Level: Four. Deep down, Lucia is capable of doing anything to anyone, so long as it is to protect her honour or her loved ones. It's just business. She died as she lived, but death did not change her core self.

Role: The Head of House...err...Clan Sonder.

Full Name: Duchessa Luciana Gabriella Cordova

Nickname/Titles: Lucia

Name Meaning: Luciana ("the light") Graziella ("favour,blessing") Cordova ("conquistador. Also a city name.")

Apparent Age: Died at age 34 (1703-1737)

Time Period: Baroque

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Bisexual

Personality: Born the third of twelve children, Luciana grew up in a world where fighting for position, favour, and to be heard were all necessities. The first female child in her family line, she became a valuable commodity to be traded. Luciana's family carry a royal title through relation to the de'Medici family, once a powerful Italian family known for producing Popes, rulers, and the blood and tears required to keep themselves in power for three centuries. However, by the time of Luciana's birth, the de'Medici line was fading and hopes were high that she might marry above her station, becoming consort to a future Prince of France or Spain. Taught that beauty was a woman's greatest weapon, but no man ever wanted a timid, uneducated woman as anything but a mistress, Luciana became a focused, disciplined young lady. She was also taught the hard way that showing tears, emotion, or even offering an apology were signs of weakness. Luciana often appears cold, regal, and it is difficult to gather any sort of emotional response from reading her face and body language. She is a statuesque creature---lovely, powerful, and inaccessible to most.

Sadly, the de'Medici line fell out of favour, and with it, Luciana's hopes of one day becoming Queen. Her father held nothing but contempt and disdain for her, blaming her for the failure and ridiculing her lack of beauty and grace. Her mother died in childbirth, leaving her father to match her with a pompous young Duc who preferred whoring, drinking, and gambling to royal life. When he began to display the same personality as her father, blaming her for all life's woes and locking her in her quarters, she poisoned her husband after only two years of marriage. Her family, after all, were rumoured to be experts in the art---and some rumours are true.

Beyond the surface, Luciana is a loving and devoted woman who only ever wanted approval and the joy of unconditional love. She learned she needed to be perfection itself to achieve that, and she would always fall short. Even in this world, behind the imperious facade is the need to build a family who both respects and loves her, if such a thing is possible. She is resilient, tenacious, and though she sits through diplomatic talks with the patience and grace of a refined woman, she is hard-headed and not one to compromise. Those who push her too far or cross her in a way that destroys her trust and love will find themselves in danger. The beauty of Luciana's style is that they never even know it---until they do.

Of all the things she was taught she needed to survive, forgiveness was never one.

Appearance: Face claim is Gal Godot, pictured above. Luciana stands about 5'9", raven hair, piercing brown eyes. She is thin enough to be elegant and fashionable in the designer clothing she loves---but not as much as she'd like to be. Luciana is not a waif-like creature, strong and slightly voluptuous. Some consider her a beauty. Others see merely another dark-haired Italian woman with a devious smile and sharp tongue. 

History/Death: After becoming a young widow, Luciana discovered she was also pregnant, leading her to hastily remarry. Her next husband was an older Italian gentleman who cared less for her looks or her mind than her family connections, hoping that if he was patient enough, she might turn out to be a meal ticket. Rumoured to be impotent and not particularly interested in the company of either women or men, it surprised everyone when Luciana gave birth to a healthy daughter she named Eva. She remained content in a loveless, lustless marriage, learning that sometimes companionship is all that's needed from a person. Luciana's husband, thirty years her senior, died a natural death.

Once again without a man in her life, a young daughter, and neither suited for life in a convent, Luciana chose the best option---to remarry. In her mid-20's, she caused a scandal by marrying a handsome Marchese, a rank beneath her. She no longer had any illusions about future glory, and Luciana's third husband was devastatingly handsome and had a reputation for being a bit of a rake. He was a trophy husband of sorts, spending her fortune and leaving her alone most of the time. She gave birth to two more children, Mateo and Amara. While she didn't mind her husband's spending or his mistresses, Luciana discovered he was plotting with a young maid in her employ to assassinate the remaining members of the de'Medici clan. She poisoned both with arsenic, a slow and painful process that led to the execution of a cook and an herbalist, both suspected of foul play. No one suspected her.

At the age of 30 and past her prime, Luciana chose to raise her children in a quiet and modest fashion. She had no interest in marriage, and politics bored her, being on the losing side of a war that eroded her family dynasty. In the last few years of her life, Luciana seemed almost defeated, and all that remained of the de'Medici empire was a 70-year-old widow holding tight to a fortune. When she left the fortune to Italy and died peacefully in 1737, the line was officially extinct. Luciana was advised to seek sanctuary in the Church with her children, a choice she had dismissed her entire life.

Walking toward the church, dressed in the black garb of a widow and with three children in tow, Luciana was assassinated, her throat slashed by a man she never saw walking behind them. In her last moments, she saw her young son meet the same end, and the strange man escorting the two daughters to the front steps of the church before vanishing into the night. The end of the de'Medici family was as devious and steeped in betrayal as their reign.

Luciana was 34 years old. The last memory she has of her life is watching her two young girls enter the doors of a Catholic Church. She never saw the face of the man who murdered her and her son in broad daylight.

Though Luciana's story is a sad and tragic one, her legacy managed to continue, her daughters adopted and educated by the Church. Instead of taking their vows, they chose the option of marrying into the Hapsburg family, Austrian nobility no one paid much mind to. Years later, the youngest Hapbsurg daughter, Antonia, would become Queen of France--- known to all as Marie-Antoinette.

Sin: Luciana suffers from the sin of Pride, having raised since birth to believe that she would one day be better than almost the whole world and eyes would constantly be on her. The downside of this is that she is also terribly critical of herself and others. She dislikes imperfection. She still holds a belief that wherever she is, whatever she is doing, eyes are always on her...noticing, evaluating, deciding whether or not she is worthy. However, in Hell, she's come to believe in her own worth more strongly than in her Earthly life. She still feels she must work hard to preserve who she is, who others believe her to be, and maintain the respect of her family/house/clan/whatever we want to call it. She does not feel guilt for anything, but instead wonders if anyone noticed. Criticism is particularly hard for her to take, and while she may lash out at others in response, she's the one she's really angry at for earning it. Luciana is always dressed fabulously in public, and in private, lounges in silk and satin robes, like a 1930's film star. People tread lightly around Luciana, unless they know her very well. (+2 to Intimidation, Persuasion, and Charisma. Oh, sorry, wrong game. *lol*) It is difficult to anticipate her response, and this makes people nervous. However, she is a fair person who typically reacts in an even-keeled manner. There's no real reason for anyone to fear her unless they've done something to slight her. To those who love and appreciate her, she's a nice middle-aged lady who loves to shop and is a delightful lunch companion. :P

Likes: White wine, designer clothing, jewels, flowers, children, beautiful people, stories that end happily ever after.

Dislikes: Rudeness, impertinence, sarcasm at her expense, those who think too much of themselves, two-faced people, onions, country music.

Strengths: Intelligence, empathic ability, patience, well-mannered, loyal, loving, physically and mentally attractive to others.

Weaknesses: An almost compulsive need for perfection and order, unwilling to forgive, quick-tempered, holds grudges for as long as necessary before getting revenge, stubborn in her beliefs, uncompromising

Fears: This is something to learn through RPing with her. Giving away everything before we even start isn't much fun.

Fun Facts: Luciana's hobby is gardening, and has a beloved greenhouse that is invitation-only. It's her way to relieve stress and anxiety.

Weapons: Daggers, small knives, poisons. Luciana is always armed, somehow.

Quirks: Collects designer handbags but prefers to walk barefoot, enamoured with nature, adores small children, rarely eats much but never says no to wine or ice cream. Luciana is flirtatious but not obvious. She does not intend to take a mate of any kind ever again, but has favoured companions.

Theme Song: "Gods And Monsters", by Lana del Rey