Description 

Slim built and sporting thick, waist-length, ginger curls tied back in either a red or green satin ribbon; Clarissa is often recognised – if not by her hair – by her cheerful English accent and infectious laugh. Always willing to lend an ear, she likes to help those in need and is always happy to welcome a new face into her social circle although there is a long, painful history behind her smile which few people are privy to.

Early Life 

Despite born into minor English nobility Clarissa’s upbringing was far from easy. As the third child and only daughter of Baron Benjamin Pembroke I, she was often ignored by her Father in favour of her two older brothers who were seen as more ‘useful’ and showing much greater promise although she much preferred being ignored to the other things her Father subjected her to.

She received a good education from within the family’s Cambridgeshire estate thanks to her Governess and a handful of tutors; as well as the vast family library housed within the walls she was kept within.

Growing up her closest and only friends were her mother and brothers, although as puberty hit her oldest brother – Benjamin II – began to take his role as the family heir more seriously. It was also around this time that her Father’s already apparent hostility towards her increased dramatically which would – over the next 11 years – leave more than just physical scars.

At the age of 24 Clarissa finally had to concede that the longer she remained unmarried the more at risk she was of incurring her Father’s barely controlled wrath. She began – with the help of her mother Josephine – to work through the list of suitable bachelors in the hopes that she could find a match. These efforts never came to fruition, however, as her mother fell ill with typhoid and passed away a few weeks later. Consumed by grief and fear at her Father’s insistence that she marry his business partner – Lord Robert Hastings who was more than twice her age and recently widowed – or live to regret it, Clarissa stole away from her home in the dead of night with a few treasured items and sold her jewellery to buy passage aboard a merchant ship headed to an unknown destination.

Present Life 

Clarissa arrived in New Alexandria with no useful skills - unable to shoot, hunt, even cook - but has over time gained a great deal of independence thanks to those she has met.

She currently lives in Blackwater and works mostly as an artist creating mainly posters, invitations, and business logos for the people of the state.

Affiliations 

Clarissa was part of the Tipsy Cow Trading Post where she worked with her now ex-husband as a host. She has since left the position.

At the request of Wesley she is part of 'The Wanderin' Ducklings' where she will occasionally act as chaperone for the younger group members during their adventures.

Clarissa was inducted into The Order of The Holy Mother Church as a Knight by Cardinal Joseph Matano.

Quotes 

How DAAAARE you!

Mhmm mhmm mhmmmmmm

I wouldn’t say no to chain mail.

Teagan: “Clarissa I’m sorry to have to say it but your coat reminds me of a curtain.”
Clarissa: “Yes that’s fair, but if I do say so myself I am the most stylish curtain in all New Alexandria.”

Vova: “I met a German fella who said that the best sausages are German.”
Clarissa: “Really? Because I heard that German sausages are the wurst.”

Trivia 

Children born to a Baron in England are given the title ‘The Honourable’. Due to this and her subsequent induction into The Order of The Holy Mother Church as a knight Clarissa’s full name is The Honourable Dame Clarissa Josephine Elizabeth Pembroke.


Clarissa is claustrophobic and used to have a mild phobia of fish but she was helped to overcome the latter by her friends.


She is a very sentimental person and keeps a box in her house of 'treasures' that were either given by or remind her of important people in her life. These include:

A necklace bearing a 'protective symbol' given to her by Dismas Kinder II
A pressed and dried Prairie Poppy given to her by Alma Finch
A small bouquet of pressed and dried flowers given to her by Zeke
A few hairs cut from the tail of a mustang which she tamed on a trip with Vova Michaelson
A drawing given to her by Wesley
A raven feather given to her by Silas
Some candy wrappers from sweets given by Parsley
A copy of Treasure Island given to her by Winnifred Lockhart
An old pocket watch which belong to her late brother Ernest
The engagement party and wedding invitations from Parsley and Dorian Granger

She also has on display in her home:

A music box given by Zeke as a Christmas present
A carved wooden figure of herself gifted to her by Wesley
An empty jar which previously contained pinecone jam but which is now used to keep earrings in given to her by Teagan


Clarissa has two pets; a Chesapeake Bay Retriever names Phineas (bought for her by Silas) and a hedgehog named Harriet (gifted to her by Wesley)