[img]http://www.northernpaganism.org/assets/images/skadi/Skadi18-s.jpg[/img] [hider=Gunnaya Njordsdottir] Name: [b]Gunnaya Njordsdottir[/b] Alias: [b]Seer Skadi[/b] Occupation: Shaman, Alchemist, Herbalist Gender: Female Age: 30 Race: Caucasian Religion: Nordic Totemism Height: 5'11" Weight: 190 [u][b]Appearance:[/b][/u] [b]Hair:[/b] Long blond hair flows down her back, decorated with countless beads, feathers and braids. [b]Face:[/b] Long and slender, with gentle features, and one piercing blue eye. Her left eye remains hidden below a wrap of bandages that cuts across her face at a diagonal. [b]Build:[/b] Gunnaya sports bulging muscular thighs, calves and arms, with a slender, toned waist. [b]Other Notable Features:[/b] A complex blue tattoo covers the entire left half of her face. Narrow tattoos, in various shades of blue and black, can be found across her entire body. Three deep scars run down her torso, from under her right arm. [u][b] Equipment:[/b][/u] Head: Thick Fur Hood Shoulders: Thick Fur Cloak Torso: Thick Fur Shirt Undershirt: N/A Arms: Iron Plated Leather Vambrace Legs: Long Fur Skirt Hands: Thick Fur Gloves Feet: Thick Fur Boots [b]Primary Weapon: Staff of the Medicine Woman[/b] A long, thick quarterstaff, made of solid oak, and tipped with steel bands. The skulls of various birds and rodents dangle from one end, tied by string and rope. [b]Secondary Weapon: Axe of the Ancients[/b] A thick, iron war axe, with leather bindings around the handle and an iron spike protruding from either end. Celtic carvings decorate either side of the head. Haunted with the souls of fallen warriors, in shrieks in agony when swung. [b]Additional Weapons:[/b] -1 Yew Longbow -2 Quivers -60 Iron-Tipped Arrows [u][b]Abilities:[/b][/u] [b]Cry of the Skymonger[/b] Gunnaya is able to perfectly emulate the shrieks of various birds, summoning them to her aid. [b]Friend of the Valkyries[/b] Gunnaya calls her flocks of trained ravens to her side, commanding them as hunting and battle companions. [b]Feast of the Valkyries[/b] Gunnaya uses singing and the scent of rotten meat to send her ravens into a suicidal rage, swarming and dive-bombing anything around her. [b]Njordsdottir[/b] Gunnaya calls upon the fury of various ocean and sky spirits, summoning a ferocious storm of wind and rain. In climates of dust, sand, or powdered snow, this can seriously obstruct vision and mobility. [u][b]Alchemy Materials:[/b][/u] -2 Vials of Mimsblood Mimsblood, a unique mixture made by Gunnaya, numbs all pain and constricts damaged blood vessels, preventing the drinker from bleeding out. -1 Flask of Flametongue Mead This brew remains hot to the touch at all times, and super-heats the drinker's body, protecting them from any amount of cold weather. -3 Vials of Potent Poison -5 Vials of Corrosive Acid -2 Vials of Jormungar Jormungar, another Gunnaya original, is a cocktail of highly reactive elements. When exposed to open air, they explode into a cloud of toxic gas, which takes two minutes to fully settle, unless blown away. -2 Antivenom Herbes (best applied directly to wound) [u][b]Non-Combat Items:[/b][/u] -1 Leather Bound Book of Spiritual Healing Rituals -1 Blunt Carving Knife -1 Whetstone -1 Spare Bowstring -1 Vial of Wood Stain -1 Satchel of Raw Meat -2 Sticks of Chalk -1 Jar of War Paint [u][b]History:[/b][/u] Abandoned as a child, Gunnaya grew up in the woods, gathering berries, and snaring small animals for survival. She made shelters of branches and leaves, and slept beneath animal fur. She experimented with various herbs, fungi, and minerals that she stumbled upon, inventing new remedies for sickness and pain. This healed her body and occupied her mind, keeping her both alive and sane in isolation. Throughout her youth, she remained deep in the wilderness, afraid of the expanding civilization around her. She preferred the company of animals, and spirits she believed were watching over her, protecting her from the elements. As a young adult, however, she came to realize the perks of associating with normal society. She'd construct small sheds and cabins on the edge of town, and present herself as a seer, able to commune with the souls of the dead. Villagers would come to her shack, with offerings, desiring to speak with their lost loved-ones. This was complete nonsense, of course, but it kept her fed, and allowed her to learn about the civilized world, through talking with these people. Her knowledge of herbs, however, did provide a real benefit to the towns she visited. She cured multitudes of sick folk, and became a revered spiritual and political figurehead. Town elders and low-ranking lords would come to her shack, bringing exotic dyes, ancient religious books, and even new materials for her potions. Word of her magical abilities was carried far and wide, and her visitors became wealthier and more frequent. Eventually, a powerful prince came to her, claiming to be haunted by the restless souls of his princedom's graveyard. He promised her great riches, if she could rid him of this curse. She accompanied him back to his princedom, where she stayed the night, so as to hear the spirits he spoke of. Sure enough, as the moon rose, screams began to fill Gunnaya's mind, ringing and echoing all around her. Recoiling from the shock, she fell out of her bed, and landed heavily on the floor. Rising to her feet, she rushed down the hall, to the prince's chambers. Guards stopped her as she approached, asking her business. From behind the door, she could hear the prince gasping and groaning in torment. She explained that she needed to exercise the spirits in his presence, so she was allowed access. She found him flailing on the floor, still asleep. She shook him awake, and demanded that he lead her to the graveyard. Hoisting a thick robe over himself, and calling three guards to his side, he led the way out of the castle's gate, and across town to the graveyard. The five of them entered the yard, a moderately sized block of the town, filled with raised mounds of grass-covered dirt, and simple stone tablets marking each mound. Gunnaya collected herself, and attempted to discern individual voices from amidst the ghastly screams. Sure enough, she heard half a dozen voices, calling her in different directions. Following them one at a time, she came to each of the graves-mounds, in which they resided. She marked them out, and tasked the guards with fetching shovels, and digging these mounds up. The guards did so, and an hour later, the dirt was moved, revealing six petrified coffins. One by one, these coffins were raised from their pits, and placed on the freshly-cut graveyard grass. Gunnaya grabbed one of the shovels, wedged it beneath one of the coffin's lids, and pried it open, revealing a calm, still corpse. She did the same with the other five, and each time, found corpses that remained very much dead. It wasn't the horrific fight Gunnaya was expecting. She turned back to the prince, who had gone pale as parchment. "What troubles you?", she asked. "These bodies remain dead. They are no danger to you." "These men...", the prince whispers, "were buried by my grandfather, sixty years ago. Their bodies remain intact." The prince, shivering in the cold night air, slowly walked over to the nearest coffin. With one hand cupping his mouth and nose, either in horror or disgust, he leaned over and peered at the cold corpse. "Even their clothes and weapons remain untarnished.", he proclaimed, gesturing at a dark, well decorated war axe, laying serenely at the soldier's side. Gunnaya, strode over, and lifted the axe from its resting place, examining its condition. "Who were these men", she inquired. "They were soldiers.", the prince responded plainly. "Is that all?" The prince faltered, composing himself before continuing. "Nay", he said, "They were our people's seers. They healed our sick, and spoke to our fallen on our behalf. When it came time for my grandfather to fight his siblings for inheritance of the kingdom, they were conscripted. All six of them died in battle". "And now they demand peace", Gunnaya finished. "So it would seem." Still holding the old weapon, Gunnaya closed her eyes in thought. The six voices grew louder in her mind, shouting with a great anger. "The prince remains unwed", they hissed. "The last of a tyrannical bloodline. End it! End it! Sever the lineage! Cut the head of the snake! Cleave him in two!" Louder, and more insistent, the voices grew. Their shrieks became painful, even excruciating. Gunnaya needed silence. With all of her being, she was driven. She had to find an escape to this endless noise. Raising the axe above her head, she swung around, and slashed downward with all her might. The axe blade buried itself in the prince's head with a mighty crunch. He collapsed into a heap on the ground. The awe-stricken guards gaped at the act for but a moment, before drawing their swords and charging the attacker. One by one, she hacked through them, with an inhuman strength that was not her own. The voices sighed in relief, and dissipated, leaving dead silence. Gunnaya stood there, four bodies laying around her, still leaking scarlet blood onto the green grass. Entire minutes later, standing alone in the night, the full effect of her actions washed over her. Trembling from the shock, she bolted out of the graveyard, through the empty town streets, and out into the surrounding countryside. The axe stayed firmly clasped in her grasp. Days of traveling later, her feet aching from the journey, she returned one of her long-abandoned shacks, in the woods that encompassed a small village. Here she stayed, contemplating the risk of retaliation from the princedom. With their ruler dead, and given the supernatural context of the event, she concluded that the townsfolk would be too occupied to seek her out and exact revenge. Certainly not for a while, at least. Besides, this shack wasn't the one she had been summoned from. It was unlikely the princedom knew the locations of her previous homes. The axe remained in her possession. For one reason or another, she hadn't the heart to part with it. On cold nights, she could still hear the soft voices of those fallen soldiers, showering her with thanks and praise. She tried her best to find comfort in this. [/hider]