Renée was born in the City-State of Ironfrost. From the moment of her birth, she was exceptional - not because of any inherent quality of her own, but because she was born into the Fontaine family fortune.

The Fontaine tobacco company is one of scant few businesses allowed to operate somewhat autonomously under the rule of the Iron Queen. As the proprietor of a high-value luxury good - one that's nigh impossible to grow in Amaranthine's ice age climate - they are allowed freedoms that others are not. Mr Fontaine raised his daughter with the knowledge that Ironfrost's laws did not apply equally across the lines of class, and little Renée quickly discerned that the only rules worth respecting were the ones that actually held consequence for her.

As she grew older, she grew weary of the charade of respecting the Iron Queen's rule - and her father's. Whether it was in the court or in the home, it seemed to Renée that all of society was built upon polite falsehoods concealing violent truths. But, it wasn't this system of power that disturbed her (after all, that was simply how the world worked), it was the taboo against acknowledging it for what it was: a flimsy truce between loathsome, power-hungry egomaniacs.

Renée was well aware she was not different, and that disappointed her. Not on any moral grounds - she had few to speak of - but on the grounds that it made her feel pedestrain. Thankfully, the chance to distinguish herself from her upperclass peers came to her in the form of the rebellion.

The Rising Dawn is a fringe secret society dedicated to fighting the Shadow, a mysterious blight that chokes everything in its path. Those who witness it seldom survive, but it leaves proof of its existence in the form of razed villages and mass disappearances. Under the laws of the Iron Queen, the Shadow does not exist, and acknowledging it ranges from faux pas to criminal offense. This makes the Rising Dawn Amaranthine's only line of defense against the looming threat of the Shadow.

It was no wonder that the rebellion piqued Renée's interest. It seemed like the perfect opportunity: support the good guys in their heroic quest and undermine authority. All she needed to do was siphon off a little money here and there from the family business. If she was smart about it - and she knew she was - no one would ever notice the missing funds.

Of course, life is rarely that simple, especially when you're dealing with large amounts of money, totalitarian governments, and highly illegal rebel factions.

Renée was right about one thing - her planning was perfect. She knew her father well and she knew her finances even better. She would have never been caught... if she was working alone. In the end, it wasn't her mistake that exposed her ties to the rebellion, but her contacts' (and therein lies the problem with working in a group).

She disappeared soon after.