More or less a place holder as I do some touching up and hope for constructive criticism. Think of her as the one that keeps people from starving to death or stumbling into some beastie's den as they avoid the main roads.
Name: Taula Ungeirtytär
Race: Drungr
The second most populous among the archipelago's myriad of inhabitants and an apparent offshoot of humanity, many unflattering theories circulate as to the origins of their sharp teeth, lengthy tongues and swart, sloe-black complexions. Nourished by the inhuman density of form and animal-like dynamism that flows through them they are naturally gifted soldiers and huntsmen. Tales of their bestial might and short tempers may often be exaggerated, but one would be wise not to test the limits of either.
Age: Presumably late-thirties to mid-forties
Position: Master of the Hunt and 'Thahlin' to the King.
Appearance: Strength ebbs through her like a river from its headwaters, each rippling formation beneath her dark skin rising and curving as a plethora of living testimonies to her physical prowess, every inch equal parts warrior and woman. She stares at the world as if looking through it, an intense clarity of purpose reflected in her beryl eyes; flecks of green pitted beneath an oft crinkled brow. She is not young and she is not an ideal beauty, to be likened to and admired as a finely crafted sword rather than delicate flower. Her firm flesh and hard angles holding all the wild, reckless allure of an unpenned tiger; quietly intimidating as they avow of constant danger.
Wide cheeks and a strong jaw form the foundation of her thinly furrowed face much in the same way her rectangular, nearly rubenesque figure serves to understate a bust almost subsumed b underlying pectorals. As if following suite closely cropped curls cling to the contour of her scar nicked scalp like a darkly hued sea of sow tails, trimmed to a tight fade about her temples. A small gap and off center smile add character to the pointed teeth her thin lipped mouth conceals whilst a cluttering of glyphs along each arm and shoulder quite literally brand her as an Estengauk.
Likewise she does not attire herself as lavishly as other ladies of the court--bedizened in the sort of sleeveless jerkin, loose rough spun slacks and sturdy boots most commonly associated with isolated homesteaders. Only the sparing use of simple bead work and stark embroidery that the ensemble bears would ever draw a second glance, the mainstays of Drungr craftsmanship.
Personality: Taula is very much a product of the bitter, war embroiled borderlands that huddle close to the splendor of Altranor, honed by the harsh cold and subsistence living or her native Eskengauk. With a matter-of-fact mentality, strange customs and 'unwomanly' demeanor she is by all accounts the square peg that has forced its way into the circle of her adoptive country's upper echelon.
Characterized as much by this as her nigh-religious adherence to a code of personal conduct that demands favors and slights be returned in kind her honor demands thundering, bloody vengeance for the life of the king. Come low hell or high heaven she will see this done.
Personal Relationships: On a personal note, though united by their shared loyalty to the late king and in general mindful of her elders Taula dislikes court wizard Nykerius as a matter of principle. There is friction, and while she does not doubt his power she does hold his magics in open contempt as the tools of a coward. To the old man's credit however he has at least managed to have her admit it to be a useful tool, a near superhuman feat that speaks volumes of his skill as a debater.
As estranged 'wife' to the late king Erasmus Taula knew the Lady Protector long before she inherited the title and as such is one of the few people that still remembers 'the smiling death' as the little girl whom threw a tantrum because she wasn't allowed to sit on the throne. She respected and understood Galene's motivations but never approved of the way she believed Riven was coddled as a child, attributing Riven's upbringing to why she finds lifelong obligation and constant murder disagreeable. Something of a nagging aunt Taula scolds her even as an adult, though often concerning matters more martial than mundane. A popular favorite is reminding her that wielding two swords is not faster than simply using a single weapon of more practical length.
Backstory: Twenty years to the day Taula was tithed to King Erasmus as a show of the neighboring Koen of Eskengauk's goodwill; the gifting of relatives a long held tradition that strengthens and extends the 'great chain' that is one's bloodline. A foreign tradition decidedly less vogue in the more enlightened kingdom of Altranor, where vassals or wards are much preferred over the sudden consignment of a slave-wife.
To the king's credit and queen's ire a suitable position was quickly found for this outrageous woman, one that would keep her blessedly distant from his royal personage without the need to rebuke the offered peace and promise of trade such a gesture had inferred. As huntmaster her duties would see her to all corners of the realm, organizing militias and heading townsfolk as they route out the lesser beasts and monsters ever-present amidst outlying settlements.
Such was the plan but to the surprise of nearly no one the steely eyed Taula opted to instead put her skills as an Ormrammr--a beastseeker--on display. Proceeding with only the barest of retinues she struck out for months at a time only to return with ever more outlandish tales and the grisly trophies that affirmed them; overstepping the demands of her position time and time again as she'd risk life and limb in pursuit of increasingly dangerous creatures. By the time she became a figure of minor folk legend it was impossible to tell which recountings of her deeds were fiction from those that were mere exaggerations, though rumor persists it to be the gods' honest truth she once bit the throat from a warg.
Possessions and Abilities:
Along each arm and shoulder extends her Kynneskr--kine scar--a series of ritual burns that tell the 'good parts' of her lifetale and strengthen the 'great chain' of her bloodline. Estengauk belief holds that in the afterlife one joins hands with their ancestors as they make the long journey to Ysgarven and that the weak in life are weak in death and unable to make the arduous trek. One's Kynneskr must be strong to resist the weight of the envious dead left gripping at the heels of those bound for Ysgarven.
As an Ormrammr she is practiced in a form a martial trance that claims to endow its practitioners with the aspects of mighty beasts. To see this done she keeps a cloak of cured brumesnake scale close at hand, empowering herself when need should arise with the shouting of beots and consumption of dubious mushrooms. Warriors such as herself enter battle weaponless as the creatures they seek to emulate and move to quickly overwhelm and overpower their foes with sheer ferocity.
The simple tools of skinning, hide work and woodcraft that just as easily lend themselves to being implements of murder.
*Phenomenally strong and large of stature, and not merely with other women as the measure. So far from the gender norm in land of the late-king Erasmus is this that she can't help but cut a frighteningly intimidating figure. She far from unaware of this.
*As Master of the Hunt and having held a similar position in her native lands she is well versed in the stalking, hunting, avoidance and most importantly cooking and consumption of uncommon creatures.
*Having spent more time outside city walls than within them she is not only acclimated to the harshest extremes of weather but keen to pick up on the hidden pathways and easily overlooked dangers others would overlook.
*She is only literate in regards to the glyphs used in Estengauk and as such unable to read much of anything the group is likely to find in the kingdom of Altranor.
*Has the habit of arguing with animals, most commonly dogs and horses. Usually during their handling and grooming. .