Born in Athens 20 years ago to a Romanized Greek family of patrician status. Her grandfather is the luxury goods merchant Gaius Claudius Callias Dives and the family is famous for producing lovely, graceful, clever, statuesque women with hot tempers, too much ambition for their own good, and too large a dowry for anyone else's good.

She's well educated in the classics, speaks many languages, is trained in all the household arts, and is marrried to Marcus Messala Valerius. She's determined to see her husband made counsul and will do anything to help make it so. She's also determined to have every luxury in the world, and her breeding has taught her to expect it as her due.

Unlike the sterotypical woman, she won't hesitate to express her opinion or to dabble in politics. Time spent doing nothing is considered wasted and a woman's place is where she says it is.