Character from The Black Company by Glen Cook
The dark empress who hired the Company — not evil enough to be a villain, not good enough to be a hero, and smarter than everyone who tries to sort her into either category.
The Lady is the series' most morally complex figure. She was half of the Domination — she and the Dominator nearly conquered the world together before she betrayed him and buried him. Now she rules her own empire, fights the Rebel, commands the Taken, and hires the Black Company because she needs soldiers who follow orders without asking philosophical questions. She's not good. She bound the Taken against their will, rules through fear and sorcery, and has committed atrocities that Croaker's Annals record without comment. She's also not the Dominator — she's capable of strategy over cruelty, pragmatism over sadism, and something that might be genuine feeling for Croaker if you squint. Her arc across the series moves from dark empress to warrior to something almost human. She loses her power, joins the Company as a near-mortal, and discovers that being just another soldier is both diminishing and liberating. Her relationship with Croaker — the most powerful woman alive and the company doctor — works because they see each other clearly and like what they see anyway.
Beautiful in a way that freezes you rather than warms you. Dark hair, pale skin, features that are too perfect — the kind of beauty that sorcery maintains and that makes men stupid. Wears black, wears power like clothing, and looks at you like she's already decided what to do with your corpse. Ageless, because she is.
Also known as: The Lady, Lady, Dorotea Senjak