Dorothy Hapsteade, usually just called Mrs. Hapsteade, is a senior Warden and the Keeper of the Vora.
Background[]
Mrs. Hapsteade took a year in the Find.
Along with Mr. Meister, Mrs. Hapsteade inducts Keepers into the Wardens. She doesn't view her task as recruiting, but rather encouraging new Keepers to fight. From time to time, she lives in the Great Burrow.
Personality[]
Mrs. Hapsteade is stern and mysterious, generally not willing to answer questions. She speaks with intent and purpose, but often doesn't reveal the information asked of her. She is willing to insult people or make dismissive implications if she believes it will help her in her goal. She always puts the goals of the Wardens first.
She is always prepared for any circumstance, and acts strategically with the tools that she has. Thus, she disapproves of recklessness and improvisation. She accepts that she is not the leader of the Wardens.
She is intensely resolute, even in the face of losing her instrument. Nonetheless, she is willing to admit fault, and apologizes when she believes she's done something wrong.
She is committed to viewing Tanu as devices which obey the laws of the universe, and has a strong disbelief in magic. She views the Fel'Daera specifically as a powerful weapon which should not have been offered to new Keepers, and thus believes Horace must prove himself worthy to use it.
She is very formal and rarely shows emotions, including amusement.
Description[]
Mrs. Hapsteade is short, with a thick face and stout shoulders. Horace and Chloe view her as an old woman, despite her actual age. She wears her dark brown hair in a tight bun, and her eyes are an earthy hazel, seldom blinking. She steps sharply and briskly. She typically wears a cuffed, collared, floor-length black dress of a conservative cut and a large watch. She typically wears several necklaces, including her jithandra, the crude black key to the elevator in the Mazzoleni Academy, and a dumindar (which she used during the Fall of the House of Answers). Her voice is described as husky, low, thick, and occasionally sharp, and her breath smells herbal, possibly from ginkgo-leaf soup.
Relationships[]
Henrik Meister[]
Mrs. Hapsteade seems to know Mr. Meister well; she is one of the only characters who uses his first name.
History[]
When Horace F. Andrews first entered the House of Answers, Mrs. Hapsteade met him and quickly ushered him out with a raven's eye and a warning.
Several weeks later, Horace and Chloe visited the House of Answers, where Mrs. Hapsteade explained the nature of Tanu and the conflict surrounding them. Suddenly, the House of Answers was breached by a golem, though the Keepers and their instruments managed to escape. They passed through a Nevren with some difficulty, then met up with Gabriel, who escorted Chloe and Horace to a cloister. Shortly afterward, Mrs. Hapsteade told Mr. Meister about Chloe's heroism and her passage through the dumin.
The younger Keepers met Mrs. Hapsteade at the bus stop the next morning, and Beck drove them all to the Mazzoleni Academy. Mrs. Hapsteade led Horace and Chloe into the Warren to meet with Mr. Meister, then stepped out, saying the meeting was not for her to hear.
Trivia[]
- The name "Hapsteade" does not seem to have much significance, and may not exist outside of the Keepers series. However, the name "Hapstead" does exist, but is very rare. It seems to derive from an outdated name for a small village in England.
- Mrs. Hapsteade's signature dish is ginkgo-leaf soup, which doesn't seem to be an established recipe.
- Mrs. Hapsteade has read (or seen) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
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