Grand Duchess Zaria Albalaski

Though with what might be considered a thoughtful frown almost perpetually hanging upon the corners of her rosy pink mouth, this woman captures attention with her elegance. Her eyes are an intense shade of frosty blue and in their stare seizing hue nearly diminish her hair, which is as pale as sunlight on a cold winter's day. Despite too being short and slight in frame, she encompasses a great deal of energy and attention in any area she exists within.

Zaria has been grand duchess of Lonin since 622, inheriting from her late father, Egil, who died at the age of 89 - Egil was himself born 14 years before the Commonwealth was even founded, under the rulership of Zaria's grandfather, Zoran. Egil married late in life and Zaria's mother, Dorota, is still alive and well. With her father's advanced age, Zaria began to take on substantial responsibilities from the moment she reached adulthood, and has ample experience now as a ruler.

In 609, Zaria married a noted warrior from a minor Lonin house, Antanas Bayus. It was not by any stretch of the imagination a marriage founded in love, but rather one of finding a respected individual with whom to continue the Albalaski line. They had two children, Bartos and Matis, in 610 and 615.

Lonin is stable, insofar as a place under constant threat from the Terror can ever be stable, and the steady rule of House Albalaski is a major factor in that. Zaria has been steeped in this duty for her entire life. She has followed the course typical of rulers of her line and ensured that she looks outward as well as inward. Since her accession to the rule of Lonin, she has spent as much time out of Vilslev as in it, finding friends and building alliances.

One of her key allies is Victor Vanzek, the current king of the Commonwealth. The two have been friends for years, and in 627, Zaria's voice in parliament was key in swaying many nobles to vote for Victor as king. Zaria and Victor maintain a fast friendship.

In 629, Antanas vanished when accompanying the Sikorin-Lindner expedition towards the Terror. Albalaski troops participated in the search, but with no success. Everyone who went on the expedition is presumed dead.

Zaria has the core of steel that is expected of any of her line. She is dutiful, determined and difficult to shake. She understands very well though the needs of her house and her people. While she maintains a passing understanding of war, enough to be conversant on the matter, she takes a broader view of her responsibilities. Lonin cannot face the Terror alone and much of Zaria's time is spent ensuring she has allies.

She is a shrewd political operator, with a grasp of matters across the Commonwealth and the Empire as a whole, which combines with her refined personal presentation. It was her influence that ultimately determined who the king of the Commonwealth would be. She has a thorough understanding of the operation of the imperial court too, and how to navigate its many people and differing interests. She has some sympathy for the plight of places elsewhere in the Empire, and is not necessarily averse to helping, but every foreign commitment leaves Lonin a little less defended.

Zaria is one of the finest political operators in the Empire and presents herself in an elegant, refined manner.