House Triventine has always had strong matriarchal figures in their household. Lady Nicole's great grand mother Aria of the withered blade won great acclaim and wealth as a captain of the dragonsport navy. Her prestige was that when she settled in Haven she was granted a sizeable estate. Her daughter Melody was raised with every luxury, and it left her spoiled. By her mid thirties Melody had become the grand cleric of the priesthood in Haven, but she was forced out with the scandalous revelation that she had hosted many lovers — often at the same time — within the order itself.
It was a unstable time in the black marches - even as much today. The reverand mother Melody found her many enemies within and outside of her order seizing on the opportunity to topple their rival and destroy her family's reputation. She earned the unenviable sobriquet "The whore of Haven" before she was eventually assassinated by enemies who were never brought to justice.
Melody bore a daughter out of wedlock before her deaht. Her daughter Lina was raised and then employed at a The Smoking Gnu as a small time prostitute, completing the family's social fall and confirming her mother's unfortuante nickname. Nicole was born to Nina, her father unknown, was raised by whores and bar wrenchs.
Unlike her mother, Nicole always evinced a fierce pride. Research in her youth revealed that her family technically still retained his noble title and was eligable to hold lands, even though her mother had always been told otherwise. She kept this information to herself as she matured. She made it a point to meet and befriend the important people in the city, educating herself in the social grace of her betters and keeping her background as much a secret as possible. When she was fifteen years old she married one Ser Duniel, a wealth but savagely ugly knight from dragonsport. He perished three years later of a sudden violent illness.
The newly wealthy Nicole set about rebuilding her family in earnest, making a name for herself as a charming hostess and canny politician. She married again, but this time to the son of a lord with greater prestige but less money than herself; he lasted five years before he was slain by bandits while on a trip to their holdings outside of haven.
Her public wrath was stunning to behold; each and every one of the bandits was brutally hunted and executed. A popular song about her vengeance that was widely performed by the city's ministrels ensured public sympathy for her plight. She became a folk hero, one of the most popular and interesting nobles in the city. She publicly dedicated herself to good works within the town, establishing orphanages, funding chapels, and hosting charities to help uplift the downtrodden.
Despite her age, Lady Nicole has made Triventine's star bright once again.