Name: Astrid Jorunn
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Age: 27
Personality:
- Action-orientated. Astrid is no philosopher, she is the type of woman who gets in and gets things done. Even when times seem grim, she does not sit still and will take actions to ensure her success. When stripped of purpose, Astrid becomes restless and agitated. If she cannot work towards a goal, she is out of her element.
- Perseverance. Coming from a place where being anything but will kill you, it's not strange for Astrid to personify this trait. However she can get carried away, requiring a third party to slow her down, because evidently disease and public opinion do not.
- Open-hearted. While seemingly stern, Astrid easily expresses emotion and is quick to form strong bonds. She is willing to accept those society does not, holding little disdain for people regardless of race, origin or past.
- Responsible. Astrid takes her role as leader and teacher very seriously, taking responsibility for both physical ability and mental fortitude of her students. She seeks to make people under her better persons. Astrid works them to this point, sometimes bordering relentlessly, which may be encouraging for some, but discouraging for others.
- Honest. You needn't worry much about honesty when asking Astrid for her thoughts. She will readily present you with the truth, even if it's a cold and harsh one. However, she can be blunt. Having seen war means having seen and done some ugly things to survive. Astrid speaks of this without second thought, which may cast her in a negative light.
- Self-righteous. Astrid believes her actions are right. It is difficult to sway her, and if she is swayed she will (quite out of character) drop everything to reflect on what she should do. Important to note is that, Astrid generally values ends higher than means.
Course: Advanced Armed Combat
Years Teaching: 0
House Requested: Dragoon
Appearance
Weapon(s): Astrid owns a one-handed axe, spear and shortbow. None of them possesses special traits. Nova University provides her with the rest of her equipment necessary for her classes.
Magic:
Shamanism; Astrid is capable of interacting with spirits and channeling them through her body. She is not the most powerful shaman, however, which may result in stronger spirits fighting over her physical form. Channeling puts her into a trance, temporarily losing a part of the self to project the spirit. Her shamanism requires rituals and items, oftentimes preparation up to a day's work if all resources are present. There are a few exceptions to this which can be summoned near instantly, as listed below;
- Jar of Memories; A seemingly bland clay jar that holds the spirit of her father captive. Jörn Jorunn is a jaded ghost of a man, who used to hold some pull in Gydril. If he can be appeased, he can be relied on to handle political cases or provide insight in anything resolving financial issues. However, Jörn holds little regard for the world of the living and much contempt for his cursed state. As such, actually appealing to him is very difficult.
- Sabertooth; a necklace of teeth. It contains the spirit of a feral monster, the likes of which no longer roams the land. It is an ancestral artifact that has been passed onto Astrid. Invoking it's power with a short chant it allows her to channel an limitless fury. Her berserk state enhances her physical abilities to past what is humanly possible, but forsakes her ability to think clearly. This makes it best fit for life-or-death situations and the polar opposite for teamwork and subtlety. Because the human body is not accustomed to wielding such strength, Astrid may break their own bones or otherwise damage her body using it.
- Seelie Coin; A small silver medallion that contains the ghost of a faery that refuses to give her name. It is potentially useful in communicating with it's kind, but it usually has the opposite agenda of Astrid. It detests fighting, but delights in singing, dancing and consuming copious amounts of alcohol. All three of which look very awkward on the warrior woman. Astrid isn't sure why she keeps this item around.
Abilities:
- Great physical ability, Astrid takes her fitness regiment very seriously.
- Cold tolerance, you can't fight in the north and not have this.
- Pain tolerance, see above.
- Focus, naturally capable to keep a cool head and tell illusion from reality. Grants resistance to skills that target the mind.
Skills:
- Weapons expert; She is a master of the axe and spear but in order to properly teach Advanced Armed Combat, Astrid is proficient with most common weapons used for warfare and hunting. Although not part of her course, this extends to ranged weaponry such as bows.
- Tactical Warfare & Leadership: While no great strategist, Astrid knows how to motivate, prepare for and command forces into battle. She has a high awareness and is able to make split second decisions.
- Hunting: Arguably the skill Astrid values most is her ability to put meat on the table. Naturally her ability to track, stalk and assault wild animals has it's uses for combating humans and wraiths as well.
- Riding: Able to work with and ride a number of creatures. While Astrid knows how to ride a horse, her mount of choice is the taguel; a giant rabbit that is quick and nimble, but lacks the stamina to carry it's rider over large distances.
- Winter Survival: Astrid grew up and has defended the Northern-most parts of the world. Having served as scout and part of the vanguard alike, she is adept at surviving in this barren environment and knowledgeable about it's (limited) resources and wildlife. Some of the basics carry over, such as wood-cutting, skinning and navigation.
- Minor crafting ability, mostly used for repairs, shelter and forging traps and arrows.
- First aid: Another required skill to apply for Advanced Armed Combat; in case something goes wrong in class. Astrid can treat basic wounds and ailments, and stall more dangerous inflictions.
Weaknesses:
- Aside shamanism, Astrid has little affinity for magic.
- Her ability as a shaman has it's downsides. She is a more likely target for malevolent spirits to possess... And sometimes they trigger the berserk ability.
- Astrid is new to teaching at the university, having only some minor experience training recruits. Her ability to impart her skills and knowledge is something she will need to work on.
- Astrid comes from a very militant environment. This comes with the necessary issues when interacting with students or other teachers as she can be rather domineering.
- While not devoid of honour or mercy, Astrid is more tolerant than most in when it comes to the ends justifying the means. This may conflict with others their teaching methods.
- Astrid is not content with her transfer from the battlefield, attributing it to a lack ability. This makes her eager to prove herself and gives her a difficult time responding to criticism.
- Fardhos is alien territory to Astrid. The climate takes a lot of getting used to, the food is strange, and she is not yet resistant to it's diseases. Expect Astrid to catch a lot of colds, have some culture shocks along the way and need some catching up on local customs, politics and threats.
History: Born to the northern region of le Rempart, there was only one of two paths in life readily available to Astrid. Go to war, or support those who do. Where humans struggled to live the never-ending winter, wraiths thrived. Nowhere like the north, the world was wrapped in a war. The snow was near as often red, as it was white; an on-going three-faction battle between man, wraith and the wildlife they roamed among.
Astrid grew up in the city of Gydril. Her mother was warm-hearted, but hot-blooded woman who somehow managed to raise four devils of children into good and responsible people. She was selfless and would put in tireless efforts for not just her family, but also her community. When she braved the winter's cold winds to welcome back an expedition with a kettle filled with soup, she'd often be described as "A sight for sore eyes, all 240 ponds of her!"
Her mother's first husband was a soldier. After the birth of his first son, he asked to be transferred from scouting expeditions to a fortress. He spent most his days patrolling the walls far away from home, so that he might live to see his retirement and family. Although the man could not spend much time with his family, he wrote twice a month without fail. For the first years of her life, Astrid was convinced this man was her father as he would refer to and love her as a daughter. Tragically, he died in an attack on the fortress he was stationed. The family received his last letter when Astrid was six. Regardless he rests as a hero in her memory.
Astrid's true father was a politician. Jörn Jorunn was his name. Often ridiculed for his frail stature, Jörn could not attain glory as a warrior, but had it's spirit nonetheless. He became hand of the city council, and when Jörn exploited his cunning to take one of it's chairs at the age twenty, he became the youngest sitting members in history. This position put great stress on the man, having to contend with veteran warriors at least twice his age. Many stubborn and many fearful. Eight years into his career, Jörn started an affair with Astrid's mother, from which their daughter was born.
It would not be until she turned nine that Jörun would take his place as father. After a particularly harsh winter and the death of her oldest son, Astrid's mother turned to her old flame for support. She married him, in order to attain the finances required to support her family and her brother who had recently returned from war, but left his leg behind on the battlefield. Jörun never made nice with his adopted sons, but attempted to build a relationship with his true daughter. A difficult venture for the man, whose years in wartime politics had tainted him. He would send her gifts and take her out to dinner in attempts to show his affection. While Astrid was appreciative, there remained an invisible barrier father and daughter which never allowed them to get truly close.
Astrid's returned uncle, on the other hand, wasted little time to settle in his role as fatherly figure in the household. Seemingly undaunted, perhaps even relieved, by his handicap, he would tell stories of his adventures out in the wild. Knowing his remaining cousins would all follow their father, the man insisted on training the two boys and girl in the arts of shamanism. He himself could no longer impart them with the lessons to wield a sword, but his fallen comrades; they could. At the very least better than what he considered of their instructor, who the uncle claimed never to have seen true combat.
The ability to channel spirits allowed the children to grow much faster in the art of war than their peers. In three years, they learned more than what most their did in five. Although they would be soldiers of common birth, they would receive training worthy of knights. The standards they were held to were high, and in spite of seeming to fail them time and time again, the children stood up until they would finally meet the expectations of their ghastly instructors.
Eventually, all three siblings were sent to war. Their uncle gave each of them, even Astrid, a family heirloom to protect them. Astrid joined the scouting division, much like the man she honoured as father once had. She would come to learn that most new recruits would be waded out during their first missions. Over half of them died within the first year, and Astrid barely made it by the skin of her teeth.. According to their senior scouts, that was a good year.
Experience proved to be a harsher tutor than Astrid had ever experienced, spending every waking moment in anticipation of a wraith, a predator, or worse; revenant wildlife. Yet she took pride in her duties and was revered back home. The information her division provided proved pivotal to the survival of the region. After three years of service, she was moved to tears by being on the receiving end of the reception. Moreso by the news both her brothers were still alive; something she had been steeling herself for on the way home.
It was not long after her homecoming, news arrived of a massive gathering of wraith. Needing every able man and woman they could get their hands on, Astrid was transferred into the main army. After parting with her family, months of marching would await her. It was true, the wraith had began to organise, and every fort had to be manned.
The following years would be grueling efforts. Some castles even aligned their selves with the enemy, proving to be a greater immediate threat than the wraith armies. They were tests of patience, endurance and courage. After arriving, Astrid would never have to sit still for more than a week. They attacked at every opportunity that presented itself, before hiding behind their walls for safety. They were valiant efforts, but employing some of the darkest ways war had to offer. Traps, poison, hostages; they were all necessary for survival. And as they buried their dead, they celebrated their promotions. Astrid herself was made captain of her squad. "As deserved of any man or woman who lives this long." Was said at the ceremony, which consisted out of raising a glass and standing on a table.
One day, a messenger arrived at the fort; ordering retreat. Their lines had been broken and the wraith had advanced. Astrid and the rest of the troops were of no use where they were now; they were to return to Gyndril to fortify the defences at home. Forces were distributed to nearer by castles, increasing the men per station. At least, most of them were.
Not all of the council had agreed to this plan. Jörun, strongly opposed to allowing the wraith to gain more ground, had been hanged for being a thorn in the city's side. She would receive his ashes in a small clay jar and a keepsake in the form of a silver coin. Although arguing she was loyal to the city, rather than her father, Astrid was eventually honourably dismissed and shipped off to the main land. Contemplating what had caused the people to lose their trust in her, Astrid sought for ways, from deck to port, to prove she had a place in this war. When Astrid caught wind of Nova University, she knew she had an opportunity. To guide those who would go to war, and to solidify herself as a valuable asset. Not just to her hometown, but to the world.
