Ligeia is a lady of many talents, an excellent singer whose melodious songs are well-known across the Tundra. There are great chiefs who consider it an honor to have heard Ligeia perform. But there is still much more to Ligeia than meets the eye.
Ligeia seems to wield a strange power over Tundra society. Why do nobles bow to her every whim? Why do some chiefs whisper her name in fear? Some say she is a master manipulator who hypnotizes with her voice or weaves an invisible web of dark magic. If Ligeia has ever responded to such rumors, it is only with laughter or a declaration that undoubtedly some fans are indeed "captivated" by her heavenly voice.
The most commonly accepted story of Ligeia's singing skills, charm, sophistication, and breadth of knowledge is that she is an exiled noble from the last days of the Solaris Empire. Those doubtful (particularly noblemen's wives wary of her menacing presence) have occasionally dispatched investigators to uncover the layers of Ligeia's past. Strangely, none have ever returned compromising information and several have gone missing.
Ligeia does not hypnotize. She does not need to. Her actual skills are far more menacing.
Ligeia was second to none in her mastery of mechanical robotics during the last days of the Empire. Not all of the Empire's spider-mechs, which were mainly used to spy on nobles and obtain compromising information, were destroyed. It is Ligeia's ability to observe, blackmail, and emotionally manipulate that has granted what she desires more than anything else in the world: a life of ease and luxury. Of course, spider-mechs can be deployed in times of physical danger also.
Ligeia hides her past well. Nobody can know she was once a spymaster of the Solaris Empire.
Ligeia once had the unenviable role of watching the emperor's inner circle—acting as judge, jury, and executioner in the case of suspected dissidents (poison or spider bomb execution was preferred). Ligeia's unique skills helped her to navigate the collapse of the Empire better than most. Freedom and fortune became a simple matter of tracking down and assuming the identity of a noblewoman of similar appearance following the collapse.
Ligeia's new noble identity both allowed her to avoid enemies from the old regime and theoretically gave access to a large fortune. This facade has to be carefully managed, but leaves plenty of room for Ligeia to enjoy a better life than the Empire provided. That is the ultimate goal of all the blackmail, manipulation, and lying: not political gain.