[NPC] Tóra Namdalen neé Crovan
Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2021 11:57 pm
Race: Human
Age: 8 Saun 673
Title: Aesir Lore Master Herald
Formerly: Ragnari Valkyrion Knight
Husband: Mathios Namdalen
Children: Seara, Visna and Isarr
Moderation Type: Mod Input
Able/Willing to Mentor?: Yes
Skills able/willing to Mentor in: Socialisation (Master), Storytelling (Master), Art (Expert), Cosmetology (Expert), Intelligence (Expert), Leadership (Expert), Medicine (Expert), Meditation (Expert), Teaching (Expert), Deception (Competent), Discipline (Competent), Logistics (Competent), Psychology (Competent), Singing (Competent), Politics (Novice), Tactics (Novice)
Description Unlike some Namdalen, Tóra prefers to stand out - and stand out she does. Tall as the average man - taller when in boots - and built for the ruggedness of the wilds and forests she hails from as well as the mountains she has come to call home, Tóra is a spirited woman who does her best to not let her lame leg hinder her. Although softer now due to injury, she still cuts a respectable figure, especially since her tanned skin is covered extensively in dark, sweeping tattoos. She still prefers the Eastern styles she grew up with, favouring layers of lighter wool and cotton of opposite yet complimentary colours with leather and fur accents, and often adorns herself in simple wood and glass beaded jewellery in earthy tones. Her long dark hair is kept neat in tight braids that keeps it out of her face and dark eyes and her personal embla is a single, thin line running down the centre of her face intersected by another arching from under her left earlobe over the bridge of her nose to under her right earlobe done in a vibrant blue.
Born a Crovan, Tóra's original ambition was to become a defender of her homeland and join the Ragnari. Although most would have expected a Crovan to become a Mervarian, Tóra spent more time on land than than at sea and, thus, worked tirelessly to become a member of the Valkyrion. However, an arc after achieving the rank of knight, she was on mounted patrol when her comrade's Sleipnir spooked and kicked her in the thigh. The mighty power of the Sleipner laid ruin to her thigh and bone, shattering it completely. A near life-ending injury became a life changing one, leaving the fresh knight unable to use her leg. She could no longer walk, let alone ride. And combat? It was all out of the question.
Lost and bereft, Tóra fell into a deep depression. She questioned why something so silly had cost her her livelihood. Questioned why she had been saved only to suffer, crippled and useless. What good was a Melrathi who could not contribute? Noble or no - Tóra could not bear the shame of it. She begged the spirits to take her but none listened. She begged the druids and her companions to take her out into the woods and leave her but they would not. No one listened; no one cared.
It was an Ydalir ranger, her future husband Mathios, that heard her. Passing through Fensalir, he spent a few bits in the House of Healing where she was kept abed, needing treatment for a bite wound, and encouraged her to share her story in the interim. One story turned into another, turned into one in return. Talks about history, of the spirits, of the land. Of old ways. Of Outlanders. By the time he was sent on his way, he had managed to relight the spark that had originally burned in her to become a Ragnari. Only this time, his gentle words had helped her see that all was not lost and that she could still play an important role - that she still had much to give to the people of Melrath. Her knowledge and passion did not need two working legs and a sword arm to do their duty.
Renewed in her quest, she spent the next arc learning to walk again with the aid of a walking staff and joined the Aesir as a Lore Master soon after. Her passion for the history - the true history - of Melrath and her reverence of the spirits carried her through the ranks but it was her prior connection to the Ragnari and her deep desire to defend the old ways that truly shaped her into the woman she is today. She became most known as a ritual tattooist and often performed rites and ceremonies for new Ragnari.
Her dogmatic and unyielding personal beliefs eventually led to her forming loose ties with the Children of Myrkvior. Although not directly involved in the actions of the guerrilla faction, itself, she has had passing dealings with members, offering information and using her familial and Ragnari ties to arrange passage and meetings for members. Any correspondence has always been indirect but it's not difficult to see that Tóra's iron-clad traditionalist beliefs would make her a sympathiser - if not a full supporter.
Credit: Visna Namdalen
