caribou Astrid, High Queen of Whitescar

[Pretzelparty]

Roleplay Type: World of Equestria

 

Name: Astrid

 

Sex: Female
 

Age: Elder Cow

 

Species: Caribou

 

Eye colour: Amber

 

Coat: Thick and Dark Brown
 

Physique: Strong and sturdy. Even in her growing age, Astrid's build implies the strength and practice of one who has seem as many a battle as her husband.
 

Residence: The Palace in Heil, but ventures out often

 

Occupation: High Queen of Whitescar, Shares Rulership with High King Havardr

 

Cutie Mark: N/A

 

Unique Traits:

 

Hoof of the All-mother: Astrid is a renowned healer across Whitescar. Her knowledge of herbal remedies, salves, and potion making given her the lofty title of “The Allmother's hoof”. Friegyr, The All-mother in the caribou pantheon is the wife of Odyrr and the mother of healing arts for the caribou. For a cow who has saved more than her fair share of caribou lives on and off the battlefield, it is a most fitting name.

 

Experienced Fighter: Even with a preference for her healing, Astrid is no stranger to causing harm. Like all caribou she was taught to fight young and practices and maintains her physique regularly. Due to her age and experience, Astrid has learned how to use a wide variety of weapons and has fought in more battles than she cares to recall. Her reflexes and strength are close to that of the high king and her mind is as sharp as it ever was, however even she is merely a mortal and she can feel that she will one day slow down and leave the betterment of Whitescar to the next generation... that hardly means she'll simply be quiet and not tell them when they've made a fool of themselves though.

 

Seidr practitioner: The caribou pantheon is something that Astrid holds in very high regard as well as their legends talk of fate. Her desire to grow closer to the caribou deities is what lead her to discover her talents as a seer. Seidr is a simple but weighty form of magic to the caribou and not always accurate or easy to interpret. Meditation is a common activity for Astrid, She believes her trances give her glimpses of what is to come. Sometimes it can be clear immediately, and others it takes the benefit of hindsight (and a bit of imagination) to see if her practice bears fruit.

 

History:

 

On the south-western shores of Whitescar lived a small clan of caribou known by the name “Skyld”. A small settlement laid by the waves that would was the wreckage of fallen ships made victim by other clans. Her clan was small, not large enough to have a true chieftain and mostly limiting itself to trade with Clan Breen to the North: a common practice being the selling of whatever valuables floated ashore from wrecks. The clan was mostly a home to a mix of healers and merchants. This was the life that Astrid had been born into: Not the next in a line of great conquerors, but one of many trained healers in a clan almost unheard of.

 

Growing up in clan Skyld was... difficult in the turbulent times that they lived in. With little in the ways of metal to work, She was trained mostly with spears, and hammers and shields. All of them wood until she was old enough to pay for something better. As soon as she did, Astrid decided to make her name as a different sort of Mercenary. In the many clan wars that broke out she served the role of a shield maiden in battle and healer during the rests between. While she wound staying with no one group of warriors for very long she made more than a few friends through her work. She'd even made a name for herself that only grew more popular with age: The Hoof of the All-mother.

 

She would eventually find the army that she would spend her life with during a stay in a tavern at the lands of clan Aured. A great dragon had descended on them, planning to steal the caribou's riches. Rather than simply try to lay siege to the keep, it challenged the leader of the group sent to subdue him and lost horribly to the bull. Astrid was part of this group and after helping what remained of Havardr's foe off of him she was the one who treated him.

 

Havardr Had a fire in him: A strong one that she'd heard only those with the qualities of true leaders possessed. This same fire made him a trial to treat and seemed to drive him to keep fighting even when his wounds had not fully recovered. His repeated attempts to lead parties before she said he was ready eventually ended when Astrid managed to subdue him and forcefully pull him back to rest. This wound up being a repeating event in their lives. Soon enough though he learned to accept her advice... and something more grew between them.

 

During the events of the great Inter-clan wars that broke out across Whitescar, Astrid stood by Havardr's side throughout all of them. When there was a spear thrown he was too busy to catch she would catch it with her shield. When Havardr was wounded in battle, Astrid was there to apply the salves and treat him until he was fit for the next. In the small periods of peace between the fighting, He and Astrid spoke often. Back where she lived, her clan would often have dealings with the more trade oriented clan of Breen. They impressed upon her how trade with other lands could greatly improve the lives of the caribou as a whole.

 

Astrid grew somewhat more relaxed once Havardr had been appointed as a Jarl. Already the war was seeming to near it's end. Around this time as She began to learn more about the corruption and decadence that had spread among clan Aured... and still she bore a daughter with Havardr. A lively little calf who they would name Randgrid. Even as a young one playing with wooden swords and shields, Astrid could see she had inherited a lot from her father. As proud as she was of her little girl, she could not rest: Astrid was far from the type of cow to revel in luxury as her husband toiled.

 

When Havardr's quest to the spine of the serpent was proposed, Astrid agreed to go. If there was a chance this mission could cleanse Aured of the corruption it had bore within itself she would make sure that she was not part of it. When her beloved emerged from the halls of the spine and received his vision she emerged with him not half as bruised or tired, if only because he had been the one leading them deeper in. Finally, with all the corrupt having fallen to the shrine she found the resolve to move along and raise her and Havardr's daughter. Or so she thought.

 

Then came the war with the shape-changers: insectoid abominations who fed on emotions. Battles against them were unlike other foes caribou had faced. An enemy that could take the face and form of another sword brother and shield-sister on the field made open combat with them an absolute mess, especially with the disorganized and still feuding clans of Whitescar. It took Havardr's leadership, but also the connections that Astrid had build through her time on the battlefields to get even the most grudging of clans to work together for one battle... but they did. In the events that lead to the final confrontation with the shapeshifters' queen, Both an older Randgrid and Astrid distracted the monarch at great personal risk long enough that Hvardr was able to land the blow that forced her to surrender and beat a hasty retreat. The end of the conflict signified the beginning of a new era for this generation of Caribou: That of the High King Hvardr.

 

Hvardr had agreed to her advice: Trade opened with nearby lands, the move angered some of the more 'traditional' clans. Those of Olin and many others who wished to stay true to the pillaging, raiding, and slavery that had made the caribou such a hated group among other lands. Their ongoing rebellion of the united clans made significant progress in Whitescar much harder than it needed to be... and then they chose to work with a dark organization that was called WRAITH. The day she had learned of their recent machinations was the day Astrid promised to deliver any operative of WRAITH she found a very personal and vengeful type of justice if she caught them: You tend to hold a grudge against a group who mind controlled your offspring and send them to battle against newly made allies.

 

Not letting her desire for retribution completely consume her, Astrid took to several important, less battle oriented responsibilities. She has regularly traveled out of the palace in Heil in order to inspect certain trade routes with the Vakstyra and Kingsguard. Taking care of bridges and structures needed to keep trade in and out of Whitescar was an important task if the Caribou were to better their land and society. Projects were set up at her behest to improve fortification to allied clan structures wherever it was reasonable. Even now, Astrid refuses to keep from getting involved in the betterment of Whitescar. With her husband hard at work and her daughter still making her legend, the high queen refuses to let her age or new position spoil her.

 

Character Personality:

 

Astrid is a cow who has lived a long life full of conflict the loss of close friends, siblings in arms, keeps, and settlements all in the hopes of bringing Whitescar into a better way of life. Even with all of her past behind her she rarely loses her composure and keeps calm in most situations. In almost any dealing she attempts to give those in her company the chance to speak and is inclined to treat any caribou or other creature with respect she deems she should give them. While she is most at home in deal making and compromises among those of her homeland, Astrid is willing to give powerful individuals respect so long as this sentiment is shared.

 

Even though she tries to present the best qualities of the caribou at the forefront of any meetings with the elite of the lands beyond Whitescar, Astrid still tends to be flummoxed by some notions held by other cultures: Lines of succession being one of those she has difficulty understanding. She knows better than to debate the merits of it with those who benefit from such positions.

 

In Whitescar, the High Queen has made her feelings on the state of other clans in the alliance clear: especially the clans who had been most hesitant about aiding her husband. Some of her opinions on certain players in Whitescar's situation are more openly known, such as her belief that the Red Jarl and to a certain degree his former mate are less interested in actually improving their homeland rather than playing heroes of their own little worlds. Even then, she knows some caribou are capable of impressive change... so long as they truly wish to. The allies she considers the closest to her can often be subjected to the occasional blow of brutal honesty in regards to her opinions on certain matters, but Astrid typically knows when to leave something to those most suited or most knowledgeable, whatever her feelings.

 

In regards to Foreign Relations, Astrid has only recently begun to make more trips overseas to the east and south to better establish trade opportunities with those lands. Given the history between Whitescar and Neighpon, she feels attempting better deals between them and the shogunate may be a wasted effort but is willing to hear out any who feel they may be able to find benefits in trade with that land. As of now, her eyes are set to long guo and the lands of Equestria, hoping to make visits to the other countries in shows of Good faith.

 

Certain things that Astrid has found herself exposed to in both her travels and her life have resulted in her having very little patience or openly hostile towards. The decadently wealthy who take advantage of their citizens are by far those she absolutely despises dealing with: This mostly being inspired by the corruption she needed to work against in the very clan where she and her husband raised their daughter. Those who make light of the pantheon she holds so dear are known to quickly draw her ire, and those mock them even more so.

 

In her downtime, Astrid can often be seen reading books. She’s found she has a taste for Equestrian mystery novels and pulps stories when some of them were brought ashore. After she learned of a less… controversial method of acquiring the tomes, Astrid set out to buy a set and on her trips to Equestria is known to frequent various bookstores in the hopes of improving her collection back in the hall. There exists a soft spot in Astrid’s heart for any young or small creature. One of her favorite animals (and one of the few mostly harmless creatures back in Whitescar was a breed of thick furred cat that roamed the forests. When she was a calf she had taken care of an injured one… only to have become visibly sick herself until her clan’s shaman told her that she was allergic to the creature and they’d have to give him a new home. She refused and carried that cat with her most anywhere to the end of it’s days. Even now she can be easily distracted by the presence of felines.

 

Character Summary:

When all's said and done, Astrid is many things: A healer, a warrior, a leader, a mother, and many names that she and her husband’s enemies surely call her that she couldn’t say in good company. She works hard for Whitescar and it’s natives and strives to work in their best interests.

[RainbowFoxxy]