- Vanai is a Forthwegian Kaunian girl, which would have made her lot in life difficult in any case. It is made more difficult by being orphaned at a young age and being raised by her grandfather Brivibas - a brilliant scholar, but authoritarian, egocentric and narrow-minded. She becomes increasingly alienated from her own people, especially after consenting to have sexual relations with Spinello in order to save her grandfather's life, which makes her a collaborator in the eyes of other Kaunians - and for his part Brivibas, rather than be grateful, treats her narrow-mindedly as a "whore". Ealstan offers her a way out with his warm love and empathy, and she elopes with him without looking back. But their new life in the Forthwegian capital Eoforic (analogue of Warsaw) is threatened by the escalating persecution of Kaunians. Vanai becomes a virtual prisoner in their apartment, any venturing putting her in life danger (one time when she had to, in order to get medicine for the seriously ill Ealstan, she was nearly caught by Algarvian constables but saved by the capital's more pro-Kanunian lower-class crowd).
- Finally, she figures out the spell which allows herself (and afterwards, other Kaunians as well) to masquerade as Forthwegians - a great service to her people and a major blow against Algarve. However, the spell is ineffective for pregnant women, when it has to "cover" two persons, and Vanai is caught and sent to the Kaunian Quarter (Warsaw Ghetto) where she manages to survive several lethal Algarvian raids and finally succeeds in escaping during an Unkerlanter bombing, reuniting with Ealstan and safely giving birth to a baby daughter. She manages also to survive during the doomed, destructive Forthwegian uprising, and to get her revenge on Spinello whom she poisons with mushrooms. At the end of the series she finds a safe haven, warmly received by Ealstan's broad-minded family, starting a second pregnancy and in general having as happy a prospect as anyone can in the Unkerlanter-dominated post-war Forthweg - a situation which she, as a Kaunian who did not fare so well even in the pre-war independent Forthweg, minds less than her Forthwegian (Polish) patriotic husband.
Read more about this topic: List Of Darkness Viewpoint Characters