Margravine Faustina Van Ottrius

The woman who is Margravine Faustina Goetha van Ottrius had a common, though fortunate, birth. Born to a common-born but masterful artist named Vincent, who remained poor despite his talent. His father's patron, the scion of a wealthy mercantile house, seeing the talent of Faustina at a young age, paid for her to be sent away to study at the Empire's most prestigious conservatory, the Imperial Academy of Music, officially patronized by the Emperor himself. There, her natural talent led to her being promoted quickly within the ranks of the students by the Imperial Academy's Meister Singer, eventually rising to the post of Leading Lady at the Imperial Opera House. Her fame came quickly as she was noticed by the Emperor. After returning from her first tour of the Empire, the Emperor granted her a rare title of nobility, and she became known as the Prima Donna Faustina van Goetha. With her new found status of nobility, her fame only soared ever higher...

It was not long after this that she began being courted by Sir Heinrich van Ottrius, second son of Lady Helena (von Augustus) van Ottrius, the current Head of the Art'ly House of Ottrius. The Courtship had a rough start, due to the many fans and courtiers clamoring for Faustina's attentions, yet, it was the decision of Heinrich's mother, the Lady Helena, to reconstitute the House in Atalan that cemented Faustina's marriage. Upon the marriage, most surprisingly, at the height of her career, Faustina shocked Halmoria and announced her retirement from Opera in order to devote her time to supporting her new Family.

She and her massive dowry, which was in fact the entirety of the wealth of the House van Goetha, including the profits from her career as well as her House's initial endowment from the Emperor, was instrumental in the House's smooth transition into a minor House of Atalan. Furthermore, her followers were among the highest percentages of the middle-class colonists, who were otherwise content to stay tending to their family and business interests on the mainland.

Upon the untimely death of her mother-in-law, while her nephew Heinrich inherited the official title of Head of the House, Faustina became the most influential member of the House, and even the House's clients often choose to ignore Heinrich's directives when they are at conflict with his illustrious Aunt's whose favor carries the real weight in the politics of the House...