Hildegard van Elmdor

Hildegard van Elmdor is a highly mysterious, seemingly immortal figure with threads woven into various chapters of Waking Materia's long history. First seen during Materia's initial burgeoning of colonial-humanoid life yet present in Material affairs to this day, van Elmdor is one of the most wide-ranging, albeit ephemeral, members of the plane's Dramatis Personae. Over the millennia she has been a planar traveler, corsair, warlord, thespian, assassin, and cult leader. Her origin plane is unknown but she is likely not a Material native. She has held many epithets, including Hildegard the Deathless, The Corsair Queen and The Grinning Sphinx.

The cause of vs Elmdor's immortality is uncertain; some believe her to be a rogue Lichlord who held no loyalty to the undead Colonial Gods of the First Age. Others believe her to be an Estrié: a sort of intelligent, social, Duskscape being with a fascination for Waking societies and a parasitic hunger for mortal dreamstuff.

In modern times she is known as a smuggler and traveling entrepreneur, specializing in occult contraband sourced from the Duskscape, mainly operating out of the extraordinary dwarven city of Nibelheim.

van Elmdor's alignment is unknown, but her motivations rarely stray from simple self-interest; as such she is likely Chaotic Neutral or Chaotic Evil.

Description

Hildegard appears as a gaunt, tall, lanky woman in her 40s with wild, black hair and a preference for high fashion in dark colours. She often wears red-shaded, circular spectacles.

Abilities

The height of Hildegard van Elmdor's abilities are unknown but it's possible she has ascended to demigodhood, or is perhaps a Duskscape Regent that has somehow escaped the justice of the Waking Gods. If this is the case her Domains are unknown, but would likely revolve around wealth, ambition, trickery and undeath.

van Elmdor is skilled in a variety of weapons, from knives to cutlasses to crossbows, but prefers to fight with her own hands, which can rapidly transform into a deadly pair of claws. Her longest strands of hair are tied into a braid with a dagger tied to the end, which she swings with great accuracy while rending with her claws, creating a sort of bladed whirlwind that challenges even the most skilled enemies.

History

Hildegard van Elmdor's history is long and varied to the point where some question whether it is the same person throughout.

First Age

The Corsair Queen was first noted as the captain of the Deliverers, the veteranmost band of pirates to participate in the great Dye Wars of the Upper First Age. Despite a few setbacks (including the Battle of the Blacksheep in 180 I.M., where her forces were routed by the Sagasingers of the Insurgent demigod V'Shaat al-Avra), the Deliverers would grow to be one of the great economic powerhouses of the First Age, almost an unofficial nation that existed outside the rule of the great Colonial Empires.

Second Age

Hildegard likely survived the Deluge by being on the uplands Valamon at the time, since her presence has been most often noted there since. What remained of the Deliverers would often act as weapons dealers during the Second Valamo-Rozsan Wars, as well as various later conflicts between the Selvaalan and Norvaalan Valamonians.

Third Age

The grinning Sphinx is known to be one of few non-natives of the fantastically advanced but secretive dwarven city of Nibelheim who is allowed to come and go. What agreements she has with the city's ruling councils to allow this are unknown. It is between Nibelheim and the major surface cities of Fauregand and Valamon City that she does most of her dealing in occult contraband: a highly illegal activity due to most societies' ban on black magic sourced from the Duskscape.

Rumoured Identity

There are various theories on Hildegard van Elmdor's "true" identity. Some believe her to be an avatar of the demigoddess of night & pride, Asphodel; others believe her to be a surviving Colonial God, perhaps of the known Estrié, Vierix Oleander. Still others believe these rumours to be false mystique and she is who she claims to be.

HILDEGARD VAN ELMDOR

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Epithets
The Corsair Queen, Hildegard the Undying, the Grinning Sphinx
Occupations
Smuggler, corsair, assassin, bounty hunter, entrepreneur
Birth Date
Unknown
Birthplace
Unknown plane
Current Residence(s)
Waking: Nibelheim, Fauregand, Valamon City
Umbral: Epitaph