Character from The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
A Bingtown scholar who traded a loveless marriage for a dragon expedition — finding in the Rain Wilds the purpose and passion that her comfortable life had systematically denied her.
Alise is the foremost scholar of dragons and Elderlings in Bingtown, which means nothing in a society that values trade over learning and dismisses women's intellectual pursuits as hobbies. Her husband Hest married her for her money and treats her with casual contempt; her family sees her research as an embarrassment. The Rain Wild expedition is her escape and her vindication. In Kelsingra she finds Elderling ruins that confirm decades of research, and in Leftrin she finds a man who actually listens when she talks about dragons. Her transformation from repressed scholar-wife to confident expert is quieter than Malta's but equally complete.
Red-haired and freckled, attractive in a way that Bingtown society doesn't value — she doesn't fit the pale, dark-haired ideal. She dresses carefully and correctly in Bingtown, but in the Rain Wilds she strips away the propriety along with the impractical clothing, and the woman underneath is far more interesting.
Also known as: Alise, Alise Finbok