Uraca of Frenia

Shadows Suit Me

The Girl I Left Behind Me by Eastman Johnson

Let my brother have the spotlight. I could never have achieved for our family what I have with all those eyes on me. Shadows suit me far more than the limelight.

— Lady Uraca of Frenia

Uraca of Frenia is the eldest child of the House of Frenia, the premier noble house of the city with the same name. Born two generations after her family had handed the reigns of the city to a council of noble families to avoid political destruction, Uraca found herself in a unique and pressure-laden position.
As a scion of house Frenia, she was dealing with the fallout of their grandparents weaknesses, watching as she grew up as her father worked tirelessly and desperately to salvage the situation. By the time she had grown up, house Frenia had reestablished itself, but now sought to reclaim their monopoly of power from several noble families that had spent the same time solidifying their base of power and position in the council.
As a woman she struggled with the male-dominated social structure Aruël consists of, straining against the lack of opportunities. Being born only to be wed to consolidate alliances was the thing she hated most. In fact, Uraca was looking at such a marriage in her twenties, now almost ten years ago, when both her father and mother died under mysterious circumstances. Uracas brother Rigo took over and he agreed to call off the betrothal.

The Obligations

To the public, Uraca is just the elder sister to the head of house Frenia. By this point rumors are far and wide why she has not married yet, given her advanced age. But to the underground of Frenia, Uraca is a boogeyman because of her vast network of supporters. They call themselves the "Obligations" referring to the method Uraca uses to gain new footsoldiers. She will create, manipulate or maneuver her new toy into a position, where Uraca and only Uraca can help them. Then, once she has helped the new recruit out of the situation, she will use this debt to form a long term obligation, starting with requests for simple enough tasks that inevitably draw them deeper into her palm. Each crime committed makes the person more involved until they find themselves too far in to quit.
Despite these underhanded methods, Uraca treats her underlings well, paying generously and protecting them from others (until in comes into conflict with her main goals). By this method, the queen of Frenia as her followers sometimes call her has built a small army of spies, assassins, thieves, smugglers and other delinquents, willing to do almost anything for her. She uses this network to better her houses position. Rigo knows that part of his success is owed to his sisters scheming but he underestimates how deep Uraca is involved and how much of his power is maintained by the elaborate net of blackmail, intimidation and fear Uraca has woven.