Waaah, that was a long one. But certainly my favorite post so far, I love delving into a new character's mindset and fleshing out her inner character a little.
So, Freiya's thoughts on Alicia.
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The mist was... oddly satisfying. It wasn't much unlike being in the embrace of the drink. Worries slipping away, the stress melting into nothing and most importantly, the pain on her face dulling to a manageable level. Freiya unconsciously grit her teeth a lot and she felt a strange numbness as her jaw relaxed, before almost lazily bending her knee to pick up the brittle crystals growing out from the soil. It was like being blindingly drunk and just practicing Ki-Tan at the same time! If such a feat were even possible. Well, the old drake could do it..., Freiya thought, her mind wandering as she picked up more crystals. The thought of wandering deeper into the mist did cross her mind. Maybe deeper within, there was no pain, no thrice-accursed nightmares, a place where her father...
Freiya almost dropped her bag once she realized what she was actually considering. Her father was dead. Stolen from her by what enabled the very nature of this Scar. How could she possibly entertain such a thought? What was wrong with her?! Disgust and shame rose up in her chest, pushing away all the emotions clouding her mind as clarity returned, along with the pain. Snarling softly under her breath, Freiya felt suddenly glad for the slight masking nature of the mist as red filled her cheeks from shame and rage. Cursing the whole place in her head, she began to pick up the crystals much faster.
She was only shaken from her thoughts as the Captain rushed past her to... grab Alicia? Huh... would you look at that? Freiya thought as she stood up to her full height, her bag full. Freiya had never idolized Alicia like many of the other recruits had. To her, Alicia was closer to an ideal. Maybe the sort of person her father would have liked her to be. But she was not Alicia and would never be, she had realized that during the first two weeks of training after the younger girl had arrived. But Alicia could be a waypoint to her, just like all the respected Captains and Overlords. One to reach and surpass one day. Freiya however disliked any idea of a rivalry, merely playing the role of a spectator from afar, gauging Alicia's skill and growth with her own eyes. The fact that Alicia progressed at a ridiculously fast rate in comparison to herself deterred her a little. How could she ever catch up to someone like that?
But everyone had to have limits. It was why Freiya was so keen and reaching her's and shattering them into a million pieces. It was why that damn old drake had taught her pathetic self anything back then. It was useless comparing herself to Alicia, who was still growing. The Overlords and other established Knights of already great renown would do just fine. Freiya was sure she'd meet Alicia again, at the very top of the food chain.
But it seemed even the seemingly immaculate Alicia had her weaknesses. Not particularly hidden, as evidenced by Varkasan's knowledge. But having spent little to no time at all with Alicia, Freiya had no idea. She had merely assumed Alicia was cold like herself, with a serving of charisma and charming on the side. The girl was certainly popular enough for no one to even attempt disproving that. But maybe she was wrong about Alicia, having assumed she was just a cold knight aspiring to be something more... nothing to apologize over, but certainly enough for Freiya to reform her image of the younger swordswoman.
...
Finally, they were out. While the mist's effects on her head had disappeared a while ago, Freiya was more than glad to be out of such a revolting place. Playing on people's emotions, snaring them in like a hunter would do to a rabbit... what a vile place even the safest Scar could be. Freiya let out a deep sigh of relief, reaching once more for her wine-skin, cursing solemnly as she found it empty. She then spotted Alicia, looking likewise relieved as herself to be out. Are you alright? The questioned burned at her throat, unbidden and surprising to even Freiya herself. Maybe it was the seeds of her new image of the recruits' Luminous Princess growing. But she bit her tongue. Alicia had friends. They'd look after her.
Freiya had looked after others enough for a single lifetime.
Curioser and curioser, Freiya thought as she first laid her eyes upon their new direct superior, Aela. At first glance, the human woman might have not seemed serious or competent enough to fill the spot, but those notions crumbled under deeper scrutiny. Aela carried herself like a true knight. In addition, she was not one to ever fully disregard a superior's words. Overlord Levran said they were in good hands? Then that damn well must be true. Also, Freiya trusted her gut instincts enough to place some trust in this Aela also. Even if Freiya could not agree with her cheery mood.
Freiya had quickly finished her breakfast, wolfing down the meal before setting off to a small distance away from the other recruits. They had little time and that was all she needed for a moment of practice. Closing her eyes, Freiya took a deep breath as she recalled the few lessons Overlord Lohdraen had given her on Ki-Tan. More like shouted into my ear..., Freiya thought as she focused the Luminosity within her into every single fiber of her body.
Many said learning Ki-Tan was like learning to walk again. Freiya wholesomely disagreed with that notion. It was more than that, at least for her. It was learning to breathe again, to even feel again. Freiya quickly became aware how uncomfortably heavy her limbs were, as if she were submerged in water. She could pinpoint every bead of sweat running down her face as she tried to ignore the flares of pain her scar caused her. She could feel the slightest breeze, how the air flowed and parted around her like an invisible river, so vast yet so transparent.
Ki-Tan was not a skill she could yet use in combat. She could not do it with her eyes open, the sudden intake of so many colours and such brightness was too migraine-inducing for now. She did not envy the falcon, with its sharp eyes able to spot a mouse in the grass all the way from the sky. And while she could feel the slightest movements and vibrations in the air, she could not use it to anticipate the moves of her opponents. She could now easily see why Overlord Lohdraen had laughed so uproaringly, like an ancient dragon, when she had requested he teach her Ki-Tan in a fit of insolence. He had initially said it'd be too much a bother. Why bother teaching her a technique to break her limits when she had yet to reach them. Eventually he had caved in to her insolent demands, teaching her the very basics of the ancient art.
And it was so fucking hard! Freiya could not hide her frustrations. A whole decade of training and she could still not use the technique effectively. Lohdraen had said it'd become easier once she reached the limits of her mortal body, but when the hell was that?
Punch, punch, punch, kick. Never start with a kick. Albeit powerful, it is also slow. Knock your opponent off balance first.
To anyone watching, Freiya's movements would seem a bit clumsy, but extremely fast as the woman shadow-sparred with her imaginative opponent, swaying lightly from side to side with her eyes closed and ocassionally lashing out into a flurry of punches and kicks.
Finally home on my own computer. And look at that, a post! Sorry for the wait, guys.
Freiya's mind was in turmoil. The sweet exhilaration of battle lingered still. Awe and admiration in Overlord Levran and his battle with the mage child. But atop it all was rage, vast and impotent. Their battle with the bandits had been for nothing. They had been just thralls, playdolls of a _mage_. And the perpetrator in question had fled and not even due to their efforts. Freiya herself had been close behind the one enraged Paladin who had been torn to shreds. It was only by a stroke of luck she had been slower, speed hindered just enough by her heavy armor to not have been the first to reach their target. The difference in power between herself and a damn child of all things, it made her sick all the way down to her gut. Had it not been for the timely arrival of Overlord Levran, all of them could be just bits and pieces of torn flesh across the battlefield or worse, mindless husks to be controlled by the mage. The thought alone sent cold shivers of disgust up her spine, though she suppressed expressing it.
Uncorking her wine-skin just as Dys arrived, not unlike herself furious over the previous events. Listening to the dwarf, Freiya took a long gulp from the wine-skin. **"I agree with Dysmoira. Had it not been for Levran, we might as well all be dead or mindless marionettes. But he is an icon to look up to. A waypoint to reach and surpass. For all of us."** The blonde woman said gruffly, handing the wine-skin to the dwarven woman. The very little Freiya knew of Dys was that the dwarf liked her drink just as well she herself did. And after the events of today, Freiya was feeling sympathetic enough to consider sharing.
**_During the briefing_**
As the others greeted one another and exchanged words with one another, Freiya found herself reaching for her wine-skin once again. She had not made any friends during basic training and the ones who knew her knew to steer clear of her by now. It was not a fact she lamented, however. She'd gotten used to being alone by now and she could readily admit it was her own fault. She was not an approachable person. But she would not change for anyone. Not now, not ever. She cast a glancing look over the recruits, recognizing a few faces from the crowd.
Varkasan. Freiya did not know what to think of him. He was the spiritual backbone of the recruits. All laughs and grins, fiercely loyal and by-the-book Paladin. She however refused to simply accept that is all he was. There was no way such a perfect person could exist. Everyone had skeletons in their wardrobes, even if they were minor. Yet... he was a good person. His joviality was not a mask. And she could rely on the man when it came down to it, even if he disliked her. He wasn't rare in that aspect.
Dysmoira, or Dys, for short. Freiya quite liked the dwarf woman. She didn't beat around the bush and openly said things the way they are. Freiya could respect that. She was also strong, another thing Freiya could admit to admiring. There was no one else Freiya would rather fight alongside, even if Dys shared Varkasan's opinion of her. Except perhaps...
Alicia von Eternus. The rising star of the upcoming Paladins. Freiya did not envy her. The amount of popularity Alicia had amassed during basic training would be plenty enough to make Freiya uncomfortable. But like many others, Freiya did admire the younger woman. She was capable and dependable like Varkasan and even more so on the battlefield than any other recruit, even if she tired quickly. She was the cream of the crop when it came to their batch of recruits. And like Freiya herself, Alicia did not socialize much. Freiya could count the amount of verbal exchanges with Alicia with one hand.
The rest did not matter. They were simply beneath her notice, with most of them avoiding her like plague.
As Captain Tines finished briefing, Freiya couldn't surpress the smile forming on her face. Sure, they were just bandits. But the idea of finally being sent to battle filled her with excitement. Finally, she would have a purpose.
_**During the battle**_
The journey hidden amongst the crates was not one Freiya would openly attest to enjoying, but at least it had passed quickly. She had to force down a chuckle as other recruits complained about the cold, with herself being nice and warm by the contents of her wine-skin. Then the commotion outside had started. There were approximately forty bandits, with four of them already cut down by the captain. Freiya saw Alicia strike out like a serpent, fast and deadly. Varkasan trailed behind her, supporting Alicia.
A cold chuckle left Freiya's throat as a wolfish grin spread across her scarred face. Unsheating her claymore, Freiya launched herself into the fray with a defiant roar. Smashing her shoulder into the chest of a bandit who had not reacted fast enough to her approach, Freiya felt a grim satisfaction as she felt the man's ribs crack and bend against the weight of her armour. _One_.
Spinning around on her heel, Freiya brought up her claymore down upon the head of one bandit who had seen fit to try and attack her from behind. The club in his hands fell as the man's limbs went limp, her sword embedded deep into the bandit's skull. _Two_.
It was strange, though, Freiya thought as she pulled her sword out before neatly sidestepping a spear jabbing at her. These men have no fear in their eyes. No, not just fear. Nothing. Their eyes were devoid of any emotion. Freiya grabbed the spear she dodged, jerking its wielder towards her to land a rough uppercut into his jaw. Flesh and bone submitted against the armoured gauntlet, bruising and cracking. _Three_.
A small of ember of fury was lit within her as her mind came to a conclusion. Magic, it had to be. What else could rob even despicable men like these bandits of all emotion and fire? Her face twisted into an angry snarl, Freiya parried the blow from a club before counterattacking with a quick stab of her sword into the assailant's chest. _Four_. She had time to ponder about the strange nature of this whole thing later. For now, she had criminals to deal with.
_shink...! shink...! shink...!_
The monotonous noise of a sharpening stone running down the length of a sword rang through the air. Holding the large weapon up to inspect it closer, Freiya let out a grunt of minor satisfaction before setting the stone aside and reaching for her scabbard. It had been a few days since she had left home to reach the capital. _Home_, she thought in no small amount of disgust as she sheathed her claymore. A minor village nearby Undercity, with barely any Paladin presence in the area. Undercity was a den of mages and other similar serpents. She had considered leaving many a times before, but something had always kept her from leaving. She could not afford living in the esteemed capital. She had no skills of trade outside her Paladin training, so joining a covenant as a craftswoman was out of the question. She was a woman of the sword to her dying breath, anyhow. But mostly the memory of her father kept her in place, despite her apparent dislike for her home.
Freiya traced the outline of her scar before scowling, taking a quick swig of drink from her wine-skin. But that was all behind her now. She would become a Paladin. One day, an Overlord. She would succeed or she'd die trying. She had a duty to the dead to fulfill. A world without mages. She'd create one somehow. The Luminous Knights were as good a start as any. They'd brought about the Age of Peace, after all. She sighed, taking another swig before looking out from back of the carriage she was hitching a ride on. The pain was finally beginning to dull a little.
Freiya sat in numbing silence, lost in thought as the paved path faded into the horizon, replaced by a cobblestone road. They were getting close. She'd be in Meridian by nightfall. There she'd see what fate had in store for her.
**Image:** - 
**Name:** Freiya Arkaos
**Race:** Human
**Age:** 25
**Alignment:** Luminous Knights
**Personality:** If Freiya were to summed up with one word only, it would be "angry". Due to the constant pain caused brought upon her by the scars on her face, Freiya is nigh always in an irritated mood and prone to snapping angrily at those who further bring down her abysmal mood. Due to the pain, Freiya always carries a wine-skin on her person, allowing small sips of alcohol to take the edge off of the pain. When sufficiently calmed down by the drink, Freiya is a very somber person, uncharacteristically able to focus on tasks for a person under the influence. Freiya does not socialize much due to her prickly and melancholic attitude driving others away more oft than not, but she prefers it that way. Harboring a deep seated hatred for the mages and their kind, Freiya will strive to become stronger and garner more influence among the Luminous Knights to fulfill her personal vendetta against the mages who stole her father from her.
**Bio:** Born a non-magical child to two mages, Freiya's mother died shortly after her birth, leaving her to her father's care. During her childhood, her father Jumal Arkaos would become the only mage Freiya would ever confess to loving or having respect for. Her father taught her to read and write, alongside taking care of her other education very well despite the constant supervision of their family of two. Upon reaching the minimum age required to join the basic training to become a Paladin, she joined with her father's encouragement. She trained diligently. While no prodigy, Freiya was as strong physically as - if not even more so than - the boys of her age group. This was her life until she was thirteen.
Before all went down in flames.
Unbeknownst to her, her father had taken up teaching some orphaned mage children magic in the Undercity, as a passage from their home's cellar led to the seclusive area. While she had known of the children, even adopting some as her younger sisters, her father had kept her in the dark of the secret tutelage sessions. Seeing fire and smoke come out of their cellar, Freiya had recklessly charged into the Undercity through the flames in a desperate search for her missing father. And find him she did right before a fiery explosion of magic gone wrong went off. The explosion resulted in the death of her father and the characteristic burns on Freiya's face. Now orphaned by the same children she had adopted as her sisters, the seeds of a vendetta were sown.
Life went on, until she had completed her basic training and it was time for the ritual. There had been lingering traces of magic in her scars, and like all mana did when coming into contact with Luminosity, so did Freiya's scars ignite into a white blaze. In agony, the young Freiya still did complete the ritual. As the last traces of mana from the scars were burned away, the accident had a curious and unfortunate effect on the young Freiya: The scar felt like it was always on fire. Despite the constant crippling pain as her now eternal companion, Freiya managed to recover with milk of the poppy to help her sleep and through sheer iron will, albeit barely.
Now an adult, Freiya serves as a fearsome Paladin of the Luminous Knights.
**Initial spells/techniques:**
- **Luminant Burst:** Pumping her sword full of Luminosity for short bursts, Freiya can effectively parry spells with her blade. Needless to say, the effects of using a Luminant Burst on a mage leads to gruesome results.
- **Ki-Tan : Beginner Level:** Showing surprising amounts of aptitude for the ancient art, Freiya has received some tutelage in the usage of Ki-Tan, mainly to reinforce and enhance her body to suit her battle style. Yet she is only a Paladin and the Overlords at Meridian hardly have the time or interest to tutor her further, so Freiya is mostly left to her own devices with advancing her skills with the ancient martial art.
**Skills:**
- **Rage of the Fallen:** Freiya is strong physically and this is further augmented to frightening levels by adrenaline and her natural fury. While not supernaturally strong or exceptionally fast, Freiya could easily take down almost any untrained, larger man.
- **Iron Will:** Used to the pain brought to her by her facial scar, Freiya can easily ignore damage caused to her in combat. She will charge on like a stampede and won't slow down until she's dead.
- **Battle Instincts:** Freiya possesses a good amount of primal instinct for battle, being able to almost subconsciously feel and read the flow of battle.
- **Iron Liver:** Freiya has an extremely strong tolerance for alcohol and is able to carry out any task as well as a normal person would sober. Freiya has developed and honed this skill for years. (Yes, it is a skill.)
**Combat strategy:** Freiya fights like a berserker. She charges and strikes down at her opponents with heavy, debilitating blows with little to no care for her personal health. Relying heavily on her well-honed intuition, Freiya fights instinctively and brutally. Freiya is at her deadliest when angered, where a single blow from her sword can easily be fatal to whomever is fighting her.
**Unique equipment:**
- _Claymore:_ A standard claymore of the Paladins. Freiya prefers this particular heavy weapon over all others.
- _Wine-skin:_ Freiya's personal wine-skin, which she always carries with her.
@Laue: I've never played Dragon Age, so I wouldn't know about that haha! Maybe I'll check it out. Here's my first character nonetheless. After seeing how I did, I might enter another (if that's okay) or just tweak this one to be better:
---
**Image:** - 
**Name:** Freiya Arkaos
**Race:** Human
**Age:** 25
**Alignment:** Luminous Knights
**Personality:** If Freiya were to summed up with one word only, it would be "angry". Due to the constant pain caused brought upon her by the scars on her face, Freiya is nigh always in an irritated mood and prone to snapping angrily at those who further bring down her abysmal mood. Due to the pain, Freiya always carries a wine-skin on her person, allowing small sips of alcohol to take the edge off of the pain. When sufficiently calmed down by the drink, Freiya is a very somber person, uncharacteristically able to focus on tasks for a person under the influence. Freiya does not socialize much due to her prickly and melancholic attitude driving others away more oft than not, but she prefers it that way. Harboring a deep seated hatred for the mages and their kind, Freiya will strive to become stronger and garner more influence among the Luminous Knights to fulfill her personal vendetta against the mages who stole her father from her.
**Bio:** Born a non-magical child to two mages, Freiya's mother died shortly after her birth, leaving her to her father's care. During her childhood, her father Jumal Arkaos would become the only mage Freiya would ever confess to loving or having respect for. Her father taught her to read and write, alongside taking care of her other education very well despite the constant supervision of their family of two. Upon reaching the minimum age required to join the basic training to become a Paladin, she joined with her father's encouragement. She trained diligently. While no prodigy, Freiya was as strong physically as - if not even more so than - the boys of her age group. This was her life until she was thirteen.
Before all went down in flames.
Unbeknownst to her, her father had taken up teaching some orphaned mage children magic in the Undercity, as a passage from their home's cellar led to the seclusive area. While she had known of the children, even adopting some as her younger sisters, her father had kept her in the dark of the secret tutelage sessions. Seeing fire and smoke come out of their cellar, Freiya had recklessly charged into the Undercity through the flames in a desperate search for her missing father. And find him she did right before a fiery explosion of magic gone wrong went off. The explosion resulted in the death of her father and the characteristic burns on Freiya's face. Now orphaned by the same children she had adopted as her sisters, the seeds of a vendetta were sown.
Life went on, until she had completed her basic training and it was time for the ritual. There had been lingering traces of magic in her scars, and like all mana did when coming into contact with Luminosity, so did Freiya's scars ignite into a white blaze. In agony, the young Freiya still did complete the ritual. As the last traces of mana from the scars were burned away, the accident had a curious and unfortunate effect on the young Freiya: The scar felt like it was always on fire. Despite the constant crippling pain as her now eternal companion, Freiya managed to recover with milk of the poppy to help her sleep and through sheer iron will, albeit barely.
Now an adult, Freiya serves as a fearsome Paladin of the Luminous Knights.
**Initial spells/techniques:**
- **Luminant Burst:** Pumping her sword full of Luminosity for short bursts, Freiya can effectively parry spells with her blade. Needless to say, the effects of using a Luminant Burst on a mage leads to gruesome results.
- **Ki-Tan : Beginner Level:** Showing surprising amounts of aptitude for the ancient art, Freiya has received some tutelage in the usage of Ki-Tan, mainly to reinforce and enhance her body to suit her battle style. Yet she is only a Paladin and the Overlords at Meridian hardly have the time or interest to tutor her further, so Freiya is mostly left to her own devices with advancing her skills with the ancient martial art.
**Skills:**
- **Rage of the Fallen:** Freiya is strong physically and this is further augmented to frightening levels by adrenaline and her natural fury. While not supernaturally strong or exceptionally fast, Freiya could easily take down almost any untrained, larger man.
- **Iron Will:** Used to the pain brought to her by her facial scar, Freiya can easily ignore damage caused to her in combat. She will charge on like a stampede and won't slow down until she's dead.
- **Battle Instincts:** Freiya possesses a good amount of primal instinct for battle, being able to almost subconsciously feel and read the flow of battle.
- **Iron Liver:** Freiya has an extremely strong tolerance for alcohol and is able to carry out any task as well as a normal person would sober. Freiya has developed and honed this skill for years. (Yes, it is a skill.)
**Combat strategy:** Freiya fights like a berserker. She charges and strikes down at her opponents with heavy, debilitating blows with little to no care for her personal health. Relying heavily on her well-honed intuition, Freiya fights instinctively and brutally. Freiya is at her deadliest when angered, where a single blow from her sword can easily be fatal to whomever is fighting her.
**Unique equipment:**
- _Claymore:_ A standard claymore of the Paladins. Freiya prefers this particular heavy weapon over all others.
- _Wine-skin:_ Freiya's personal wine-skin, which she always carries with her.
Oh my word, I love this premise! Do reserve me a spot, I'll get to work on the CSs right away when I get out of uni today.
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