Isadora Colasante Graver is a cleric of Kelemvor, who travels the land to put to rest undead and to further the judgement of the Lord of the Dead. Issy is 5'6" with long copper hair, light green eyes, and pale skin. She wears loose clothing of white and red with gold trim. She has a slight build, so it seems incongruous that she carries a fine orcish bastard sword; however, Issy takes pride in wielding the weapon of her god. Isadora speaks quietly and remains polite nearly all the time, and she has distinct trouble cursing (even should she believe that individual deserving of a sound tongue-lashing).
She was born a Colasante, a somewhat-well-off family in the city of Iriaebor in the Western Heartlands. The family prides itself in its rise over the generations from simple wagon merchant train to a stable and well-off merchanter clan. Along with her older brothers and sister, Isadora studied to become merchants like her parents and support her house. She lived a normal life until about 12, when certain sections of her town were subject to vicious attacks from undead. It still is not understood where the undead came from, nor why they focused on only a few parts of town. It was suspected to be an attack by one of the great Houses, but, strangely, no House seemed to profit from the attacks. Issy's house was attacked by ghouls, who took her parents. During the attack, Isadora heard and answered a calling to serve Kelemvor, the Lord of the Dead. With the help of two other clerics of Kelemvor, she laid her parents to rest. Out of respect and pity, the clerics invited her to serve with them in the House of Death.
The House of Death is not a temple to Kelemvor, although many who serve him work at such places. The House prepares the bodies of the deceased for burial according to the rites of faith of the fallen. The House investigates the cause of death, checking for diseases that might threaten the public or for information the city guard may use to locate a murderer. Also, the House has a covert service: a never-ending holy war against the undead. Families bring their dead for funeral preparations. Legal authorities bring bodies for investigation into the cause of death. The staff at the House of Death treat the deceased with respect, and the living with compassion. By providing their essential public service, the staff members gain evidence of vampire attacks and ghoul infestations from victims carried across their threshold. The House operates in secret to protect their city from panic and riots, and to prevent the innocent from mistaken assault --- in secret, for the House fears what would happen if the more intelligent forms of undead discovered an organized threat to their unholy activities.
In return for working, Isadora received exhaustive training in recognizing and destroying various kinds of undead. Her anger at her parents' fate and her devotion served her well and she learned quickly. Reports of her skill reached the ears of one of the heads of the House, Lirael Wyatt. Headmaster Lirael is unique among the current heads of the House. In great devotion to the House the ancient Headmaster petitioned Kelemvor, himself, to give his life to the House and act as hidden guide and keeper of knowledge. Kelemvor granted Lirael's request, and the Headmaster lives beyond his natural years as the Keeper of Souls, a benign lich that is one of the better kept secrets of the House. The Headmaster recognized the potential in the young Isadora, and arranged for her to undergo additional training, including traveling north with a caravan to the Battle of Bones and the Fields of the Dead. In time the young cleric was even allowed to "discover" the existence of the ancient Keeper. After the initial shock (and, perhaps, a choice word or two from the Lord of the Dead for asking his help to turn one of his servants), Isadora accepted apprenticeship to the powerful and secret Headmaster and earned her second name, Graver.
When the Keeper deemed Isadora ready to learn from the harsh teacher of reality, he gifted her with the morningstar "Restful", a memento from his younger days, and a circlet bearing his seal, which would identify her to fellow Houses and also allow the undead Headmaster to keep track of his newest apprentice. He charged Isadora to keep a watchful eye out for undead activity and to keep strong her devotion to the Lord of the Dead. With his blessing and her heavy, leather bound Book of Names, Isadora traveled north, as instructed, to the dwarven city of Sundabar to seek adventure.
