Johanna of Lest

Johanna was born into a family of burghers in Oldan, the seat of House Ehrhart. Her family is wealthy enough that she was sent when she was younger to study in Sanctuary. She focused on mathematics and engineering. With her studies complete, she returned to Oldan to work on projects there. Her capacity was well-known enough to come to the attention of House Gabel, which sought her expertise on their grand canal project in 627. While most positions of authority in the Imperial Territories are only for the nobility, engineering is deemed to be a suitable job for a commoner. She found herself as the primary authority on how to actually build the canal amid its troubled development.

Being that there is only so much that she can do for the canal with all the other issues that must be resolved, and with ample money in her pocket, Johanna has taken to making time to visit Sanctuary, to meet old academic acquaintances and indeed to find other opportunities that may present, whether they are elsewhere in the Imperial Territories or indeed beyond.

Johanna is driven by ambition to put her name to great works. The Reuss-Ineth canal is inarguably a great work, however troubled its development, but she hopes to do yet more. She has immense ability as an engineer, so the trick is to find ways in which to put it to use. She is still learning how to fully navigate the court at Sanctuary - social calls were rather a secondary concern when she was still a student. Although she is from the Imperial Territories, she has no difficulty with the prospect of undertaking work elsewhere, if it presents her with a genuine prospect of being able to engage in another great work, and better yet if she can in some way put her name to it.

Johanna is precise and punctilious. When getting into technical detail, she rarely troubles herself to simplify matters, whether for similarly educated people or laypeople. When she commits to a task, she will follow through; delays which are out of her hands can be a source of some frustration.

Johanna is very intelligent, a superlative engineer and able organiser.