Kitiara is beautiful, a skilled warrior and, above all else, she is cold and calculating. Power-hungry, she has never been truly able to call someone a friend. In many ways, she and Raistlin are much alike. Neither would hesitate to betray an ally if presented with a guarantee at supreme power.

Kitiara once fell in love with a half elf named Tanis Half-Elven, and later seduced the knight Sturm Brightblade, with whom she secretly had a child, Steel Brightblade.

During the War of the Lance, Kitiara became a Dragon Highlord, with Skie as her personal dragon. While in Flotsam, she found Tanis disguised as one of her own soldiers and assumed that he too had enlisted. This meeting rekindled their feelings for each other, and she encouraged Tanis to stay with her as her lover. But Tanis came to his senses shortly after, and fled from Kitiara in self-disgust to rejoin his companions on their flight into the Blood Sea.

In the North, Kitiara led an attack on the High Clerist's Tower, the defence of which was commanded by Sturm Brightblade and the Elven princess Laurana. In the course of battle, Kitiara killed Sturm and was recognized byLaurana and Tasslehoff Burrfoot.

Later on, in the climax of the War, Kitiara offered Tanis the chance to become her lover forever. He refused in favor of Laurana, whom he trusted and loved in truth. Kitiara therefore allowed them to escape from her and the other Highlords.

After the War of the Lance, Kitiara led her Dragonarmies against the city of Palanthas, hoping to allow her half-brother Raistlin back into the world from the Abyss in his quest to defeat the Dark Queen, Takhisis. It was at this time that Kitiara was mortally wounded by Raistlin's apprentice, Dalamar, who had to stop his master's entry into the material plane. As she died, Kitiara realized that the death knight - Lord Soth - wished for her to become his undead companion, and beseeched Tanis Half-Elven to keep her soul safe. Faced with dying himself and losing his elven bride, Laurana, Tanis let the last of his human insecurities go when he allowed Soth to claim Kit's body.

Lord Soth failed to claim Kitiara's soul however, when he was drawn into the Mists of Ravenloft. Kitiara's soul is at a later point mentioned to be preparing for judgement by Takhisis, though this contradicts the mention of a vessel containing Kitiara's soul in the Legends trilogy.