Assassin turned lover, the tale of Istiana is an epic in its own right, the first meeting between the then Arch-Legate and the legendary spymistress was by no means well fortuned, had fate deigned otherwise Marcus would have met his end at the woman's knife as so many other unsuspecting and power drunk men had. The General had his suspicions but something in the emerald glare of her eyes said otherwise, some would call it love at first sight, whatever it was, Istiana decided not to plunge the knife that night however Marcus did not relent in plunging the spear which kindled their romance. What was a passionate and heated affair, that saw them elope any time the opportunity presented itself was also predicated on a strong bond between two titans of their respective arts, wolves afterall cannot help but be drawn to other wolves. With more foresight and wisdom and certainly less impulsiveness then the proud general whom had become her lover, Istiana distanced herself from political matters becoming all but a ghost and a name barely mentioned in quarreling courts, some stated she had already died, there was nary a witness and all loose ends were tied, except for those who knew how to find her. Marcus's brutal imprisonment in the prisons of Apecrotea would have seen his end, but Istiana wisely arranged for him to be smuggled out in a barrel of olive oil, Marcus swore a blood debt there and then at a time of her choosing, from then began the Condotierre days and Marcus's vendetta against those that had wronged the legion, culminating in legitimizing his claim to Cornaeth.
It is believed that in these years, when the Imperial southern colonies to the far south across the Cerulean sea had all but withered, Marcus was called upon by Istiana, there the couple dealt a decisive blow the Ishtaran slave trade and slew the Sorcerous sultan of Agraban, formerly an imperial holding. Decades of anonymity had ended with this grand gesture that echoed across all of Tyranoth and with her guise worn down by too many enmities to name, Istiana took upon Marcus's offer to return with him to Cornaeth. There Marcus revealed his ambition to carve a kingdom anew, to build a dynasty that would undo the wrongs of the past and bring hope to the peoples of this new age, such a monumental task would require the company of no less magnificent and capable a woman and though Marcus wears no crown himself, he presented one to Istiana, one amongst many tokens of proposal, they married and forged a kingdom together.
