Marcia Abrudas

Marcia Abrudas is the only child of Gaius Abrudas by his second wife, Euphemia Caelax. Both of her parents were assassinated on the orders of Astraea Mehrkuri during The Night of Martyrs, leaving Marcia an orphan at just two years of age. Legally adopted by her cousin Desolas Arterius II, she was initially raised by his husband Nihlus Kryik. However, when both Desolas and Nihlus were exiled by Antraxes Partinax, Iacoba Parvus took it upon herself to care for her.

Upon turning twenty, Marcia approached Iacoba's eldest son, Primarch Fidellion Victus, to offer him her hand in matrimony in exchange for the protection of her remaining family. After much deliberation on both sides, Fidellion accepted her terms. Despite being thirty-five years his junior, Marcia would bear Fidellion four children over the course of their union - two sons and two daughters.

Children
Over the course of twenty years, Marcia would give birth to four children. She was a nurturing and supportive mother whose children were at the core of her world. However, she also expected them to do their part in service to their father's vision of a unified empire. She shared a particularly close bond with her firstborn son, Keirix, whom she believed was a sign of Aurelion's faith in her husband's grand plan. So close was their connection that she became the first person he ever confided in about his sexuality.

Marcia oversaw the education of all four of her children, grooming them to become soldiers and statespersons both. One exception was her youngest, Gaius, whose numerous developmental disabilities impeded his ability to emulate his older siblings. Marcia instead taught Gaius how to serve rather than lead, encouraging him to assist his father in his duties as his unofficial clerk. In particular, she imparted to her son the teachings of her maternal ancestor, Caelax, which emphasised dutiful service as the foundation of a strong and prosperous society.

Symbology
Marcia's personal sigil is two crossed swords cutting through a chain, which she designed herself. It was granted to her by Fidellion upon her marriage to him, to use as the seal of the Conjux Domina of Palaven. The crossed swords are the sigil of her husband's family, while the broken chains are that of her own. By having the duelling swords of House Victus breaking the chains of House Abrudas, Marcia is making a very clear statement that she views her husband as her liberator.