Leviana-Silvana Pomona Decus

"Hmm, you remember me.  I admit, I thought we had taken care of you when we cursed you as a child, but you are like your mother--not easily broken."

--Lord Tenebrarius Appius to Leviana-Silvana Pomona Decus.

Leviana-Silvana Pomona Decus is the main character of Shadowskin and its upcoming sequels. She is the daughter of Silvana Nix Decus (nee Ruber)  and Levias Viator Decus.  She is the younger sister of Levias Arion Decus. Though unaware at first of her parentage, Pomona discovers the truth about her family through the Speculum Presentis and her journey to defeat the Tenebrari.

Appearance
 Pomona has tan skin that becomes darker in the sun, and this sets her apart from most other pale Norarchlanders. She also has long brown hair that falls in thick waves down her back. She has high cheekbones and a long face. Her nose is large and blunt and her thick lips sometimes seem a bit too large for her face. Her eyes are dark brown and framed by thick lashes. She is very tall, standing at 5 ft. 8 in., and her frame is slender. She doesn’t find herself particularly pretty because she lacks the features that indicate beauty in Norarchland. In Solharena, though, she would be considered lovely.

Personality
Pomona begins as a nervous and insecure gardener. The only thing she is comfortable doing is gardening, and even this security is threatened when Princess Nevea's Aetas Tree burns down. She slowly begins to develop more self-confidence when she learns the truth about her identity, and she takes things into her own hands when Princess Nevea is threatened. She becomes less willing to just allow things to happen and seeks to intervene when she knows something can be done to help. She is impulsive and sometimes forgets to think her decisions through completely, but she is also quick-thinking and can manage to get herself out of the situations she gets into. She is very loyal and committed to seeing things through, even if she gets frustrated by the circumstances along the way. According to the Myers-Briggs Personality Test, Pomona is an ISFJ.

Early Life
Pomona was born in Seneca, Norarchland to Silvana Nix Decus, who had barely survived a desert storm that is believed to have killed Pomona's father. Pomona lived with her mother, brother Arion, and grandmother Silvana Leta Ruber until she was two years old. At this time, Pomona was cursed by the Tenebrari who had learned of her existence. This curse keeps her from touching anyone so long as she knows their names--otherwise, she will draw the breath from their bodies and risk killing them.

Not long after Pomona is cursed, soldiers come to the cottage and forcibly take Pomona, her mother, and her grandmother to the capital in Artorius. Nix is forced to assume the identity of her deceased sister as Queen Demetra. Pomona is kept away from her mother and raised by her grandmother in the royal gardens, where she learns to protect the Aetas Trees and stay away from those whom her curse could hurt. She becomes best friends with another gardener her age, Silvanus Orientalis "Tal" Larum. Leta dies when Pomona is eight and she becomes the primary supervisor of the royal gardens.

Shadowskin (spoilers)
When Pomona is eighteen, the Aetas Tree of Crown Princess Jovana Nevea Alba catches fire and burns down, putting the princess's health and safety at risk. All that keeps the entire garden from burning down is the magic of Nereana Delia Pisciscauda, a Filiaera who puts the fire out with her magic. As Pomona is removing the stump of the tree from the garden, she discovers the Speculum Presentis beneath the roots of the tree. This mirror reveals to Pomona the identity of her mother, which has been kept secret from her ever since she arrived in Artorius.

Pomona reconnects with her mother Nix, who was forced into the role vacated by her sister, Jovana Rosa Ruber. Her compliance was ensured by Lord Tenebrarius Appius, who threatened Pomona's safety every time Nix thought about revealing the truth to her daughter. When Pomona discovers the truth on her own, Nix tells her about how the Tenebrari are planning to usurp the throne by killing off every monarch through the use of cursed gold.

Lord Appius commands Nix to kill Princess Nevea, and with no other option, Nix obeys. Pomona intervenes and runs with Princess Nevea into the forest that covers most of Norarchland. They are accompanied by Delia and Arion, who had been cursed by the Tenebrari to take the form of a horse. Nevea soon takes shelter in their grandmother's old cottage in Seneca, despite the fact that it is overrun with Tenebrari. Pomona instead goes to Clymene, Seneca and was taken in by Governor Dema Selene Magna and Capia Callisto Arquitena.

While living with Selene and Callisto, Pomona learns about the Tenebrari's plot and that she is one of the seven destined to defeat them. She also discovers that she has her father's Levias magic in addition to her Silvanus magic. She returns to Artorius with Selene on reconnaissance and destroys the cursed gold. She accidentally uses her curse on the queen, but she realizes that her touch does not instantly kill as she has always believed. Tal returns to Seneca with her and goes to help convince Princess Nevea of the Tenebrari's scheme to kill her. While they are there, Nevea is nearly killed by an accomplice of the Tenebrari. This convinces her to join Pomona's side.

That night, Pomona is kidnapped by the Tenebrari and told that her entire family will be killed unless she uses her curse to kill the princess. Pomona agrees, though she secretly plans to let go of the princess before she actually dies. She tells Nevea ahead of time and Nevea agrees to go through with the act. When Nevea appears dead, Pomona escapes the Tenebrari and finds Callisto, who helps Pomona fight off the Tenebrari. Callisto is revealed to be a Filiaterra and over six hundred years old. Pomona is arrested by Crown Prince Demas Hadrian Sophus of Southarchland under the false assumption that she has murdered Nevea. She wakes up in the dungeon of Alcmena, the capital of Southarchland, but she is quickly released by Lady Nelia Tacita Parmena, a mute duchess who revives Nevea with a magical shirt. Nevea and Hadrian prepare to marry.

Just before the wedding, Pomona is suddenly thrown back in prison, where she meets Capia Carin Sui, the owner of cursed red shoes which are retrieved by the royal guards. While in the dungeon, Pomona is visited by a Filiabyssa, who gives her the Speculum Memorias as a sign of good faith. She shows Pomona a way out and she escapes just as Tal and a strange servant girl come to release her. The servant girl is a transformed Princess Nevea, who has been replaced by the Tenebrari. As she is escaping Pomona learns that her mother is being executed by the false princess and the Tenebrari. Nix dies in her daughter's arms.

Pomona, Arion, and Tal escape Southarchland and attempt to travel to Gothel, Vallonia, where Selene has gone to hide. They are waylaid by a winter storm and they must take shelter in a mysterious palace. The palace is owned by a talking bear who threatens Tal's life when he takes some fruit from a tree. Pomona agrees to stay in the palace as long as Tal and Arion can escape.

Shadowseer
Coming soon

Family

 * Queen Silvana Oriana [Netricia] Aurelia (great-grandmother)
 * King Jovas Creon Aurelius (great-grandfather)
 * Princess Silvana Primrose "Leta" [Aurelia] Ruber (grandmother)
 * Prince Levias Cassian Ruber (grandfather)
 * Silvana Nix [Ruber] Decus (mother)
 * Levias Viator Decus (father)
 * Levias Arion Decus (brother)
 * Leviana Arénam Decus (aunt)
 * Jovana Rosa "Demetra" [Ruber] Alba (aunt)
 * King Ventus Marius Albus (uncle)
 * Princess Jovana Nevea Alba (cousin)