Veronica Vera

"My name is Veronica if you really must know. BUT THE TIME FOR TALK IS OVER!"

- Veronica; Shadow Hearts Covanant

Veronica is a lieutenant of the terroist cult Sapientes Gladio of the video game Shadow Hearts Covenant. She is a magical assassin with instructions given to kill Yuri and the other heroes of the game. She was tought from a young age how to use magics and poisons on behalf of Sapientes Gladio and now use them with deadly effecientcy. She is also a sex-fiend and saddist that gets great satisfaction from torturing people.

Veronica was originally a pupil of a learned herbalist, fortunteller and prostitute named Carla. Carla had gotten tired of a world that exploited her when Sapientes Gladio came to her asking for her talents, though she knew the orginazation was a terroist group she had become enough of a nihilist to accept. Carla took on many students and was now training them to join the group. But when she was exposed the the violence that the group instelled in her students she became disgusted and left, her main student who had taken on the more violent tendanies was a young Veronica.

Veronica first encounters Yuri and his friends in the subway tunnles below Paris as her accomplish, Lenny, had just lost them. She introduces herself as an assassin within Sapientes Gladio and proceeds to kill the group by summoning two of her familiars, Castor and Pollux, two deadly demons of fire and ice. After Yuri and friends beat Castor and Pollux Vernoica laughs and lets them go having not expected to put in any real effort into killing them at first but she ensures them she will be back.

After the party gets to Le Harve France they are harassed by the local corrupt mayor who take some children hostage to get a tavernower to give him a treasure and Yuri and friends, including their newest ally Joachim, the wresteling, super-hero, vampire, goes to rescue them in a wine celler. However when arriving it becomes lear the mayor is not in charge and he and his croney are lying on the floor nearly uncoinscious in front of Veronica. Veronica is now holding the children hostage and Joachim, who was priviously looked after by them, steps up to do battle with Veronica. Veronica attempts to use her charms on Joachim as she did the mayor and his croney but Joachim being brave and true...as well as gay and everybit as overly dramatic as Veronica, is not swayed and challenges her to battle transforming into his alter-ego the "Grand Papillon". After an one on one battle with Jochim Veronica is infuriated, by both the Joachim's refusal to acknowldge her allures and her defeat at his hands, so Veronica sics her other familiar Meursault on him though this time Yuri and his friends join in.

Veronica encounters the heroes again when her superior, Nicolai, lures the party to Sapientes Gladio's HQ to exchange a book for the safe return of their friend Roger. Veronica sets up a trap for them that releases a potent alchemical gases that causes paralysis. The trap works on all but Blanca, the wolf, who had smelled the trap early and Nicolai takes the book off of Yuri while Lenny tried to chase down Blanca and Veronica takes her helpless prey down to the dungeons and torture chamber.

In the dungeons Veronica tells them that she wants to play with them and make them her new toy, she warns the heroes that even if their friend Blanca mangaed to find them, her final familiar, Oscar, would kill him if he tried to rescue them. She then asks which one wants to be her plaything. The player will have the option to select one of the party to "take one for the team". Whoever is choosen there are three option types to choose from every time Veronica tortures them and asks a question, option one is the defiant option, the second is a witty quip, the third is surrender. If the player choose all of one type of answer they will find a treasure chest in the room when returning there after being freeded, option 1 will see to it the treasure is an above average weapon, options 2 or 3 will place a thrid key, an item that allows you to stike three times as much in a single turn in battle. Regardless, when the toture sesson is done Blanca will fight Oscar and come in to save the party. Veronica finds out about the escape and catches up to them with Lenny as they are about to free Roger. Lenny tells Veronica that he will take care of the group, Veronica leaves Lenny to his work and follows Nicolai to Russia to speak with their leader Rasputin.

Once in Russia Veronica makes a full report to Rasputin about what has happened. Most of which Rasputin already knew as Nicolai had reported first, though there were afew things Veronica reported that Nicolai had not, like Lenny's sacrifce and the trading of Roger for the mystcal book Emigre'. After making the trip and reporting in Rasputin invites Veronica to bed with him. The next mourning Veronica asks Rasputin about his plans in Russia and whether he has earned the trust of the Tsarina. Rasputin comments about his pupteering of World War I and his maninpulation of the Russian court and tells her to meet him in the evening after he makes arrangements with Victor, one of the last assassins of Sapientes Gladio, to kill the emperor when he returns from the front.

On the night of the emperor's return Veronica is one of the party guests invited by Rasputin along with Nicolai and Victor. Victor goes for Emperor Nicholas II but his attack is stopped by Yuri who Rasputin is very suprised to see since he had framed Yuri and his friends as assassins and gotten them banished. Yuri and his new friend Anastasia, the emperor's daughter, manage to win over some brief time to talk to the emperor. When Anastasia shows her father a photo of Rasputin talking to Victor it becomes quite clear who the real assassin was and Nicolai and Veronica make some quick exits. As Rasputin is caught and needs to take the Tsarina as a hostage Veronica use a flash bang and some smokecreen to give Rasputin a chance to escape himself.

Veronica is waiting on the roof of the palace with Rasputin as their airship begins blasting the country side to keep the royal guards busy, so Yuri and friends pursue Rasputin and Veronica themselves. At the top of the palace Veronica lays down her life for Rasputin and transforms into the Night Queen, a demoness who Rasputin pledged Veronica's soul too. After the battle Veronica dies from the strain on her body as Night Queen.