Lady Arista Aetos

The younger sister of Calliope and Manos Aetos, Arista dedicated her life to the blade and bow almost as soon as her first glimpse of the training grounds. Granddaughter of the deposed Queen of Dyria, Areti, and daughter of her second son Loukis - a gentle and politically uninterested man returned to the house after the coup - Arista took after her mother Maria's fierce Hanan temperament and her father's aversion to bureaucracy. After a transformative experience visiting Vilslev, she awakened from the mundanity of daily life to a pair of true loves: Art and War. She has, through the course of her upbringing, sought to merge these with dance.

Growing up alongside her older sister Calliope, Arista learned the many forms of war. She had as much antipathy for command as politics, but studied combat under the tutelage of the underfunded military in Malthi and Taras. She witnessed beauty in the mastery and application of weaponry, the song of blades clashing or arrows propelled by bowstrings; the eloquent nuance of stance and focus preceding a strike.

She had a peripheral role in the 629 seizure of power, only just having reached adulthood, but was ready to bear arms if needed. After a time dedicated to further bettering herself, she began to frequent Sanctuary in search of fresh adventures.

Arista has little care for political machinations, but she idolises Melissa for her achievements. She highly respects those whom devote themselves to a challenging task, even her enemies. She has been known to enjoy duels, though has no regard for a fair fight despite her general kindheartedness - it's a dangerously unpragmatic mindset for any proper warrior.

She is stubborn to the point of appearing standoffish to some, but it is a thin veneer under which she hides empathy and warmth. Glory is not why she does the things she does, even if her accomplishments may elevate her or her family's standing. Stagnation and restriction are her greatest foes. She's weak to the lure of new experiences, and savours the exploration of something unknown, but they don't consume her. The journey does.

Arista is a promising fighter but has no regard for strategy. Her athleticism and grace lends themselves well to her second joy in dance.