Cora Eileen O'Banion is the firstborn of Lord Bain and Lady Kathryn O'Banion of Lorenvale. She has one sibling, a younger brother named Richard. As the daughter of a lesser lord, Cora has lived a relatively protected and provisioned life in the seaside town. Cora's father did his best to keep his family humble despite their wealth. Cora naturally grew to prefer the finer things of life, but she has no true prejudices against those of lesser means.
She is an accomplished musician in three instruments--harp, lute, and recorder--and possesses a clarion soprano voice. Notably, she graduated with honors from a conservatory that bears her family name, the O'Banion School of Performing Arts, which was founded by her late grandmother, Cora O'Banion the Elder. Cora the Younger, after graduation, also received non-formal training as a songsage by the world-famous talent, Devin Rhynn.
Devin Rhynn re-introduces the family to their supposedly lost heirloom sword, the Sword of the Coast, once owned and wielded by Cora the Elder. Though Cora's parents have no desire for her to leave home in pursuit of the weapon, Cora feels it is her duty, her calling. In a pivotal moment, Cora decides to act counter to her parents' wishes and leaves home to join a commissioned vigilante group, chronicle their travels, and by dint of her greatness make them renown.
Cora has just turned nineteen when the stories begin, and in the innocence and naivety of youth, she believes fame and fortune will undoubtedly accrue to her. After all, she has "scarlet" hair and "emerald" green eyes--what courtly nobles could resist that? But Cora's rose-colored view of the world is quickly and hotly contested. Her faith in the Maker, through the Arthouse sect of worship, is also challenged, for instead of Beauty she sees much ugliness in the world, especially in the various dragonkin she encounters.
For Cora O'Banion, there is always hope. Her positive outlook causes her to see the good in people that others fail to notice. And when all hope has faded, Cora still believes there is a way.