Oona von Yonwood was born into a rich family in upper Cliffsunder, but quickly realized that life amongst nobles was not enough to satisfy her. Possessing exceptional beauty and an uncommon intellect, she was was a top graduate of the Whiteharbour Academy. There, she had studied logistics and shipping routes, but quickly found that she was a gifted politician. While she took a position as a routemaster for the Fayan Trading Company, she worked on developing a friendship with Wreya Helefir, intending on using her to gain access to her brother, the incumbent Port-Lord Wrys Helefir.
Oona leveraged her position well, and successfully charmed the young nobleman. Though she felt little love for Wrys, who had himself fallen in love with an Elven wanderer before their union, she did love his status as a Helefir, and the power that came with it. As the Port-Lord's wife, Oona quickly overtook his duties and began running the Grandport in his stead, then sired him a true heir in Caelas Helefir.
It was rumored that Oona overly coddled her son, and treated her husband's bastard Crossborn Ulre Helefir with disdain, encouraging the rift that grew in their family. Caelas and Ulre would grow up hating each other, with Oona always taking her son's side; but by the time they had grown to be men of their own, she had grown bored of life in Cliffsunder. Wrys had grown even more reclusive, spending all day in the aviary with his Vulture Warwick Helefir, and her sons had all but disappeared from their family home.
Rather than while away her days, Oona pivoted, and schemed to become Cliffsunder's representative in Emblem without the knowledge of her family. Still possessing sharp wit and bountiful charisma as she aged, she became Cliffsunder's Torchbearer in the Council of Commonlight, and moved eastward to politick in the Court of the Torch. When she left, her husband's grip over Cliffsunder softened, as she had handled most of his duties for much of his adult life.
Oona found that exerting her will in the capital was more difficult than she expected, however. Nobles, sages, and scholars from all sorts of stock were in the court, and some were powerful Spellcasters or war heroes. Simple scheming was not enough in the face of heritage and magic, and she was considered to be an ineffective, unimportant member of the Council.