Isora in "From Belkush to Sedun"

Isora is the primary antagonist in "From Belkush to Sedun."

Her Ancestry.

Isora Mezezi was born in Stoy-kaham, Sedun, in the royal palace. Her mother was Eriza Mezezi, the queen. Her father was Janos Ostfell, an Etraki adventurer who wound up in Ethernia.
Although her mother was the queen, Isora's pedigree is far less than optimal. While her father, Janos, was a Kolaskyvan, her mother was only half Seduni- on her mother's side, with Eriza's father being the khan of the Kuluij clan. Thus, Isora's most recent full-blooded Seduni relative was her maternal grandmother. She would suffer in both her childhood and adult life for her impurity.

Upbringing.

Due to her mother's death while Isora was just an infant, the throne was opened up to a civil war. Isora was hurriedly rushed back to the Kuluij clan where her uncle was now khan. The khanate quickly lost possession of Sedun, although they would of course seek to return to claim it again. However, such intentions were dashed with the Khan's death, and the new succession crisis in the Kuluij clan. Isora's father tried to hold the clan together and indeed showed success. In order to sow the seeds for the later reconquest of Sedun, Janos betrothed Isora to the son of a noble house in Sedun- the Skartga house. Isora was then sent to live with her betrothed's family and be raised as a Sedunite. Even as she adjusted to life as a proper Seduni princess, she experienced her fair share of discrimination for her ancestry. She didn't know it at the time, but it was a glimpse into the later reality of her never being fully accepted as a Seduni queen.

Entry into the Story.

Isora is responsible for setting into motion the events of the story. Her invasion of Etha, reasonable or otherwise, set Sezzlic Denk's goal to kill her, and her sending Ethel to Belkush led to her meeting the young Ethain.
Her major appearance results from her monopolization on the information that she receives from her daughter's letter. Equating the man in her daughter's letters with the would-be-assassin from years ago, she sets a trap for him. In her attempt to dispatch with the Ethain, however, she will cause much suffering, albeit inadvertent suffering, to her daughter, who then leaves for Etha with her endangered friend.

Dynamics and Interactions.

Although Isora appears to Sezzlic, and to most Ethains surely, as some bellicose tyrant, she is much more strategically-minded than they would like to think. Very aware of the problems that plague her and her kingdom, she views her actions, however risky and grand, as the best methods for securing her goals. Despite this, she seems somewhat out of touch with the more human elements of her plans. For example, she made sure to exploit Ethel's natural propensity for learning well in order to mold her into a worthy successor, but she failed to take notice of her daughter's doubts and resentment. Such a failing could very well lead to Ethel's death or capture, negating all those years of teaching.
By the end of the story, however, she patches up relations with her daughter and even with the assassin, allowing his relationship with Ethel to continue and even nudging it further, for Ethel's sake. Finally, she does ultimately succeed in assuring her standing, her kingdom's future, and her daughter's succession.