Jadwiga Sikorin

Eyes as green as emeralds have seen too much, crinkled at the corners not so much from age -- as the rest of her is in impeccable condition -- but from knowing too much. Her tall and slinky frame drifts like a whisper, with footfalls that barely draw sound. Platinum blond hair is never left to wander, bound up in some sort of braid, and her winter cool blue eyes roam in the absence of her hairstyle's movement.

Jadwiga Sikorin is the mother of the current boyar, Sigitas, and younger sister of the Voivode of the Expanse, Marek. In her twenties, she married a noble of a very minor house in the Expanse, Augis. In 629, her older sister, Rasa, then boyar and voivode, went missing in an expedition to the fringes of the Terror. After months of searches turned up no sign of Rasa or anyone who was with her, House Sikorin met to determine future rule of the house. First, the house council offered rule to Marek, but he demurred, being interested mostly in military matters. Then, they offered rule to Jadwiga, but she too demurred, being interested in her own ranging across the Expanse. So rule of House Sikorin went to her son.

Jadwiga was fascinated by the land beyond House Sikorin's fortresses from a young age, and throughout her adult life, she has ranged far and wide across the Expanse, learning the vast tundra to an extent that few others can claim. Time and again, she has been the first person to spot something coming south from the Terror and to report it to her house. As with many Sikorins, she is a frequent enough visitor to Sanctuary. There, she is known for her tales of her travels and of what she has seen, almost always imparted one-to-one.

Calm, cool and collected, Jadwiga has seen some of the worst that the Terror has to offer and then lingered, even by her lonesome out in the wastes of the Expanse, to observe and make notes. She has some attachment to the Expanse, desolate though it is; this is the place where she grew up and where she spends no small part of her life.

As with most Sikorins, she is acutely aware of her duty. She adheres to it in her own way, watching for danger and reporting it. She sometimes travels with others, not least her husband, but has scant interest in large-scale command, more than happy to leave that to her brother or, indeed, more recently, to her son.

Jadwiga does make time to visit court. She is content to share her stories there, both just to sate people's interest, and to, she hopes, encourage people to help. She is especially interested in nurturing the potential of those in the same walk of life as her.

Jadwiga is superb at surviving the wastes of the Expanse and is an all-round excellent scout, though while what she does is adjacent to the military, she has little experience of direct combat.