Ersilia Kor-Azor is the daughter of Doriam II's sister Sabin. She is a cousin of Aritcio Kor-Azor, and his confirmed successor as Kor-Azor Heir.
Life
She grew up at the Kor-Azor Family court, and Ersilia's uncle Doriam, later to be Emperor Doriam II, personally oversaw her education, wanting her to receive the same instruction as his son Aritcio. Soon Ersilia proved herself a keener intellect and better student than Aritcio, whose envy led him to persecute her. Well educated in loyalty to the Family and to its precepts, Ersilia endured Aritcio's rivalry and outright scorn for years, until in her twenties she asked her uncle Doriam for permission to leave the court and serve the House elsewhere. Although free to express her true potential when this request was granted, she had effectively removed herself from Doriam's immediate circle. In later years, Ersilia appears to have believed Doriam might have seen in her a better successor than Aritcio if she had stayed.
Working in the outer reaches of House Kor-Azor's business and diplomatic sphere, she became a renowned negotiator, and a proud, resilient person. She is polite and calm, seldom lighthearted even in private, and gives the impression of a rather serious, somewhat humorless character. However she is never cruel, even while taking tough decisions, and is generally considered a godly person and good leader.
Even with her qualities, she became widely notorious while she was working on secondment to the Ministry of Assessment during the Girani-Fa incident. As the head negotiator for the Amarr Empire, she proposed the involvement of Quafe as a means to break the dangerous deadlock over the Girani-Fa system. Her consequent fame and increased standing brought Aritcio's envious attention on her again. He was able to convince his father to arrange her marriage for political gain to a powerful Holder ruling the capital planet of the Nimedaz constellation. While the marriage actually gave Ersilia considerable influence over a major planetary holding, the overall effect was isolating and constituted a defining moment that robbed her of many opportunities she had previously earned. By his meddling, Aritcio made an enemy of her for life. In reaction to her isolation, Ersilia started to pursue fame and power to one end only: to be her uncle Doriam's preferred successor.
Before the Succession Trials that made him Emperor, Doriam chose Aritcio to succeed him, and Ersilia began planning to depose and kill her cousin. After Doriam's death, she had to rush her plans: the new Succession Trials might have been called at any time, and she couldn't risk Aritcio becoming Emperor. Ersilia had become convinced that the erratic Aritcio was a madman and all Amarr would suffer greatly under his rule. Moreover, it was almost certain that she would be summoned to be part of the Emperor Family if Aritcio ascended the throne.
Aritcio's rule as Royal Heir of House Kor-Azor had been so capricious that serious unrest had developed. Ersilia began to covertly support aggrieved Holders within the Kor-Azor territories, even going so far as to secretly aid those opposing Aritcio during the Liparer II crisis , hoping that it would weaken Aritcio's grasp on power. In the event, other factions within the Kor-Azor Holders called on the Speakers of Truth and when Brother Joshua of that order became involved matters developed otherwise .
During Aritcio's convalescence she worked hard to stabilize the region, and before he fully recovered from his punishment, she had done much to make her name and deeds known. When her cousin came back to public life, he unexpectedly thanked her for her work more than once, increasing her fame within the Kor-Azor holdings and across the Amarr Empire.
Cooperation with Aritcio
Never truly believing in Aritcio's redemption, Ersilia was careful to cultivate her personal power and influence in the Kor-Azor family during Empress Jamyl's reign. In this regard, Ersilia finally received direct and tangible gains from her arranged marriage upon the death of her husband, inheriting control of his personal holdings in YC112. She was surprised when, just before his appointment as Imperial Chancellor, Aritcio asked her to be his personal advisor on the affairs of House Kor-Azor. Suspicious beyond reason but intrigued she accepted, with the plan of enforcing her power and potentially fining a way to oust Aritcio. She never truly abandoned this intention, but working closely with Aritcio she witnessed that he had really changed, though her concern was that this change was ultimately a result of deep and intricate psychological trauma.
Royal Heir-elect
After Jamyl's death, Aritcio declared at a Kor-Azor family council that he was ready to withstand the Trials of Succession, and that he had chosen Ersilia to be his successor. He made clear that her resolve to rule was no smaller than her ability to do so, and she would be a perfect Royal Heir for the Kor-Azor. While somewhat baffled, Ersilia accepted and the family confirmed her as Royal Heir-elect ahead of the trials for the Imperial Succession YC118.