ℕ𝕒𝕞𝕖: Brünhilda Vel-Vevina Torgrimson
𝔸𝕝𝕚𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕤: Known by most of her peers as Hilda, but she has never been especially fond of the nickname.
𝔸𝕘𝕖: 52
𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕤: Dwarf
𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣: Female
𝕆𝕔𝕔𝕦𝕡𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: Owner and operator of The Silver Horseshoe, a rather popular saloon known for it’s signature Silver Moonshine. She also owns the distillery where said moonshine is made.
𝔸𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥: Lawful Neutral
ℍ𝕖𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥: 3’7”
𝔹𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕕: Square, with broad shoulders and hips, and quite *ahem* well-endowed.
𝔼𝕪𝕖𝕤: A bright amber in color, Brünhilda’s eyes always seem to be brimming with merriment...most of the time.
ℍ𝕒𝕚𝕣: Long, dark, and thick, Brünhilda’s hair is definitely one of her best features. When let down, it nearly reaches her ankles, but ordinarily she keeps it braided and pinned up on top of her head.
𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕟 𝕋𝕠𝕟𝕖: Ruddy and tan, with a sparse spattering of freckles.
𝕋𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕠𝕠𝕤/𝕊𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕤/ℙ𝕚𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤: Of tattoos, she has just one on her left shoulder, the Dwarven rune chosen to symbolize her clan of origin. Her ears are pierced with half-a-dozen golden rings. A few small scars that criss-cross her fingers indicate she’s spent most of her life working with her hands, but none of them are especially prominent or significant.
ℙ𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕊𝕥𝕪𝕝𝕖: Being as well off as any successful business owner, Brünhilda enjoys many of the finer things in life, including artistically woven and tailored dresses, ruffled skirts, and embroidered bodices that accentuate her form. She often adorns herself in a moderate amount of jewelry, and decorates her various hairstyles with a variety of gold and silver pins, combs, and ringlets. She does not consider her extravagant way of dress as boastful, but rather a luxury she is entitled to enjoy since she spent a good portion of her life working to achieve it.
Warm * Cheerful * Proud * Shrewd * Friendly * Stubborn * Patient
ℝ𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕡 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕤: Widowed
ℚ𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕖:What first impression do you make? “Well, I can’t go around assuming what everyone must think of me, I try to occupy my thoughts with more productive things. But, I would like to think that I’m quite amicable, and I tend to get along with most people, so long as they’re not troublemakers. Some might think I’m a bit snobbish, and maybe I am but I feel like I’ve earned it, built my own fortune and all. And well, if you want to stop into the Silver Horseshoe and have a drink and a chat with me then you can go ahead and tell me if you still think I’m stuck up, ahaha! First impressions are a funny thing, if I judged everyone based on my first impression of them I’d probably be a lonely old maid with no friends.”
What are you like in a high stress situation?“I don’t think I often feel very stressed anymore. I can be busy, I can be preoccupied with a number of different tasks, and can be rushing to meet certain goals or deadlines, but if I don’t always succeed it’s not the end of the world. I have good help, and good friends, and a good lot in life, what do I have to stress about I say? Not a damn thing.”
What are your best and worst qualities?“Worst thing about me? Hm, perhaps I can be indecisive at times. I’m nit-picky about any number of things, and my late husband-his name was Horst by the way-might say I was a bit of a nag, but it’s not my fault he had a lazy streak. Bless him, he was always so kind even when I could tell I was getting on his last nerve.
“As for good qualities? Well I run a damn good business here in Forsaken, and I brew the best spirits this town has to offer. Don’t believe me? You’ll just have to stop in and see for yourself.”
What is something about yourself that you would never admit to anyone?“That is quite personal... but for the sake of being honest I’ll go ahead and admit it. I do miss having a man around the house, and not just any man of course. Being married to Horst was the happiest time in my life, and since we never had any children the house seems quite empty without him. At least I have the dogs though, they’re good company.”
What are your dreams?“It’s no secret I believe my husband’s death was caused by foul play. And yes, it happened years ago, and the case has gone cold. I do wish I could bring to justice whomever was responsible, but I also know Horst wouldn’t want me to be consumed by grief and dreams of vengeance. So instead of vengeance, I dream to create a better world for those who are still alive to enjoy it.
How do you want to be seen by others?“This again. Well, as for how I
want to be seen... Successful, happy, generous. Not many people know that I came out of misery not too long ago, and I feel like it gives me a unique perspective of the world, to now be a woman of privilege. As a business owner I have a certain reputation to uphold, but I try to stay humble, and not get carried away. After all, looks aren’t everything, or so they say.”
How do you see yourself?“I may not be as young as I used to be, but I’m no hag! I’m still very curious about the world and those who inhabit it. So I see myself as still young, and full of excitement, making the most of my life while I can.”
Do you tend to make snap judgements, or stop and think about things?“Ohhh I take ever-so-long to make decisions, because I have to know I’m making the most correct and beneficial choice when it comes to, well, anything really. I can spend a great deal of time analyzing every possible outcome before reaching a conclusion. The benefit is I rarely make a choice that ends in catastrophe, and my patience has saved many a friendship. I’m not petty, you see, and I’m no gossip, though I hear of lot of it in my day-to-day life. When you’re behind a bar, people tend to want to tell you exactly what they’re thinking, without any filter—of course the alcohol is partially to blame. And you know, that almost makes me like them more, because I feel like that’s true honesty.
What haunts you?“What...haunts me. I don’t know if I ought to say... such matters are quite personal after all. Ah but I suppose it matters not if I tell you. Of course my husband’s death, first and foremost. Even after so many years you never really get over a loss like that. Someone you thought you’d grow old with passes into the next life and leaves you behind. I was so heartbroken. We had been through so much together, he was the one who taught me how to be happy back before I knew how to smile for the sake of smiling. There are other things I could name, such as my early childhood, the trauma of my upbringing, but those things seem so far away now I can’t say they haunt me. No, I will leave them in the past where they belong.”
What is your philosophy on life?“Always look forward toward what you have to gain, and never look back at the things you have lost.”
ℍ𝕒𝕓𝕚𝕥𝕤:- Advertising the Silver Horseshoe, to everyone, all the time. It kind of gets old, yet it always seems to bring in new customers.
- Endlessly polishing her bar’s glassware until it shimmers.
- Cleaning. Brünhilda keeps an immaculate house and is notoriously tidy and organized.
ℍ𝕠𝕓𝕓𝕚𝕖𝕤:- Drinking. The best part of owning a saloon and a moonshine still is that she can drink for free in her own establishment. And in spite of her stature she holds her liquor better than most of her patrons.
- Charity. Not many are aware, but Brünhilda donates a fair bit of her earnings to the less fortunate, and has a soft spot for young women from difficult backgrounds, because they remind her of her own origins.
- Divination. She may not look it, but Beünhilda is quite the spiritualist, especially since she became a widow. Though it’s not some huge secret, she generally keeps her occult interests to herself.
𝔽𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕤:- Failure. She’s gained much in life, and those who have gained the most have the most to lose, and she’s grown accustomed to her worldly comforts, they depend on her standing and her business.
- Losing her reputation. For someone of her social status, she now has to be concerned with her image to some extent.
- Spiders. They make her skin crawl. One of the reasons she’s so vigilant when it comes to chores is to make sure there’s no nook or cranny where those vermin can hide.
𝕃𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕤:- Good food and drink.
- Good company.
- Honesty. Whether you’re a sheriff’s deputy or a wandering outlaw, if you’re honest about your intentions you’ll never be turned away.
- Expensive things. You might also call this a weakness.
- Most animals, especially of the canine and equine affiliation.
- A good story.
𝔻𝕚𝕤𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕤:- Phony or fake personalities. Being disingenuous is a quick way to fall out of favor with Brünhilda.
- Cheap products being passed off as valuable.
- Unnecessary cruelty.
- Injustice.
- Disorder.
𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝 𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕤:- Business.
- Persuasion.
- Observation.
- Horsemanship.
- Knows how to handle a gun.
- Excellent problem-solver.
- Adept with needlework
- Proficient in administering first-aid.
- Excellent cook.
𝕄𝕒𝕘𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝/𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕪 𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕤:- Divination. Brünhilda practices several forms of divination including the reading of runes, scrying, and lithomancy.
- Adept at Spell-casting, she practices several forms of Hearth Magic in her own home, mostly having to do with protection and prosperity.
- Perception. She is quite keen when it comes to reading people and situations.
- An ability to make others feel at ease around her.
𝕀𝕟𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪:- A thick wallet
- Small leather-bound notebook and pencil
- Derringer
- Knife
- Flask filled with Silver Moonshine
𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪: “A lengthy tale so bear with me. The Dwarven clan which I was born into was, at the time, barely living above poverty. My family always struggled to make ends meet. My father worked as a gunsmith for the local government and while his work was excellent they didn’t even pay him half what his skill was worth. He taught me some of his craft, though it is knowledge I’ve yet to have need of. My mother, bless her soul, died of fever when I was very young, and I was left to care for my two little brothers in her stead. Less than a year later, my father then perished in a work-related accident, an explosion in the factory which claimed more than just his life.
The State took charge of us children, I was only 14 at the time. We were put into an orphanage and our outlook was quite bleak. My youngest brother, Balan, succumbed to illness shortly after our arrival. After that, Norrim, who was 12 at the time, began scheming with me to run away. And we did run away, and let me tell you this world is very cruel to two Dwarf orphans who have no home, no money, and no future. After hitchhiking west, we found a city where we started to look for work.
I found a job as a barmaid in a run-down and less than desirable establishment. Being so young and naïve as I was, I didn’t know how much danger I was in at any given time. Luckily the owner was a kind, older human gentleman who always looked out for me. In the meantime, Norrim began working in a whiskey distillery, the manager of which was generous in letting us live out of his stable. Maybe that sounds horribly desperate, but we had no where else to sleep other than the streets, and a stall full of hay was a good deal warmer, dryer, and safer. Besides, I loved the horses, and often helped care for them when I wasn’t working, and the stable hands taught me about their feed and tack, and how to look after their other needs. I even got to ride the beasts later on, to exercise them in the paddock. I was quite good, even the draft horses would listen to me as I perched atop their towering shoulders.
I saved every penny I earned. By the time I was twenty-four I was no longer sleeping on hay bales, but renting a room in a boarding house. I could afford clothes that were not rags, and I had made friends. I taught myself to read, and read as much as I could about, well, everything. I was thirsty for knowledge of the world. I still worked as a barmaid, but now in an inn of much better reputation. I was put in charge of the bookkeeping, money-counting, I was the one placing orders to the breweries and stills, stocking our inventory with booze. I was essentially running the place, and the money flowed as freely as the beer. I even opened a bank account, can you believe that?
That was about the time I met my husband. When the owner of the distillery where Norrim was still working passed away, the deed went to his nephew, Horst. Norrim was actually the one who introduced us. It was quite a surprise, actually, since Norrim’s former employer had also been a human, to then meet Horst who was a Dwarf man descended from our very same clan. Apparently he’d been adopted as a babe and raised in a well-to-do household. He was well-educated and handsome, and we fell for each other shortly thereafter, and got married the year following.
Life was good for some years then. I continued to manage the inn, Horst managed the distillery, and our personal relationship made our business relationship even more profitable. But good things never last forever.
The day before my 40th birthday, tragedy struck my family once again. Horst had been out drinking with some friends and he didn’t come home. I was unaware since I went to sleep early that night. The next morning, his body was found on the outskirts of town. He’d been robbed and then shot. No witnesses came forward. Horst had no enemies that I was aware of. The Sheriff said it looked like a mugging gone wrong. As if to add insult to injury, the next night the distillery burned to the ground.
I’d had about enough, so I emptied our bank accounts, sold our house, collected Norrim and together we headed further west.
When we reached Forsaken, a much smaller town than our previous home, we set about rebuilding our lives. I used the money I had to purchase a saloon, as well as a warehouse which later became the Silver Moonshine distillery, the operations of which I left up to Norrim. I changed the name of the saloon to the Silver Horseshoe and, well, here I am now over a decade later. A happy and successful businesswoman. That’s about all there is to the story, at least for now.”
ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣 ℚ𝕦𝕠𝕥𝕖: "Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad."
𝔸𝕟𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔼𝕝𝕤𝕖:Brünhilda owns a bay shire mare named Svala, and keeps her boarded at a stable in town.