Astrid Thorkelldottir

Hersir Astrid Thorkelldottir

Theme Music

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Astrid was born in the cold lands of Varengia to the north. Their life was harsh and filled with difficulties, it was a land that bred only the strong, for the weak perished in its cold grip. Astrid's father was Thorkell, Jarl of the Silver Wolves, one of the strongest tribes in the region. The Silver Wolves lived int northmost regions of their land, ice was a constant, agriculture was impossible, and much like the creatures that inspired their name, they lived off hunting and taking from others. They hunted the great beasts that lived in the north, their size was so great that killing just one was enough to feed the whole tribe for a week. They also raided the frost giants in their frozen halls, their warriors being extremely adept at fighting those larger foes. They would also extend themselves to the south and attack other tribes, they would steal food and capture thralls before fleeing back to the frozen north, they rarely were pursued as far as their homes, but when they were, they laughed and allowed the cold to weaken their foes, then they would pick them off one by one, using their superb knowledge of the terrain and winter warfare to their advantage.
Astrid grew in this cold world, in their tribe women had their roles to play, but all were expected to hunt, all were expected to fight, in that manner the Silver Wolves saw no difference between man and woman although, with man being stronger they were usually assigned the more difficult physical tasks. Astrid was loved dearly by her father, her mother died giving birth and the broken-hearted Thorkell treated Astrid with the utmost care and love. He eventually remarried and had many more children, but Astrid was always her favorite, she also had the same spirit as her mother, and she had her eyes. He taught Astrid from an early age how to fight, being a chief he had access to all sorts of weapons, so he taught his daughter to fight with a sword and shield first, she eventually grew to favor larger weapons like greatswords and great axes, for those were better against their favorite foes, the giants. Astrid had taken to her father, she was unnaturally strong just like him, much more than the average woman and enough to rival even the man of the tribe, a fact that brought no shortage of pride to Thorkell, she was able to go hunting shoulder to shoulder with the best hunters, and she would raid the giants shoulder to shoulder with the best fighters. Many in the tribe started seeing her as the natural successor to Thorkell, the tribe did not operate in a hereditary manner, on the death of a chief a new one was chosen based on his skill and strength, she had both in droves.
The Silver Wolves lived in this manner for many generations, but Thorkell was not satisfied with just that, generations of this cold existence made sure that each and every member of the tribe was the best humanity had to offer in physical prowess and resilience. Why should they cower in the cold north, when there were so many warmer and more prosperous lands for the taking in the south? Thorkell started his ambition by uniting the northern tribes under his banner, he even managed to get some of the giants on his side, then he led his massive horde to the south. They had little interest in conquest, their goal was not to subjugate and rule, their goal was to take their land, nothing more. The northern barbarians descended on the southern lands with a vengeance, they committed massacre after massacre, the few survivors being taken as thralls and forced to do grueling labor for the horde. The tribes that swore their allegiance to Thorkell and proved strong enough, were allowed to join the horde, the rest were eradicated. The so-called civilized lands had no such option, they were all mercilessly destroyed.
Astrid fought this war on the front lines, she was given a position of command with a large band of Silver Wolves warriors, she fought alongside her man and led them to many victories, making a name for herself in the process, she became known to the tribes for her skill, courage, and strength. She was not against the massacre's they were weak after all, and that was the fate that awaited all that were too weak to defend themselves, but she did notice something strange was happening to her tribe. She started feeling a rage building inside her whenever she was in battle, she saw that in other men too, going into a battle rage was no uncommon, it was actually something they all learned, but this... This was different. She also noted that her father was becoming stranger and stranger, he was growing more violent and ruthless by the day, he was always a magnificent warrior because he was as smart as he was strong, but now... Now he seemed to rely solely on his strength, and he seemed to be getting bigger and stronger also. No longer did Thorkell look to outsmart and outflank his enemies, no longer did he seek to turn the terrain against them, now he only cared about massive frontal assaults, where both sides would pay dearly for the fight. Astrid voiced her concerns to him, he went in a blind rage at being called out by his daughter, the ensuing beating she took almost killed her, it took her half-brothers to hold down Thorkell and pull her away from him.
Astrid was not sure what was going on, but she saw now that the path the tribe was taking was leading them to a dark place, she voiced her concerns to other chieftains, many of which agreed with her. She hoped that with the backing of many of the chiefs she would be able to make her father see reason. She was mistaken tough, she only managed to get him more furious with her, he branded her and the other chiefs as traitors and ordered his soldiers to execute them. Astrid tried to plead with her father but to no avail, she sound found herself fighting the elite of the Silver Wolves, they all had a look of daze in their eyes, that were slowly turning red, she knew now for sure that something was wrong, they were stronger than they had ever been, but they were also less-skilled, swinging wildly and without technique, which was good for her for she did not think she would be able to defeat them otherwise. She let her own battle rage overtake her and after many hours of fighting and running, she saw herself escape from the death her father ordained to her.
She was dazed and confused, her body was full of wounds, and she was way past exhaustion. She simply collapsed and fought back the tears with anger, she was not going to be broken by this, she refused it. She kept moving south, slowly at first, but then with blinding speed after she was recovered, her strong legs, used to running on snow and up mountains, carrying her fast in this dry and flat land. The chiefs that defied her father were all dead, she had no hopes of finding help now within the horde, if she wanted to stop her father and restore her tribe to normalcy she was going to have to become stronger. She was, of course, skeptical, but maybe there were strong warriors on these southern lands as well, they could help her in her journey.

Sexuality

Straight

Education

Astrid was trained by her father to become one of the most lethal fighters in her tribe, she was not as strong as some of the men were, but she made it up with sheer skill and speed. She also learned how to survive in the cold north where nothing grows, she can handle any cold and survive basically anywhere there are animals.

Employment

Astrid was a hersir, a commander of man, usually around 100. She led them in battle and shared the spoils among them and with the Jarls to whom she served, in her case, her father Thorkell. She left this life behind her and right now is simply a wanderer.

Accomplishments & Achievements

She achieved many exploits on the cold north, both as a hunter and as a warrior, but her fame grew even more during the invasion of the Southlands, where she led an elite unit of Silver Wolves warriors into battles and raids. She was considered by many as the logical next chief of the Silver Wolves.

Failures & Embarrassments

She was branded a traitor by her father, who tried to have her killed, she managed to survive, thanks in great part to the help she received from her warriors, but escaping cost her most of them, some died at the hands of her own people, other simply deserted, now the Southlands monsters and unforeseen dangers have claimed the lives of all but one of her warriors. She can only hope those brave men reach the Great Hall.

Mental Trauma

She has been affected by the same power that clouded her father's mind, but either through luck or willpower, she managed to resist it. Even so, she is sometimes taken by a red rage unlike anything she ever knew, when she is under such a rage, she is even more powerful but has a dificulty distinguishing friend from foe. She also has to live with the deaths of her warriors, since they followed a branded traitor, even though she feels her father is the real traitor, tradition dictates that they will go to the frozen halls of hell, the doubt and guilt gnaws at her at night.

Intellectual Characteristics

She is uneducated in the civilized traditions, one might be forgiven to think she is not that smart, one would be mistaken. Her intelligence translates itself to a fantastic memory, being able to create a mental map of her surroundings after a little exploration, her senses are also incredibly sensitive, she can hear a small branch parting from 100 meters away, and she has a perfect sense of direction, having little need for tools or stars to guide herself. Instead of trying to understand the world, she is one with it.

Morality & Philosophy

Astrid believes in the Ykarg, a set of traditions passed through the generations, they encompass, courage, discipline, fidelity, honor, hospitality, industriousness, perseverance, self-reliance, truth. While the categories are broad and ill-defined, they still form the basis that held her tribe and all northern tribes together, law has little meaning to them, a man's worth is judged on his ability to follow the Ykarg and his strength. She despises most of the civilized men she met up to now, for they cannot even begin to grasp the meaning of the Ykarg and live without anything similar, instead of owning up the morality of their actions they point to a set of laws, as long as they stay within it they can feel good about themselves, and if it prohibits their actions they do not act, even if it would be moral and honorable to do so.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

She wants to find worth allies, to go back to her home and free her tribe from the black magic that has fallen on them.

Savvies & Ineptitudes

She is incredible with almost all weapons but has a preference for swords, she usually fights with a sword and shield, but against larger creatures, she uses a greatsword. Her senses are very good and her motor skills are incredible. She is also in perfect physical form adding speed, endurance, and strength to an already impressive package.
At the same time, she does not know how to read and has trouble communicating with the civilized people, their way of thinking being to alien for her. Her crafting skills also leave a lot to be desired, she knows how to maintain her equipment but that's about it.

Likes & Dislikes

Astrid likes meat, very rare. She also enjoys a good strong drink. She has a love for hunting, which was always her favorite activity, she is a little disappointed that it is so easy in the southern lands but still enjoys it. She used to hate the cold, but she started to miss it recently, not that the warmer lands are not good, but she is afraid they will make her soft.
She hates sweets, dislikes people from the so-called, civilized lands, and dislikes being away from fighting too long.

Virtues & Personality perks

Astrid is very perceptive, she always perseveres and has an indomitable will.

Vices & Personality flaws

She is at times impatient and quick to anger, she has no respect for the laws in the south and breaks them at every turn, she also has no real experience with love or sex, he couldn't afford to get pregnant, not back then and certainly not now, and being the daughter of the chief she couldn't just lay with anyone. That is the one shard in her armor that has not been polished.

Wealth & Financial state

She owns only her war equipment and a very small bag of gold.

Alignment

Chaotic Neutral

Species

Human

Ethnicity

Varangian

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Hersir

Year of Birth

738 24 Years old

Birthplace

Frozen Wastes

Current Residence

Empire of Noramadia

Gender

Female

Eyes

-

Hair

-

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

-

Height

-

Weight

-

Aligned Organization

Silver Wolves