Cassara Vendyros

"'He will burn... Burn with the rest of his sheep, with the wolf, and with the raven.' - Cassara Vendyros, The Plight of Steel, Chapter 48"

Cassara Vendyros is the queen of Riverfall during the first part of The Plight of Steel before her father Virion banishes her and retakes his throne. She is the second oldest of the Dragon's Children behind her older brother, Firion Vendyros, and the only one of the five, according to her father, stable enough to take the throne of Riverfall.

Biography
During her childhood years, Cassara was sheltered in Seaview Citadel, only allowed outside when accompanying her father on a trip to another kingdom. Because of this, her ideas of the world were shaped only by what she heard from the mouths of others, along with the little experience she gained while traveling with her father. The disappearance of her brother Firion affected her deeply, though she soon became numb to the loss after a few years.

In a flashback chapter, Cassara is seen as a little girl during Alistair Wildlight's seige of Seaview Citadel. Her mother is stabbed in front of her, though Alistair spares Cassara before hurrying away to flee from Virion.

At the beginning of the Plight of Steel, Cassara is being coronated. Her brother Balthier attempts to assassinate her during the ceremony, but fails after Nictus Sharpe creates a delay. She then becomes queen of Riverfall, though her rule is short-lived. Her father returns after supposedly being close to death by poisoning, and banishes her shortly after. She is forced to take a ship to Windspeak, but is blown off course by a storm. Her ship crashes on the shores of Yvaereth, where she and Aleyna are captured by Duncan Wysteria's Yzerren.

During the ensuing weeks, she is tortured and treated like a pet by Duncan and his sister Romani, until Duncan feeds Aleyna to his rabid dogs and Cassara undergoes the transformation into a Reverie, caused by feelings of intense anger.

Appearance


Like the rest of her family, and all others who reside in the North, her skin is pale as freshly fallen snow. Her hair is dark black, and her eyes are strikingly blue, almost ice-like in detail. The Vendyros family is also known for their angular facial features, meant to resemble those of a dragon. "'Many said the Vendyros family resembled the monster on their sigil, with their angular, pointed faces and fiery hearts.' - The Plight of Steel, Chapter 1"Throughout the novel, she is described as wearing various outfits of rich material, primarily colored different shades of blue. During the Plight of Steel, she receives an Elven sword during the Sword Selection Ceremony of Riverfall, which is bound to her. After being captured by Duncan Wysteria, the sword is taken from her.

Name Origin
The name Cassara means Fireheart in the old language of the Northerners. Fitting for a member of the Vendyros family, and one who is expected to inherit the power of the Reverie. It was chosen by her father as a form of good luck in an effort to secure her gift.