Ever since Nyra was young she had nightmares. She remembers her mother, Erikka, sitting on the edge of the bed and calming her to sleep, her mother's long black hair blocking everything else out. That was before her House fell. Most of the memories she had from the time were missing, only coming back to her in nightmares. A Suk doctor employed by the family was the only reason she survived as he neutralized the poison in time.
When Nyra entered the Suk School at age 22 she left her past behind. She was one of their charity cases and she was grateful, though it ensured her a lifelong debt to the school, one that she would never be able to pay back in full despite the majority of her fees going directly towards the debt. Nyra spent 12 years studying medicine with 5 of them in the Inner School. Nyra emerged as a fully-fledged Suk Doctor. It was something that she could have only dreamed of before, though her dreams are often still plagued by nightmares, sometimes as remnants of her childhood and sometimes remnants of her years of ruthless conditioning. Regardless, she wears the recognizable diamond tattoo with pride.
Having committed herself to the study of recognizing and treating poisons, Nyra found herself moved by the plight of House Kairos. She had been there the night of Ashlid's fantastic performance and her death had been a tragedy. Nyra approached Damocles to offer herself for the position of chief physician for the House, much discounted of course. If she has to shoulder her debts to the school a little longer, then she would do so gladly.