Isidora Varnham
Sobriquet: Colonel
Appearance: Isidora is a beautiful, athletic woman in her late thirties. An athlete who takes care of herself, she could be mistaken for woman who is ten years younger. That is until you look into her cold gray eyes, or see the scars of gunshot wounds, knife attacks and burns left by exploding ordinance. But the scars only add character to a strong woman equally comfortable in dress uniform or fatigues. She doesn't bother with frilly feminine things like perfume or scented soaps, nor does she dye her blond hair. But she does have a few well hidden tattoos from late night drinking sessions with short-term boy-toys or old friends from the service. Colonel Varnham stands just shy of six feet tall and weighs a solid 135 pounds of mostly muscle. Her blond hair is starting to streak with random gray hairs which Isidora wears like badges of honor.
Behavior: Colonel Varnham is an officer first and a woman second. Without question a Type A personality, she demands only the best from her troops, but nothing she herself wouldn't do in service to her country. In return, she rewards her troopers in equal measure and is a well respected officer whose troops have almost perfect morale. While she isn't precisely by the book, she mostly sticks to the rules, but knows that human beings are naturally flawed, thus requiring a certain amount of flexibility on her part as commander. Thus while harsh in judgement, she is always fair which has earned her plenty of loyalty down through the years. In first encounters she has a tendency to come on strong and then slowly relent, giving her equals the opportunity to first respect her and then like her. To her superiors she shows respect and is quick to take and implement orders, but once protocol is observed, she can be caustic if she feels her superior isn't living up to her exacting standards. This charming trait has slowed her rise in the army far more than her sex, but it hasn't stopped her and it won't be too terribly long before she has earned her first star, ass-kissing or no ass-kissing.
History: Isidora was born at the turn of the century. She grew up in a military family that had defended the nation beginning with the Revolutionary War. She was born in Washington D.C. and her ancestral home is in Vermont, but she rarely visited there, as she grew up a typical army brat always on the go to her father's next posting. Her father was a strict disciplinarian, more a commanding officer than a father, which is where Isidora gets many of her personality traits. Unfortunately, she grew up without a mother to show her how to be a woman and had to settle for her father's many girlfriends as feminine role-models and the occasional advice from distant female relatives rarely seen. Her father made sure she studied at the best available schools, but those schools changed on a regular basis, so he hired tutors. In her late teens she acted out in a typical fashion and ran away with one of her tutors and her father had to hunt her down and bring her home. Afterwards he hushed the whole thing up and personally saw to her discipline and education, which was difficult for both father and daughter. But Isidora made it through the worst this period and when she was old enough, she transmitted her application to West Point and was accepted. Her first command was to suppress civil uprisings in the western U.S., which she did with many regrets, later she fought in the Second American Civil War and earned her rank of colonel by winning more bloody skirmishes than she lost. While she has advanced fairly quickly through the ranks because of fortunate timing, she has earned her silver eagles and has been awaiting her opportunity at promotion to general.
Recent Events: This latest assignment to Ipswich is far from what Isidora was looking for when she received her orders, but clearly something unusual is happening in this small town. While it probably won't bring her the silver star she is chasing, perhaps she and her troops can save this small town from the darkness.
