Olina Toratgeir
The Black Valkyrie
Background
Olina Toratgeir was raised in the mountain village of Hjanskir. The village was protected by the blue-scaled storm dragon, Virðstormr, one of the few dragons that accepted the presence of men. The village was secluded away from the world, trading with hunters and the odd merchant, but having little other contact with the world beyond.From a young age, Olina took to wrestling and fighting with the boys. She took to Virðstormr and spent what time she could in his presence, asking countless questions the dragon peculiarly humored. She had a talent for warfare and combat, which she began honing through training with her father, Balder, as soon as she was able. Olina had a mind for history and strategy, listening raptly to tales of great battles and conquests. She trained hard, seeking to become a warrior worthy of the sorts of heroic tales she was enamored with.Balder instilled one lesson at the heart of Olina’s training – the Riddle of Halone. He told her a story about the goddess and those who pass on in death: All who die in Halone’s worship would eventually stand before her and be asked a question – the Riddle. Those who answered correctly would serve with the goddess eternally in the afterlife. Those who failed the test would be cast back into the Aetherial Sea to be reborn and start over again.Olina had a brother, Lokhan, who was much the opposite to his sister. Lokhan was a sickly child and physically weak from his ailments. He was oft taken to brooding and bouts of anger. In him fostered a desire for power and glory all his own, as his attentions turned to the study of magic. Lokhan’s desires drove him to ever darker ambitions. What began as simple spellcraft became elaborate ritual.The people of the Hjanskir grew fearful. Olina attempted to confront and turn her brother way from his path, but her own arrogance and Lokhan’s resentment clashed. After a fight between the two in which Lokhan used some of his darker magics, the young sorcerer was cast out of the village by the dragon Virðstormr. An enraged Lokhan swore revenge upon his people and hobbled away into the snow. His sister looked on, ashamed of herself and blaming Lokhan’s exile entirely on her own failings.Years later, a group of dark, cloaked figures came to the village of Hjanskir. They bore strange sigils and wore masks of frightening visages. The strangers commanded the villagers to bend the knee to “Master Midnight”. The villagers staunchly refused. The sorcerers proceeded to demonstrate the dark and terrible powers. Casting a powerful spell, the strangers lashed out at Virðstormr and the dragon’s glimmering blue scales became a twisted, abyssal shade. Hjanskir’s own guardian was turned against them.As the battle ensued, Olina fought with other villagers against the now-corrupted Virðstormr amidst her burning village. The battle seemed hopeful for a moment as the young warrior pierced and stole the dragon’s eye, but the sorcerers’ magics overwhelmed the defenders. Olina’s parents demanded that she flee, sacrificing themselves by distracting the rampaging dragon so that she could escape with its eye.In a fighting retreat to slay any that hunted her, she escaped from the destruction and fled to Limsa Lominsa. All that she cherished was gone. With naught but her wits, her spear, and the eye of Virðstormr, she became a sellsword, seeking to earn the means and power to hunt down those who had destroyed her home. She carried the dragon’s eye with her, tapping into its now darkened and corrupted powers to fuel her quest for vengeance.
----------------------------------------------Further DevelopmentsOlina's past eventually caught up to her. While serving in a mercenary company in Ishgard, rumors began to circulate of masked mages visiting graveyards and performing odd rituals. This naturally drew the attention of the authorities. They dispatched a group of knights to investigate and discovered the sorcerers performing experiments in necromancy. After dispatching the masked figures, the Ishgardians learned of a hidden laboratory out in Dravania where the results of the experiments would be reported.During this time, Olina discovered a dragon in a mournful rage. Her eggs had been stolen by a group of humans in masks. The sellsword managed to calm her with a promise that she would return her children to her.The mercenaries and knights stormed the laboratory, cutting down the cultists and what appeared to be summoned voidsent servants. The leader of the mages was particularly zealous and smashed some sort of memory crystal as a last ditch effort against the invaders.As the crystal's memories were unleashed, Olina and the Ishgardians were confronted with vision from her past; visions of Lokhan in his youth, cast out of his village and near the verge of death in the snow. The vision then revealed him being approached by a figure in a black mask - an Ascian, offering him the power and knowledge he craved. He accepted, and he went on to become the Master Midnight.Aware that his experiments would eventually be discovered, he had left a programmed message in the memory crystal, taunting his sister and the Ishgardians and revealing his true identity. He cast aside his underlings - one of whom was his own lover - to buy time to accomplish his scheme.Investigating the laboratory, the group pieced together the sorcerer's plan. He was experimenting with necromancy, with aetheric transfers, with the aether released when a voidsent is killed on the Source, and the ability of dragons to absorb aether. He was using voidsent as raw sources of power, which would fill Virdstormer like a ritual battery. Then, drawing upon all of the aether he had siphoned, Lokan would reforge himself as a Primal - a god of knowledge and death: Lich.Every member of the group immediately set upon pulling on their contacts and resources to find and prevent the ritual. Olina herself drew on every favor and every coin she had earned through her career. With the combined effort of dozens, the knights and mercenaries found the ritual site and rushed to battle the villainous sorcerer.Lokhan performed his ritual and ascended to become the primal Lich, but his efforts were sabotaged by the Ishgardians, rendering his form weaker than he had intended. Olina engaged him in battle, along with the knights and sellswords of Ishgard.The battle was fierce and harrowing even with Lich's form weakened, but the heroes overcame him and subdued he corrupted Virdstormr without killing him. As he reverted and lay dying, Lokhan finally reflected on all that had led to this and wondering how things might have been different.With his last words, he asked his sister to help him stand on his feet rather than die on his back like a cripple. Seeing her brother as he once was, Olina obliged him, and the last of her family died beside her gazing at the sunset. She carried him to be buried and ensured that Virdstormr could be cared for by the healers...
Character Details
Name: Olina Toratgeir (Stormspear)
Race: Highlander
Homeland: Dravania
Occupation: Sellsword
Sex: Female
Age: Late 20s
Nameday: 15th Sun of the 1st Umbral Moon
Faith: Halone, the Fury
Married to Elltenia Delganis (@Mateus)Player Timezone: EST
RP Style: Medium/Heavy
Homeserver: ZaleraAppearance at a Glance:
Olina is an olive-skinned Highlander with dark hair and noteworthy tattoos decorating her facial features. A long scar runs along her right eye. Her stormy blue gaze carries a not so subtle intensity, though she attempts to veil her emotions for the sake of others.She appears to be rather muscular and trained for battle, favoring heavy armors and keeping her weapon close by. Her walk is one of quietly suffered burdens, as if a weight were pressed down upon her shoulders.Olina's reflections often lead to her distancing herself and deep, idle contemplation. Despite the somber aspects of her initial impressions, however, Olina appears rather friendly to most and has a candid, tomboyish attitude about her.Her aether is marked by a noticeable umbral "scar" from years of carrying a cursed dragon's eye. She swirls with dark and draconic aether that may never truly heal. This scar in her aether does allow her to augment herself and gives her a connection to the dragon Virdstormr. As she has been training with him, she has learned how to draw upon this connection to borrow strength and power from the dragon and her own umbral scar.
Roleplay Hooks
(This section is for RP hooks if you would like some connection to Olina or some ideas to use for storylines)
Have you tried Mercenary Work?- Olina is a mercenary and has been for several years now. She is willing to take most causes provided there is coin involved. She may have made friends or enemies through her exploits - or perhaps some may have need of an extra hand for some manner of quest or job. Be it monster hunting, dungeon delving, or simple caravan guard duty, she is willing to lend her blade for gil.
What is The Riddle of Halone?Olina believes that all followers of Halone, the Fury, shall stand before the goddess on the day of their death and will be made to answer a riddle. No one knows the riddle, and no one knows the answer. Perhaps it is the attributes of a great warrior? Is it the holy deeds one has performed in life? Perhaps your character has their own perspective, if they are even aware of this concept. Perhaps this Highlander's strange and outlandish beliefs encourages some introspection in another to develop their own answer to the Riddle of Halone.