingly gentle in person. She disliked violence and avoided all institutions that glorified it. As the future Countess of Tammerlane, she regularly walked the city’s districts, speaking with merchants, farmers, factory owners, widows, and children. Her visits were not ceremonial; she listened, remembered names, and followed up. It was this quiet, consistent presence among her people that transformed the Scarborough family’s reputation from wealthy administrators to beloved guardians of Tammerlane.

Ava Amity Scarborough grew into a woman who wielded influence not through intimidation or spectacle, but through insight, compassion, and a striking ability to articulate the needs of her people. Graceful, quick-witted, and deeply principled, she became the beating heart of her family’s legacy—an example of leadership born not from power, but from service.

Timeline

1841 AF — Birth

Ava Amity Scarborough is born in Edison’s Stormwatch District to Count Thaddeus Lucien Scarborough and Countess Sorena Timmy Leigh-Scarborough.

1847–1856 AF — Brilliant Early Education

Ava excels in her studies, gaining a reputation as one of the most promising noble youths of her generation.

1857 AF — The Scandal and Exile to Lilianth

A romantic mishap in her final year of schooling destroys her social standing. Her family sends her to Lilianth to finish her education and prepare for her future role as Countess of Tammerlane.

1857–1860 AF — The Lilianth Years

She studies politics, history, economics, and philosophy. Ava publishes her first essays and gains acclaim for her incisive critiques of both conservative and radical political movements.

1860 AF — Return to Edison

Ava returns to the capital and immediately enters public life as a junior member of the noble assembly. Her writings gain wide circulation and she begins establishing her political influence.

Late 1860s AF — Beloved Guardian of Tammerlane

Through frequent visits and tireless advocacy, Ava establishes herself as a compassionate leader, earning deep loyalty from the people she will one day rule.

1861–1865 AF — Rise as a Public Intellectual

Her articles, speeches, and policy proposals elevate her into the ranks of respected thinkers. She becomes a discreet patron of realist artists and modern historians.

1863–1868 AF — Private Romances and New Alliances

Unavailable for marriage due to her tarnished reputation, Ava nevertheless forms several quiet but influential relationships with figures across academia, government, and the arts.

1865 AF — Patronage of the Arts Begins

Ava formally sponsors several struggling realist painters, inadvertently launching what will later be called the “Scarborough Revival.”

1865 AF - Ava Forms the Modern Eldwell party

Ava forms a new junior political party with only 5 delegates that extends both in the Eldwell Noble Assembly and people's Parliament

1867 AF — First Major Legislative Proposal

Ava introduces a comprehensive reform bill addressing education and civic welfare in Tammerlane’s rural districts, marking her transition from commentator to policymaker.

1869 AF - Push for Release of Navy Ranks

Ava introduces the idea of allowing non-nobility that has proven their worth to join in the highest ranks of the Eldwell Navy and the dangers Eldwell faces if they don't. The motion fails