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The widow of an Abandoned pirate, cousin to a murdered Duke, daughter to an eccentric academic, and mother to a brood of children some might deride as half-Shav - Sudara has now arrived in Arx to add her own eclectic presence to the capital's melting pot of influences. From birth, Sudara received the mixed blessings that came with being close kin to the ducal family, and then of being raised to address her elder cousin, the benevolent Duke Piero Pravus, as 'uncle'. Her father was one of the Duke's own uncles, and she was thus brought up as a high-status but politically irrelevant member of the house. She lived in luxury, surrounded by the trappings of power - but knew that her primary role on behalf of the Pravus would almost certainly be as a political bargaining-chip in the marriage market. This was particularly likely because her father, Benedict, supported the Duke's "gentle" approach to rule. Less focused than Piero on being loved, he was instead a student of what he considered to be the arts of civilisation. He studied architecture, theology, medicine, and history, expanding the Pravus libraries and earning himself no small degree of renown with the clergy and disciples of Vellichor. Naturally, his children were raised to share his interests, and accompanying their father on one of his expeditions to view ruins or pursue interesting old tales came to be a combination of rite of passage and family excursion. It was on one such trip - far to the North of their home - that Benedict and his party fell prey to pirates. Among those taken captive was Sudara, who soon found herself playing an unexpected role in negotiations for the safe return of the noble hostages. These particular freebooters were Abandoned, but wanted to turn Prodigal. Before long, she found herself being offered up as part of a formal agreement that secured the release of her party, in return for the fealty of the pirates and their kin. After all, what better demonstration could there be of Piero's ideals than the enhancement of Pravus by virtue of a loving union? On her 18th birthday, Sudara wed the Prodigals' leader, Trogen, while he swore fealty to Pravus and was accepted as a noble - aided by at least a pretence of acknowledging his claim to descend from a house lost in the Reckoning: the new Prodigals professed to be "the Truesworn", in token of their purported ancient bonds and heritage, though Trogen formally joined his new wife's house. Henceforth, Sudara played the role of the dutiful wife, providing her husband with children (four of whom survive: twins born in their first year of marriage, and another boy and girl thereafter) as well as support in navigating the perils of Lycene society. Though he was more than twenty years her senior, they seemed as well-matched as could be hoped, operating as a team even when rumours of Pravus depravity, piratical debauchery, Abandoned barbarism, or Piero-inspired weakness spread through the court. Ultimately, Trogen fell prey to Lycene politics, dying in what looked like a poisoning - one that immediately preceded the demise of Duke Piero. Though he wielded precious little influence at court, he was the leader of a substantial band of Prodigals that were not only unusually loyal to the gentle Duke, but also included competent warriors and crewed several ships. His removal was not a great surprise to many, though the precise motives remain unclear, since no one has yet been found responsible. In the immediate aftermath of the king's eery misfortune, Sudara chose to come to Arx - though whether to seek justice, her fortune, or something else might be unclear.

Tall, elegant and evidently a noblewoman. Though past the first flush of youth, she remains a classic Lycene beauty - fair of skin, with dark hair and hazel eyes that can flash with anger or amusement. Statuesquely curvaceous, she tends to favour styles that emphasise her figure, with a particular liking for off-the-shoulder gowns and arrangements of her hair that draw the eye to her long neck and deep decolletage.

Superficially, Sudara certainly conforms to the stereotype of a Pravus noble: wealthy, privileged, hedonistic, flirtatious, and at times more than a little arrogant. Breaching the stereotype, she seems to lack an overt vindictive streak, and those who learn somewhat more about her might see one or two other aspects, whether that of the dedicated bookworm or the dutiful mother.